Victorian State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed met with Barkandji Rangers on her Truth and Water Tour of the Northern Basin, who explained the cultural importance of the Menindee Lakes.
Ms Sheed and her convoy of water stakeholders and councillors met with Barkandji Rangers Cheryl Blore, Barb Quayle and Fred Bennett at the Menindee Lakes on Tuesday, to understand the indigenous history of the area.
“It was heartbreaking to see how indigenous people in Menindee have suffered from the lack of water in the Menindee Lakes,” Ms Sheed said.
“This land has more than 6000 significant cultural sites, including burial sites and middens. They told us about their distress arising from the current water management arrangements.”
Under current rules, New South Wales can bypass giving the lower lakes water if the storage in the upper lakes stays below 640 GL. Menindee local Graeme McCrabb explained the operating rules of the Menindee Lakes to the delegation.
“To see those lakes dry when they are of such cultural value is devastating to the Barkandji people, Ms Sheed said.
“While our irrigators in the Goulburn Valley are crying out for their share of the water from the Darling River, so too are the indigenous communities who rely on the continuation of the Darling for their cultural and social practices.”
City of Greater Shepparton councillor Geoff Dobson said they realised the importance the Menindee Lakes system had on the entire Murray-Darling Basin and how it needed to include indigenous culture.
“One of the interesting things we learnt was that if we find a yellow perch in the Goulburn River behind Aquamoves, it more than likely was spawned in the Menindee Lakes.”
Former City of Greater Shepparton mayor Dennis Patterson said he was moved by the passion of people who live on the Darling River for the loss of their river. "Some of them have had six generations on the river and to watch it degrade the way it has is upsetting for them and for us.”
The convoy of Shepparton farmers, water stakeholders and councillors is embarking on a learning tour of the Darling River to better understand water issues in the Northern Murray-Darling Basin.
The delegation, made up of 15 people, left Shepparton on April 11.
18°C