The Daily

THE campaign to save the Mary River from the controversial Traveston dam has joined with the new Australian Water Network.

The network has linked up community groups, activists and academics from around Australia to expose government water policies driven by private markets and environmental degradation.

“The Australian Water Network will fight for the public control of water and do all in our power to ensure water flows for threatened ecosystems”, said Maude Barlow, senior advisor on water to the president of the United Nations General Assembly and speaker at the network's launch in Sydney.

“This new voice will turn the tide in Australia's water crisis,” said Ms Barlow, who knew about the campaign to save the Mary River.

She was presented with a copy of the campaign book Love, Mary, in which her comments are quoted: “Rivers have rights and needs to natural flows. Moving water from where it's needed to where we want, draining rivers dry before they reach the ocean, the mass movement of water by pipeline and diversion will create huge new swaths of desert.”

Many other groups from Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia shared experiences and strategies at the network launch, and there was great interest in the Mary River campaign.

Save the Mary Co-ordinating Group is represented in the network's campaign working group. President Glenda Pickersgill said she was delighted to make links with the new group.

“We've already had involvement with international groups,” Ms Pickersgill said.

“It's helped us place the Mary in a worldwide context and it's given us great strength to fight the ill-advised proposal to dam the Mary River at Traveston Crossing.

“As the dam fight is poised to enter its third year, we're heartened by the continually widening circle of support and attention the Mary River is receiving.”