South Australia could lead the way and generate very significant business and employment by fabricating about 2,000 km of 4 metre wide x 7 metre deep steel aqueduct to harvest and bring wet season water from northern Queensland's Gregory Range into upper catchment of the Murray Darling Basin, situated inland from Fraser Island Qld.

It's not that far. The estimated 2000km length is to allow winding very gradually downhill along western escarpment of the Great Dividing Range. No pumps. No pipes.
The aqueduct should be all steel but SA would need a modern steel mill, that such a project would likely pay for.
Bolted epoxy camouflage coated sheet steel. Suspended with pile supports and anchors.

It's not impossible. Or can anyone prove otherwise?

Surely SA should look into this apparent opportunity for the various state food and fibre producers that would benefit from such infrastructure.

The system has been suggested in the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper - Supporting Information - Green Paper - Index F.
The ABC does not seem interested in investigating and reporting this project opportunity (or not).

The system should also help bring water for Broken Hill.
Steel and ore company and SA and Aus business would be stimulated.

I welcome any reasonable criticism, especially if it will help to kick such opportunity forward to generate business and employment in our country.

Can you just imagine how the Greenies would protest against such a development.

All those endangered frogs and thingys.

JF Aus

Who in SA is starving because SA can't grow enough food?

Forget about exporting agricultural products.

For every export there is an import, and the last time I looked, exports of agricultural products were piffling compared to other exports, and Australia also had a trade deficit because it imports so much.

Most commodity prices are falling, and the countries that Australia currently relies on for agricultural exports (such as Indonesia and China) are also gearing up for self-sufficiency.

And about 300 farmers per week are leaving the land because the costs (such as electricity and fertilizer costs) make farming uneconomic.

Far better for Australia to immediately reduce the immigration rate to reduce the rate of importation.

PollyFolly,

You have made a good call there.

To tell you the truth I cannot imagine how greenies could justifiably protest development of this water harvesting and aqueduct system. This system would provide water for endangered frogs and other animals as well as drought stricken wetlands.

This suggested system is designed for the environment, including to provide nutrition for seafood dependent island people, and it is specifically intended to supply water to The Coorong that is supposed to supply food to seafood dependent ocean animals, whales, fish, birds.

Millions of mutton birds have been dying in mass starvation events along coast extending from Mackay Qld to SA and around Tasmania but the seriousness is being played down without scientific evidence. e.g the ABC reported 2013 mutton bird mortality due to population surge, the SMH reported mortality starting at Coffs Harbour, but in reality it has occurred from Mackay Qld and southward all the way to SA and around Tas.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-13/dead-mutton-bird-on-fisherman27s-beach2c-torquay/5089308

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/dead-birds-not-just-a-freak-event-20131030-2wgzd.html

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/dead-mutton-birds-washing-our-beaches/2058707/

Millions of dead mutton birds are a canary-in-the-coal-mine warning.
Many SA fishing livelihood's have already been lost, so too in amnateur fishing tourism and associated community economy business.

Australia is now importing over 70% of it's fish. Too bad whales cannot get to costly fish shops and supermarkets.

Truth is there was originally an estimated 100 million Short-tailed Shearwater mutton birds but now estimates indicate less than 17 million.
Truth is devastated ocean coast ecosystems can no longer support even 17 million Shearwaters.
Where does the ABC reported "surge" apply, based on what scientific evidence?

And what about lost livelihood's in SA.
Amateur fishing used to be Australia's biggest participant sport and pro fishing once fed the nation with fresh wild low cost fish.

I think genuine greenies will support remedial development when they realise the true devastated state of the world ocean environment and dire need for sensible solutions.

interactive,

Have you been drinking?
How can you justify saying forget about exporting Australian products?

Why forget about Australian agricultural exports worth $155 Billion a year? Why?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Australia

Australia once "lived off the sheep's back".

Genuine farmers leaving the land should receive government support until causes are established and overcome.

Take the dairy industry.
In Solomon Islands where I am often based a large tin of powdered milk costs SBD$150. Teachers there are paid only about SBD$400 a week. The AUD x SBD exchange rate is about AUD$6.00 to SBD$1.00.
Milk is unaffordable to millions of would be if they could be consumers including many qualified teachers.

It looks to me like the huge dairy-hub multi nationals are squeezing out smaller dairy farmers, similar to the way milk quotas were bought up by the big boys.

Dairy hubs with 20,000 cows form a point source of nutrient overload that with sewage can amount to nutrient pollution feeding algae, damaging water ecosystems to an extent impact is changing weather and natural climate.

Government should wake up. Small dairies can spread manure. Dairy subs are unsustainable. Greed and ignorance is no excuse.

Our dairy farmers need and deserve government assistance so as to remain and prosper in a sustainable way in their industry, especially at this time in history due to devastation of affordable world ocean protein food supply.

Wake up to 5,000 dead babies and 1,500 dead mother in one year has been reported in PNG, just off our shores.
I have evidence anaemia and protein deficiency malnutrition is increasingly involved.
Check out Haiti and other places too, worldwide. Mega millions of would be consumers.
Milk powder protein should be provided as Aid and that would help milk markets.

Why not increase agricultural production and affordable supply instead of letting it collapse?

JF Aus

As exports go up, imports go up also

Our exports have increased almost 7 times since 1995, and so have our imports, to achieve no overall gain.

http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/aus/

Agricultural exports are piffling in comparison to other exports, and the returns are becoming less in time.

The so-called record prices for beef last year were the same prices 30 years ago when adjusted for inflation, and when adjusted for inflation, most commodity prices are falling in time, making it more difficult to remain profitable.

Why did CSR sell its sugar mills and leave the sugar industry, why is the biggest cattle station in Australia being sold, why was the ORD river scheme sold, why was the biggest cotton farm in Australia sold?

Not economic is the answer.