THE Murray-Darling Basin Plan is a topic rife with extreme, opposing views but one man is interested in the human faces behind the contentious political issue.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
NSW Head of the Uniting Church Reverend Dr Brian Brown has been touring communities affected by the Murray-Darling Basin Plan since Thursday to talk to those who will most be affected by the changes.
On the last day of his tour Dr Brown visited Finley, Coleambally, Griffith and Hillston, meeting with various primary producers in the dairy, rice, horticultural and cotton industries.
"The purpose was to listen to people and to hear their stories and offer them some support," he said.
"Particularly after the drought - people have just struggled through that. Now they are saying it's like they have a government-imposed drought on top of that - it is another blow for them and their resilience is already sorely tested."
The social impact of the changes and the huge toll they will take on the small towns so dependent on food production is something communities have said keeps them up at night worrying the most, according to Dr Brown.
"One of the main things I've taken from the tour is there is a feeling the government has been imposing a top down approach on the situation," he said.
"I've certainly got a much deeper perspective."
Images of angry, outraged people rallying against the plan have taken a dominate place in media coverage, but Dr Brown said this was not the whole picture.
"My overall hope is that the energy that is put into this whole discussion is positive rather than unnecessary conflict."