The Brumby Government is wasting millions of dollars filling in the inlet channel into Lake Mokoan, Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes, said today.
Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) is decommissioning the Lake Mokoan inlet channel at a cost of $3.25 million.
“I am not alone in criticising this outrageous waste of money,” Dr Sykes said.
“My office has been contacted by a number of people who are disgusted at this apparent waste of taxpayers money.”
Dr Sykes raised the issue of the cost of decommissioning the inlet channel with the Minister for Water, Tim Holding during Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) hearings in May 2010.
“The Minister confirmed the cost in writing in July and said that the channel decommissioning works were fully budgeted in the Mokoan-Return to Wetland program.
“Concerned members of the public have questioned why the inlet channel needs to be decommissioned. As one constituent said, ‘if it is for water safety reasons, we don’t go filling in rivers’.”
Dr Sykes said the move to fill in the inlet channel was an act of spite on the part of the Brumby Labor Government to ensure that there was never any chance of resurrecting any form of lake in the future.
Speaking in Parliament this week, Dr Sykes said that the dry lake bed of Lake Mokoan is now a weed and pest-infested jungle that this government is yet to do anything about.
“This government, specifically the Minister for Water, has allocated $3.25 million to fill in the inlet channel as an ultimate act of spite to prevent the recommissioning of Lake Mokoan in the future.
“That $3.25 million could have been much better spent on many other things in our area, including the control of the weeds and pests in the infested jungle that exists at Lake Mokoan at present.
“I put it to local residents to tell this tired and out of touch government on how to better spend $3.25 million dollars.
“People can email their suggestions via my website at www.billsykes.com.au.”
Media contact: Bill Sykes 03 5762 2100
