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A very quick digest message today. I’m still on the road, currently writing to you from a ‘river somewhere’… specifically the Barka (Darling) near Wilcannia.
It’s a stunningly beautiful place, with a stunningly serious problem. The drought has certainly play a part in drying up the Darling, but over-allocation of water to irrigators by successvie Labor and Liberal/National Governments, and the theft of that water by unscrupulous farmers and corporations (mostly corporations) through floodplain harvesting is without question the bigger problem.
How we fix it, I don’t know. But that reminds me… I was talking to a close Aboriginal friend a few days, who pointed out that the Barka is not dead, and indeed never dies. It will survive long after we’re all gone. It has a way of ‘coming back’. He’s not suggesting we shouldn’t fight for it – we should. He’s just suggesting that all is not lost, and never will be. Worth remembering, as the drought takes a firmer grip.
Rushing to pack up camp and get back on the road. Heading east, then north. Hope your travels are just as inspiring.
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Chris Graham
Editor/Publisher
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