News Headlines short

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Subject: News Headlines short Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:48 pm

Murray plan 'too little, too late'

A draft plan for the Murray-Darling Basin has been condemned as too little, too late for the health of the ailing river system.

The plan, released on Monday, proposes to cut water use by 2750 gigalitres a year, short of the 3000 to 4000 gigalitres originally suggested.

The cut will be phased in over seven years, prompting one water researcher to say the amount allocated for the environment is insufficient to sustain significant areas of freshwater ecosystems.

Dr Jamie Pittock, from the Crawford School of Economics and Government at Australian National University, says action is needed now.

"The draft plan is a case of too little and too late," he said, adding it was worse for the environment than the much-criticised guide which sparked a furious reaction from basin communities earlier in the year.

Dr Pittock said the reliance on environmental works and measures was risky.

Murray-Darling Basin Authority chairman Craig Knowles said the draft plan represented a new way of managing the river system.

"The old way of managing the basin has well and truly reached its use-by-date," he told ABC Television.

Mr Knowles is cautious about some of the "extravagant" claims from both irrigators and environmentalists.

"We've endeavoured to strike a balance," he said.

Under the draft plan, a formal review will test environmental, social and economic impacts in 2015.

"We want the system to enter the next drought with a level of resilience ... that makes sure we don't see some of the diabolical consequences as (when) we entered the last drought," federal Water Minister Tony Burke said.

But he warned there will be consequences for basin communities.

"You can't have reform without having that," Mr Burke said.

The opposition wants to see more detail, especially about the potential impact on individual communities.

"People in those (basin) towns deserve a greater socio-economic analysis of what's happening to them," opposition water spokesman Barnaby Joyce told Sky News.

But Mr Burke says communities will be able to have their say during the 20-week consultation period.

The opposition also wants to put a stop to arbitrary water buybacks and more money towards improving infrastructure.

Of the $5.8 billion allocated to improving basin infrastructure only $250 million had been spent so far, Senator Joyce said.

The Australian Greens say the draft plan still overlooks environmental needs, fails to tackle the problems of over-allocation and risks becoming a multi-billion dollar flop.

"This plan, unless it is modified to deliver more returns to the environment, will fail to save the river and the species that rely on it," Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Returning only 2750GL to the system won't keep open the mouth of the Murray River in South Australia.

"Nor will it flush out the two million tonnes of salt that travels down the system annually," she said.

South Australian Premier Jay Wetherill says his state had capped allocations for more than 40 years, unlike upstream states which had "merrily over-allocated" in the years since.

"Now we're being asked to bear a burden ... we think that's unfair," he told ABC Radio.

Mr Knowles said the upstream-downstream "tug-o-war" had to end.

"It's very unproductive," he said

Think before you buy this Xmas: Choice

Christmas is too often leading to unwanted presents, re-gifting and refunding, Choice says.

The consumer advocacy group commissioned a survey of more than 1500 Australians this month which discovered that 21 per cent had been given a present in the past year where the quality or performance didn't live up to expectations.

Despite this, 31 per cent said they would never return an unwanted gift, sending them instead to the scrapheap or to storage.

"A lot of people spend a lot of money buying presents for people that they don't actually want or need," Choice director of campaigns Christopher Zinn told AAP on Monday.

Among the gifts known to annoy are popcorn makers, electric peppercorn mills and novelty items, such as Christmas-themed soap, he said.

These unwanted items can then get caught up in a "pass the parcel of worthless things", with an average of 20 per cent of Australians reporting they had re-gifted.

To prevent bad presents from being returned to you, Mr Zinn suggested pooling money to purchase quality rather than quantity and ensuring that stores have reasonable return or refund policies.

"There are also a lot of people that might gift digital radios or cameras ... but make sure you do your research first because there can be a big difference between the products."

Choice unveiled a Christmas Tree of Junk in Martin Place in Sydney on Thursday to remind people about the amount of unwanted gifts passed out each Christmas.

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Subject: Re: News Headlines short Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:48 pm

what yeah think maybe all news posts i do will be like this one

Subject: Re: News Headlines short Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:50 pm

if your getting these from other sites than thats against our rules unless you give credit. so is it from somehwere else

Subject: Re: News Headlines short Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:19 pm

i forgot i give cred next time

Subject: Re: News Headlines short Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:46 pm

edit your post please , and just do it like this

blah blah blah

-blah (fill in who wrote it)

Subject: Re: News Headlines short Mon Nov 28, 2011 9:40 pm

iLike this ... but make your own articles, even if you give credit your not really our newscaster. maybe it wont be that much but you signed up for the job Wink

... goodluck and dont steal other stuff, look at events and make your own article please Very Happy

Subject: Re: News Headlines short Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:06 pm

yeah thats better , read an article that you find interesting and then summerize it in your own words.

Subject: Re: News Headlines short Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:35 pm

shouldnt be hard , especially since you like that stuff .

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