Well-known local irrigator Ian Penno has provided the following opinion piece regarding current issues facing the Riverland and Australia.

Ian Penno, Winkie, Murray Pioneer

Getting around lately and in general discussions mainly with locals, it is satisfying that they are still thinking for themselves and in their own minds questioning the management and direction of our great region, state and country.

Courage must be to ask the questions out loud and demand answers.

While we shelter in our own little worlds nothing will change, and the governments and bureaucrats will continue implementing their controlling methods.

We have become a society frightened to comment or question for fear of being labelled biased, discriminatory or racist.

Australia is a land of opportunity; have a crack and there is a good chance you will succeed.

Sometimes you may have to have a second crack, but that is what Aussies do: get up out of the dust and do it again, albeit a bit different, but have another go.

That is what makes us proud.

When we succeed, we put our hand out and try and pull others with us, to give them an opportunity. That’s the Australian way. Sometimes we may put our hand out for assistance, that’s okay.

I don’t care who you are, what you do, where you come from or what your beliefs are.

I do care when you use those to create hurt, harm or hardship to others.

We’re willing to help others less fortunate who are willing to try and help themselves, no matter how little. You, in most cases, cannot help someone who is not inclined to help themselves.

Now I have that off my chest I will continue asking the difficult questions that I get asked down the street. Call me what you like. Constructive criticism and commentary most welcome.

Water

Regarding water, the Federal Government is spending $100,000,000 (that’s $100 million) of taxpayers’ hard-earned money on buying irrigation water for First Nations people of the Murray-Darling Basin.

I would be the first to put my hand up to make sure the grassroots indigenous population receives more of what is already allocated to them if I had any persuasion to do so.

How many indigenous nations are there within the Murray-Darling Basin?

Which nation is going to manage this portfolio of water?

How will it be shared and used?

What planned use of this water will result in a benefit to the First Nations people and the country?

Is it purely for environmental purposes?

The government has already targeted over 1000 gigalitres of irrigation (food and fibre) water for the environment. What is another 7GL going to achieve?

There’ll be no physical or practical benefit to the First Nation people. There’ll be no additional health, education, employment or housing benefit.

Will it be leased back to the food and fibre industry from whence it came?

If so, that will be a small return, eaten up by administration. The water broker will be grinning.

Why not just allocate another $100 million per annum (about 3 per cent of the current budget) to the indigenous communities within the Murray-Darling Basin, making sure it gets to those that need it, and let the irrigators continue to grow the essential food and fibre produce?

Fair go for horticulture transition

SA Premier Peter Malinauskas recently made the statement “if you build next to a hotel be prepared to out up with the music and noise”.

Horticulture has been in the Riverland for a 100-plus years. The Riverland has councils who are now giving new residences built in these horticulture-zoned areas precedence over horticulture operations.

These local government decisions are greatly impeding horticulture operations and the viability of these small family operations.

We are the only region that is stifling our traditional industries and preventing transition into more modern and required food and fibre horticulture operations.

It is still horticulture and on prescribed horticulture-zoned land. Other areas can approve any required structure for the new horticulture operation within six weeks. For interstate areas, there is no requirement for approval.

If local government wants to expand into these horticulture areas, buy the land and compensate the horticulture operator to move to another area. Don’t play the power game and manipulate the system to sneakily force people off their land by making it non-viable.

As Mr Malinauskas might say: “Build in area of horticultural operation, be prepared to put up with the dust and noise.”

Energy

The direction we are heading at such a fast pace is like jumping into the middle of the Arctic Ocean unable to swim, with no floaties and no help in sight.

Yes, I agree that green energy must be a part of our energy system, but at a more measured and calculated rate.

It’s no good trampling everyone into the dust in the race to reach a moving destination.

Green energy currently supplies South Australia with 23 per cent of our energy requirements.

On a good day, for a limited time, all the rooftop solar panels can produce more energy than required. That period can be measured in hours per year. Be prepared to have your solar input turned off and no input benefits.

What is the calculation and cost for enough solar panels to generate enough energy for the whole state while the sun is shining?

Then we require enough wind turbines to supply energy for 24 hours a day, because as we know the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. So we will have to make up the shortfall.

How many batteries will we need to be a back-up when the wind isn’t blowing, the sun isn’t shining, and there’s not even enough to recharge the batteries?

What period for back-up energy are we considering? Two days? Three days? How long is a piece of string?

All this will be funded by exorbitant daily supply charges. Charges that we already cannot afford.

They say to get your home all charged up and off grid. Don’t require external energy.

That’s great, but where are the funds going to come from to build and service these green energy farms that have taken over our food and fibre land? Sew your pockets up, the government will find a way.

What a can of worms. I think it is more like a mass of loaded mining trucks spreading them in our communities.

Either the government doesn’t know, doesn’t care, or isn’t explaining its plan clearly enough.

Alternatives, like coal and gas, are out there, but are apparently a dirty word. Nuclear is not allowed to be discussed.

South Australia has minimum 200 years of on-land, untapped gas supplies. It’s not the easiest gas to extract, but the process is feasible. We’re just not allowed to.

A gas-powered energy turbine facility can be built within about two years; enough time to get some drilling done.

It is essential we have a reliable baseload energy supply, no matter how much green energy facilities you have.

We need to supply a growing population which is outpacing the growth of green energy infrastructure.

The gas proposal could/would be an energy circuit breaker for the longer-term potential of nuclear energy from either uranium or thorium mini generators.

The most ridiculous fact is that with all Australia’s gas resources we are importing LPG and building special terminals in Sydney to unload it.

Unless we can negotiate a viable and affordable energy source it is no sense in mentioning all the other issues I could raise or the questions I have.

There are numerous local issues that require attention but when our communities are being smashed at a national level it’s hard to focus just locally. We cannot afford to continue on current trajectory.

We will not have our businesses, industries or manufacturing because the government will continue to support cheap imports manufactured by countries that are using and building everything that we are getting rid of.

Then they claim to be third world countries and want trillions of dollars to support their negligent ways.

This article appeared in the Murray Pioneer, 18 December 2024.