Flood inquiry will visit Murray Bridge next week
River Murray irrigators will get a chance to offer some constructive criticism to a parliamentary committee in person.
Irrigators angry about government failures during the 2022-23 River Murray flood will make their complaints directly to MPs in Murray Bridge next week.
A parliamentary committee into the state government’s flood response, chaired by opposition MP Nicola Centofanti, will hold a hearing at the Bridgeport Hotel from 10.30am next Thursday, March 14.
The hearing will be open to the public.
Irrigators including Joanne Pfeiffer, of Long Flat, Les and Daniel Martin, of Wall Flat, and Rodger Schmidt, of Cowirra, have all asked to give evidence.
As Murray Bridge News reported in January, all raised serious problems with the state government’s failure to adequately prepare for or respond to the floods.
Most of the 26 levees between Mannum and Wellington failed when the flood peak arrived, inundating 1200 hectares of farmland and costing farmers millions of dollars.
In the months afterwards, it was irrigators – not government officials – who launched efforts to start pumping water off the swamps.
Committee members are due to report back to parliament later this year.
- More information about the hearing: Contact committee secretary Anthony Beasley at scmurrayflood@parliament.sa.gov.au or on 8237 9490.
- Read more: Department for Environment and Water failed farmers during floods, inquiry hears
Disclosure: The author also made a submission to the inquiry; you can read it at www.parliament.sa.gov.au by clicking on the arrow next to “2022-23 River Murray Flood Event”, then “submissions”, then the download icon next to submission 006.
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