Thread by @R_o_d_C

Love #auspol but don't quite understand the @Barnaby_Joyce/#watergate/#RonniSalt thing?

Always had Qs re #MurrayDarling politics, but were too afraid to ask?

This thread's for you.

Current excitement is about an $80m ‘strategic water purchase’, which Joyce made as water minister in 2017.

@AngusTaylorMP's old company Eastern Australian Agriculture made a $52m profit on the deal.

Taylor was not involved in EEA in 2017 & I allege no wrongdoing on his part.

Taylor's involvement isn't the point - point is that EEA is a well-connected corporation.

To understand the #auspol of the #MurrayDarling you need to realise that it isn't about upstream vs down, farming vs env, or ALP vs LNP.

It's about the powerful vs everyone else.

With rad haggling skilz, Joyce’s dpt bargained the price of EEA's water UP from $2,200 to $2,750/ML, turning a $28m deal into a $79m deal.
Worse, gov lacks infrastructure & legal power to get this water to the rivers that need it. Full write up: tai.org.au/content/thats-…

That’s just 1 of at least 3 similar deals.

Deal 2 was in Menindee…where the million dead fish once lived.

It involves Webster, a company chaired by businessman Chris Corrigan, of 1990s warf fame.

In June 2015, Webster bought an irrigation property near Menindee. Come June 2017 Joyce signed off on $38 million for water licences, plus $40 million in ‘compensation’ for loss of future business.

Webster booked a $36 million profit on the transaction

The gov paying for the water as well as compo is like selling your car to the for $1,000 and then asking for another $1,000 to cover your taxi fares.

No other farm/irrigator/company in the Basin has ever landed a compo deal like this, AFAWK.

But wait there’s more – Webster got extra water to grow a $35m cotton crop.

Needless to say, the fish didn’t fare so well, neither did other local irrigators, farmers, indigenous nations or the local community. Full write up here: tai.org.au/content/trickl…

Deal 3.

In 2008 a certain politician criticised a Labor water deal in the Warrego River saying it would “have no effect whatsoever in solving the problems of the lower Murray-Darling”.

Fast-forward to 2017 and this same pollie was known as Water Minister @Barnaby_Joyce.

Under Joyce, we spent $17m of taxpayer money buying water out of the Warrego River with no reference whatsoever to his earlier views, or that he/we paid nearly twice the 2008 price per litre.

The Warrego River is in the electorate of newish Water Minister @D_LittleproudMP. @MakeMayoMatter asked him if he or Joyce had any relationship and the beneficiaries. Here’s his answer.

Full @TheAusInstitute report here: tai.org.au/content/moving…

Shouldn’t someone be doing something about this?

Yes, they should. In April 2018 @Senator_Patrick , @Tony_Burke, @sarahinthesen8 and...wait for it...@corybernardi wrote to the Auditor-General, requesting an investigation: tai.org.au/content/reques…

Audit unlikely to be done before #ausvotes. :(

This is a drop in the river of #MurrayDarling battles, that get little attn as they don't fit easily into usual #auspol teams. Labor also some terrible decisions.

Get more on @TheAusInstitute site and follow @MaryanneSlatte1

To be clear, there is no suggestion of wrongdoing or illegality by Mr Corrigan or any other Webster staff or director.