One thing's for certain though, things must change. That's the only way farmers will survive long term. If they continue on as they have been, their grandchildren won't have any farms to inherit.

Indy certainly your point is a good one.
Bazz my understanding is it is not true.
We are told too much water has been allocated even for the good times.
Drought did make it worse but we have them often here.
This mornings editorial in Conservative flagship the Australian is worth a read balance and understanding rare in that paper.
Within well planned limitations we can have some farming and the river system.
But if politics over rules common since we are not going to have either.

Belly, you seem to believe all the crap mouthed by this dictatorial greenie lot, so here's a case study for you.

The burdekin has lots of water. Most of it still flows through the Burdekin Falls dam, & out to sea, where it kills coral. To take advantage of this water the locals developed a rice industry. Yes they committed something akin to murder to our hateful greenies.

They built a rice mill, & prosperity grew. The greenies hated someone making money by their own effort, you can't control those people who generate their own wealth, but there was not much they could do.

Unfortunately a lonely lost bird found one of the rice paddies one day. People wondered what this strange bird was. It was a magpie goose, & they had never seen one before, in that district.

Well this bird flew off & told his mates about this wonderful new sub development, where there was lots of water, & food everywhere. Some migrated with our explorer & set up a colony.

They bred quickly in this perfect environment provided by the farmers, multiplying so quickly that they started to cause real damage.

The farmer saw a new & unexpected pest, but our greenies saw a weapon. They demanded protection for these, [exotic to the district] immigrants.

As usual our misinformed city folk sided with the greenies.

The protected geese destroyed so much rice that the farmers had to give it away as a crop, it was no longer viable. The mill closed, throwing people out of work, but they were only country bumpkins, so that did not matter.

With the paddy's dry, the geese left, as did the greenies, just the empty mill stands as a monument to green hate.

Unfortunately for the country bumpkins down the Murray Darling, all too many of the greenies found them. I wonder how long it will take to destroy another industry, & the lives of thousands.

Doesn't matter of course, most of the greenies are in public funded employment, so no one important will be harmed.

We humans hasbeen are much alike.
We think much more of our views than others.
We like the Fonz rarely admit we got it totally wrong.
And a closed mind, content to think only my view is important is a symptom of getting it wrong more than right.
You seem to claim destroying the flow of the Burdekin River is an option?
Did you see the hell raising when it was proposed the River in Grafton could be diverted and water sent to Brisbane.
Your diatribe, that is what it is, about greens saving a river system, let you propose yet another river die?
I am not a green however I proudly am a conservationist.
You and I are very different, that pleases me, but your self confidence is vastly Miss placed

It is a waste of time talking to those who will not see.

No body can "save" a river, & anyone who thinks they can is an egotistical twit.

They can destroy the lives of many hard working people. Isn't it funny that few greenies ever do any real work at all.

" Isn't it funny that few greenies ever do any real work at all."

A typically ignorant view. Just what one expects from the "ME" generation. Tough luck for the environment, let's just exploit it for all it's worth, so when it's f#$k&d and the world is a waste land it won't matter cause i'll be dead. Hay, even better we will blame those commo greenies for not doing anything.

Selfish and self centred, that's the "ME" generation.