Dear Minister,

The only true way to serve the interests of our state and national community is not to privatise the Snowy Hydro Corporation. The three governments, Victoria, New South Wales and the Commonwealth entered into and agreement to Corporatise the Snowy Hydro Authority on the basis that it was in the public interest. It seems this is not so. Privatisation is even less so. It is seen that the only interest considered was that of the governments.

Community interest in the health and welfare of our rivers, and the environmental degredation of our waterways has begun to reach the wider community, and the unrest is growing. The health and life of our iconic rivers, the Snowy, the Murrumbidgee and the Murray/Darling system is failing rapidly. All of these rivers are important to the health and welfare of our nation. A Scientific Committee, with the function of overseeing the health of these rivers and reporting to the NSW Water Ministerial Corporation, was agreed to in the Corporatisation Act but ignored by the NSW government and 10 years on it STILL has not been formed as required under the Act, though it has been promised by YOU. All three governments are complicit in the ignoring of this Act, and the failure to comply. How can we, the community of this country, trust any of the politicians, and/or governments when they flout their own laws. How can we believe that this privatization IS in our best interests. How would the people of our major cities feel if THEIR water operations were sold off to the highest bidder Sell the Company controlling the water and you effectively sell off the water. Governments have been rolled for such acts.

We are now three years and three months into the five year review period of the water licence agreement. There are NO reports by any scientific committee to advise the NSW Water Ministerial Corporation, on stream flow releases, or any other relevant subject.

The Heads of Agreement, the water licence and the health of our rivers, upper montane streams and the good management of the systems are in serious trouble and the NSW Government says we can trust it to know what is best for them and us. Do they Really

• We ask for a full public enquiry into the reasons for the non-compliance with the corporatisation Act.
• We require that full public debate be undertaken before this privatization take place.
• We require that the Scientific Committee be up and running and have time to furnish at LEAST one report published before privatization is finally approved.
• We require that the water of the Moonbah be returned to the Snowy River until the full 21% of the water is returned.
• We would prefer this to be a permanent return to provide a much needed alternative headwater for the Snowy. There must be some way this can be allowed to happen. Research round the world has shown that dam water is mostly sterile water, which adds nothing to the health of the rivers downstream from it (New Scientist Feb.06).

Yours faithfully,

John Gallard
President 20/4/06