The Snowy River Alliance Story

By Glenice White

It is a very long story starting about 25 years or more ago when the then Snowy River Improvement Trust (SRIT) noticed after the enormous 1971 flood that the Snowy River was showing pronounced signs of degradation. The SRIT started lobbying the Victorian, New South Wales and Federal Governments from that time on. Frequent contact was also made with the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority and the Murray Darling Basin Commission about water releases from the water storages.

Eventually the Victorian Government was prevailed upon to have a 'fly over' of the Snowy River from Jindabyne in NSW to the mouth at Marlo, Victoria in 1990. The Government officials who took part were amazed at the degradation they saw along the length of what was once a magnificent river system. By the end of 1990, an interstate committee of scientists, water managers, public servants and community members from Victoria and NSW was established - the Snowy River Interstate Catchment Coordinating Committee (the Committee).

The Committee investigated river problems but it also took on organising, through government authorities, catchment rehabilitation in the badly eroded areas of the NSW Monaro Plains below Dalgety. During its first twelve months the Committee assisted in establishing 12 cross-border LandCare groups, some of which are still operating today. This was the first sign that 'Snowy people power' was starting to influence governments about the problems besetting the Snowy River and its environs.

The Committee published a well researched document based on good science and community inputs in 1993. The Report (known as the Snowy River Interstate Catchment Co-ordinating Committee Report) described the problems of the river and its catchment and made a number of recommendations including that more water was required to improve the river's ecology.

However, when water users in the irrigation districts along the Murray River (who benefit from the Snowy Mountains Scheme's water diversion from the Snowy) became aware of the push for environmental flows, pressure was applied on both NSW and Victorian Governments and the Federal Government, to halt any further debate or investigations into environmental flows for the Snowy.

Shortly after the release of the report, the Committee was rearranged, renamed and made responsible for another catchment area - probably due to political pressure being applied to governments to shift the attention away from the Snowy River , although this can't be proved. Before the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme, farmers inland of the Great Dividing Range jealously coveted the Snowy, and when, eventually, the water was 'turned backwards' for irrigation purposes, they were determined not to let it go.

The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme has always been a political animal. Electricity generation is the small part of the operation as it never runs to full capacity. Instead of supplying 17% of the South Eastern Grid as the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority would have you believe, it supplies only 4-5%. The publicity of the Authority is not only misleading but downright wrong.

In 1996, the SRIT joined with the Dalgety and District Community Association to form the Snowy River Alliance.

Also in 1996, a report commissioned and prepared by the NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation, Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Environment (now the Department of Sustainability and Environment) and the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority recommended that a minimum of 28% of the original flow that passed Jindabyne before the dams were built, be reinstated to the river. The report was never publicly released, but fortunately for the Alliance , a copy 'fell off the back of a truck' and arrived, literally, in a brown paper bag. This report provided us with a huge amount of scientific information which we used publicly as it backed up what the Alliance had been saying for many years.

1996 was a very busy year - as the Alliance also commissioned an Independent Panel of Scientists to assess the flows and degradation of the Snowy below Jindabyne. The Panel's assessment agreed with and supported the previous two reports. Armed with this scientific backup and all the knowledge gleaned along the way as to the amount of water used for irrigation in the Murray Darling Basin and what was happening by way of land degradation through over use of water, the Alliance decided to take the issues to the media.

Around this time the Alliance received a great boost to its endeavours by gaining the support of the Myer Foundation. The Myer Foundation has a great commitment to, amongst other things, helping to preserve Australian's freshwater resources. The Myer Foundation assisted the Alliance financially and in other ways by showing interest in our cause. The Foundation's help allowed us to start advertising what we were trying to achieve and also provided finances for the basics - like stationery. We put out newsletters and also asked the public to contribute financially by becoming members of the Alliance . Many, many people responded and they still do.

The impact of the Snowy Mountain Scheme and the final dam, the Jindabyne Dam, commissioned in 1967, has been enormous for the communities below the dam wall. The original plans for the Scheme proposed that two thirds of the water be taken but in 1958 the Federal Government of the day was convinced by the American construction company (recently engaged to complete the Scheme) that the rest of the water would only run into the sea and be wasted. Even in those days, there was no excuse for this sort of ignorance and greed. The Federal Government had already had to coerce the Victorian and NSW Governments into agreeing to the Scheme in the first place (constitutionally the Federal Government does not have powers over waters of the States) by threatening to cut off loan monies required to build new State infrastructure following WWII. Consequently, all three parliaments passed enabling legislation to allow the construction of the Jindabyne Dam.

The Jindabyne Dam became operational in 1967 - to the horror of the people of Dalgety. They had been totally dependent on the recreational fishing industry and tourism which had grown up around the rushing cold waters of the Snowy River that runs through the town. Dalgety people had not been told that once the Dam became operational, their fresh water supply would be completely cut off (except for 1%!!). Livelihoods were obliterated overnight. Farming communities were without the river waters on which they had been dependent on for almost 150 years. The township of Dalgety has not recovered to this day but the people have watched with excitement the ecological improvement since the small amount of water (38 gigalitres) has been let run from Mowamba Dam since August 2002.

