Procrastination !

The mighty Murray/Darling river system is running dry. This source of water for four states is the subject of a Federal government initiative. The Feds ask the four states involved to surrender their management rights and the system will get an injection of ten billion dollars over ten years to " droughtproof Australia ".
The problem is that with four states administering the river system, there is no overall control. Each state grants irrigation rights - and the simple fact is that outflow is now greater than inflow.
Iemma of NSW and Beattie of Queensland back the Federal initiative, but it now seems that there is backsliding by Brack of Victoria and Rann of South Australia.
It is simply a matter of politics. Handing the control of the river system to the Feds goes against the political grain of these two premiers. They want the Federal money - but they want to keep control in their own hands. They seem to agree that irrigation rights need to be cut back sharply - and that this will mean some farmers having to abandon farming in areas better suited for grazing - but then comes the stumbling block. Just so long as none of those farmers are those from their state and that in their region it is " business as usual ".
It seems to be a case " of little men with little minds " ! It doesnt take Einstein to figure out that the Murray/Darling can not survive with four competing states making their own rules - and being determined to hog a greater share of the water.
Eventually the Federal government will prevail - but that will probably be after years of delaying court action. History will condemn those of a faint heart who put greed ahead of the national interest !