The NSW and the federal government issued orders to pause all delivery of environmental water across NSW. 

This is extremely concerning, not least because irrigators have been putting pressure on the Government for years to stop environmental flows, but also because they can continue to extract water from these same rivers. 

Environmental water is critical to the health and functioning of many wetland ecosystems and the incredible range of plants and animals they support, including diverse waterbird populations and threatened fish species including silver perch and Murray cod.

The Government says it has stopped delivering this water to the environment due to apparent confusion around legal terms governing its use. Meanwhile wetlands like the Macquarie Marshes may miss out on vital flows leading up to the Spring breeding season.  

We’re calling on the government to prioritise the delivery of water for the environment over the interests of large corporate irrigators and lobby groups and resume environmental flows now.