It is not just about flushing salt out of the system, although that is certainly a big priority.

He questions why we need environmental flows in February and March.

Delivering environmental flows can make a difference, helping rivers, floodplains and wetlands maintain their basic functions which benefit the whole basin community.

Healthy ecosystems help us by contributing to clean air and water, playing a role in nutrient cycling, providing places for cultural and recreational activities (for example, the Robinvale Classic water ski race in March) and supporting fisheries and tourism.

But to be effective, flows released for environmental purposes (apart from salt flushing) have to occur at a time to mimic natural conditions.

 So the current release downstream of Yarrawonga was timed to stimulate native fish movement.

Some releases have also occurred from the Menindie Lakes to flow into the Great Darling Anabranch.

Over the past 100 plus years our activities have caused major environmental degradation of the land and rivers of the Murray Darling Basin and the present plan is an attempt, certainly not perfect, to restore the rivers to some sort of health.

The comments we get in On the Wallaby do not help anyone and the throwaway lines such as “the stranglehold the environmental movement has over water in our storages” simply perpetuate an “us against them” mentality, whereas we all need to work together to improve the basin plan and achieve the best possible outcomes.

There is plenty of information available from various sources so it would be good to see some evidence of research in the next article about the Murray Darling Basin and the plan.

International Women’s Day leaves me very upset when I think of how women have been treated in many cultures.

A few hundred years ago in Britain it was illegal to give women pain relief during childbirth as this agony was considered to be reparation for the sins of mankind.

I think we need to thank Queen Victoria for some changes there. Earlier in the twentieth century it was illegal to give women information about their reproductive system and contraception.

The Loretto nuns in Ballarat educated young women to a standard whereby they could gain entry to university, but Catholics wrote to the Pope to have this education stopped as it was taking women away from their god-given role of motherhood.

Support for the nuns dwindled and many are said to have died of malnutrition-related diseases.

In many cultures today girls are denied an education because they are required to be good wives, especially if a suitable dowry can be arranged.

In some places in the world, the horrible practice of female genital mutilation is imposed on  young girls so that the girls will be more pleasing to their husbands.

In our society unwed and single mothers have suffered enormous hardships as they slaved in laundries while their babies were forcefully taken and given to “good” families.

Even these days, in our society, laws and rules are made by male politicians and the clergy, concerning delicate women’s health issues such as miscarriage and termination of pregnancy.

In Australia, at least one woman a week dies as a result of being viciously killed by a male, usually her partner.

The awareness and work of International Women’s Day has a long way to go.