YESTERDAY’S historic agreement on the future management of the Murray-Darling Basin will count for nothing unless there is rapid change and some effective long-term decisions made swiftly.

This debate long ago ceased to be simply about water supply in the Basin and is now more about the long-term survival not just of a river system, but of entire communities and industries. The problem is we were the last to accept and recognise this and then do something about it.

There is no room for smoke and mirrors, or the politics of perception and spin anymore. More than ever, our actions must speak louder than our words.

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s COAG deal, our state and federal governments need to continue their new-found co-operative approach beyond the boardroom table and into the community, where so much work needs to be done to halt the decline of all 23 river systems in the Murray-Darling Basin catchment.

While yesterday’s meeting saw the Victorian Government give ground on threats over the four per cent cap on trading from one system to another, this will only be viewed as the right decision if every stakeholder puts national interests and those of the environment ahead of their own.

Hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing, but this is about governments having the foresight to put in place remedial measures and policies for the future that guarantee there is a future for sustainable water use throughout the entire Basin.

What do you think? Write a letter to the editor, or email editor@bendigoadvertiser.com.au