Water compromise.

Michael Taylor, chairman of the Murray/Darling Water Authority has resigned over the interpretation of the Water Act. Taylor insists that preserving the health of the river system must take precedence over social and economic issues.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard disagrees - and in this instance she is right !

Right now the Murray/Darling system is in flood and has more water than it can comfortably hold - but inevitably it will return to drought sometime in the future. This may be accelerated if we continue to pump excessive amounts of water for agriculture.

Common sense dictates that compromise is the only solution. Three important factors are involved. There must be an increase in the river flow to keep the river healthy. Australia needs the agriculture produced by this river's water to feed itself - and the towns along the river system are sustained by the system providing their water supply.

All three will have to cope with a reduction - so that all three will survive.

Agriculture will have to make changes to the crops grown and the irrigation methods used to sustain them. Towns will need to adjust to water use - and probably accept strict water restrictions on use to fit into the scheme - and the river system itself will get more flow than in the past - but not the unlimited flow that conservatives want.

It's called - compromise !