While the death of fish in the Darling River, or any river for that matter, is distressing, we need to look at history to see that in the past when rivers ran dry, all the fish died.
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Between 1863 and 1960, the Darling ran dry 45 times.
In 1829, when Sturt accompanied by Hamilton Hume, they discovered the upper reaches of the river and found it was salty. “I shall never forget,” said Sturt, “the cry of amazement or the look of terror with which they cried out to inform me that the river was so ‘salt’ as to be unfit for drinking.”
We could assume that if the river was unfit for drinking, freshwater fish varieties would have not survived. The Sturt party eventually found sweet water for themselves and their cattle downstream.
What we should marvel at is the ability of native fish to survive and breed up in favourable seasons. The same with native flora and fauna.
WHAT’S INDEPENDENT?
We are being hammered with a plethora of independents putting up their hands in state and federal elections however are they truly “independent.”
Is a person elected under a party ticket who then decides to give up that allegiance truly independent?
They were elected with assistance of a party machine, its finances and loyal supporters.
The most recent case is Julia Banks in the Victorian federal seat of Chisholm.
Evidence suggests that most running as independents have had a party allegiance in the past, or they are vehemently opposed to government on select issues.
In the federal seat of Indi, Cathy McGowan has won two elections as an independent – however is she independent when an organisation, Voices for Indi, openly say it has endorsed her?
Now the same organisation has been at the forefront in finding a successor – hardly independent.
Interestingly, Voices for Indi looks very much like a clone of the left-wing group GetUp.
It has the same organisational structure and orange branding.
It is alleged GetUp has received funding from the US billionaire socialist George Soros.
So, are the voters in Indi being conned? Are they really being offered an independent?
Sure, McGowan has worked hard, does and says the things people want to hear, but does she actually deliver for Indi?
Many claim she does not and cite her interest in the railway system, which to all intents and purposes in state government matter.
A former ALP candidate has produced figures to show McGowan has not delivered for Indi.
Recently she was prominent in promoting a national integrity bill which in part was taken up by the government, but her draft was savaged by the legal profession and others.
It hardly changes the lifestyles of Indi voters.
It is hard not to be cynical given the stated intention of GetUp to make life hard for conservative politicians.
Facts would show that most rural electorates, on balance, vote conservative or Liberal.