During the late 1990s, the Federal Government decided to corporatise the Snowy Mountains Scheme. To do this, the three governments - NSW, Victoria and Commonwealth had to change the original legislations that allowed the scheme to be constructed in the first place. NSW was first cab off the rank with its largest share of the scheme. Victoria, with its 25% right to water and some electricity, intended to rubber stamp the new NSW legislation, and Federal Parliament was to be the last of the parties to pass legislation. During this time, the Alliance lobbied hard the NSW (Labor) Government to include the 28% environmental flow into the new Bill that was to go to both houses. The NSW Government was very reluctant to do so and, in fact, refused. At the invitation of the Total Environment Centre (Sydney), representatives of the Alliance together with NSW Independent Ian Cohen lobbied the NSW Liberal parliamentary members and the independents on the cross benches whilst the Snowy Mountains Hydro Corporatisation Bill was being debated. The Bill was voted down due to the Liberal members and independents voting against it. Then came the cat and mouse game as to when the Bill would be presented again and whether there would be enough on the opposition benches to defeat it once more. The Bill was presented a second time and defeated again. Eventually, the then Treasurer Eagan approached Ian Cohen and asked, "What do we have to do to get this Bill through?" Ian's response was "Include in the Snowy Water Inquiry Clause the Snowy River from below Jindabyne Dam to the sea at Marlo in Victoria ".

The Bill was amended, however, the NSW Government was unhappy with the amended Bill and kept it in abeyance until the evening before parliament was to rise for the 1998 Easter break. The Bill was the last one of the session and was voted on near midnight . Many of the parliamentarians had already left for home but the Bill passed by one vote. After so much Alliance time and effort, it could have been all over if the Bill had not got up that night.

The Snowy Water Inquiry got underway later that year and released its report in 1999. The Inquiry's findings were essentially the same as the previous three reports (SRICCC report, Expert Panel of Scientists and the unpublished report of the NSW Dept of LWC, Vic NRE and SMHEA) had found. However, the three Governments would not agree to give any water to the Snowy River and anyway were not prepared to consider more than 10% flow if they did eventually agree.

An election was looming in Victoria later that year. During the pre-election electioneering, the Deputy Premier (and leader of the Victorian National Party) Pat McNamara visited Orbost. His schedule allowed no time for him to meet with the locals - but the Alliance discovered that the Deputy Premier would be travelling by light plane to Marlo airport and then travel by car to the meeting venue. This provided the opportunity to talk with him - and members of the Alliance found themselves in the car with the Deputy Premier. He was asked if he supported the Alliance 's push for water for the Snowy. Being a politician from the Goulbourn irrigation districts he said that no way would he help. The Alliance responded that it would stand a candidate in the upcoming election. To which he very indignantly replied, "Don't even think about it; we will crush you and walk all over you." Famous last words.

Before the election was called, the Alliance met with Steve Bracks the new Victorian Labor Party leader. The Labor Party agreed that, should it get into power, it would help the Alliance 's cause. At that stage, I don't think the Labor Party believed they had a chance and certainly we didn't think that our candidate would get up either.

From then on the Alliance set about preparing for the election. It should be pointed out that neither the Alliance 's funds provided through supporters' subscriptions nor Myer Foundation grant moneys were used to run the election campaign. Alliance committee members worked very hard to support the candidature of Craig Ingram and come election day covered every booth all day in the electorate. No mean feat for a small community group.

The election result was a cliff hanger with three independents, including Craig Ingram representing Gippsland East, holding the balance of power. Craig had ousted the National Party candidate - and the Nats (and the Country Party before it) who had held the seat for over 80 years. In the argy-bargy that followed to determine which side was to govern, the Liberal Party came to Craig seeking his support. Jeff Kennett came a-courting with enthusiastic promises regarding the Snowy. Unfortunately for Jeff, Craig discovered that the Liberals intended to do no such thing, so he supported the Labor Party into power. The Bracks Labor Party has been as good as its word and in August 2002, after a monumental task to have all the governments agree to change the water sharing and electricity arrangements of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, the first release of water back into the Snowy River occurred when the water flowed from Mowamba Dam.

We will have to wait until 2005 for any further releases and in the meantime the Alliance intends to keep the governments honest so that they don't try to delay the process. This they will undoubtedly try to do so we don't think the job will ever be finished…..sadly, even if it is ens hrined in legislation…….as it is.

The whole exercise has taken many years of constant and dedicated hard work by a group of Snowy River people. Our efforts have been assisted by many willing volunteers and broad public support from the wider community. But we are not so naïve as to believe that anything would have changed had not the political planets fortuitously lined up.

We hope we live long enough to see the 21-28% of the original natural flow of water that formerly passed by Jindabyne flowing again down the Snowy River . It's meant to happen within 10 years but we will wait and see.

Orbost, 23 August 2004