Airdate: Muddied Waters

Here’s something a bit different…. Muddied Waters is a documentary about the health of the Murray River, screening at 9:30am this Sunday morning on 7TWO.

Australia is spending over $12 billion dollars on the Murray Darling Basin. What is the health of the Murray River and what will be achieved by major changes to how the Basin is to be managed?

Filmed mainly from the Australian Alps to the Murray Mouth, this one-hour special, features Harvard University Prof John Briscoe, one of four international water experts invited by the Murray Darling Basin Authority to review the initial draft Murray Darling Basin Plan.

His comments provide an insight into Australia’s history of water management up to the Water Act 2007.

While Cubby Station in the Northern Basin is the public image of water reform, Federal Government chose to buy a different property Toorale. Former CEO of Clyde Agriculture examines the consequences of this Government decision for little environmental gain.
The documentary explores the issues in the Southern Basin, where Government policies have focussed on Australia’s major food producing regions.

The Documentary reaffirms an all too familiar theme where the process of Government fails to listen to warnings of so many Australians who had so much to offer.

Louise Burge and her farming family in the Riverina hold grave concerns for many in the Southern Basin.

With a background in natural resource management policies over many years, Louise understands why so many Australians directly affected by Government policies, become so emotional at how the process of Government works.

The documentary also investigates the plight of the Coorong and Lower Lakes and questions what will happen in the next major drought?

Documentary director, Kent Smith ACS, Managing Partner KOJO, is passionate about the project, “Everyone agrees we need a healthy river, but there seemed to be so much misinformation out there I felt it was important to make a documentary that also looked at the ‘hidden’ issues, asked the tough questions and allowed people to form an opinion based on a broader coverage of the facts and not just the tsunami of ‘spin’ trotted out by all sides of politics.”

Muddied Waters is a documentary that is both provocative and constructive. It raises a question vital to Australia’s future…is there a better way?