Truth is, indeed, the first casualty in war and it is time that farmers in the Murray Darling understood that, like it or not, South Australia is waging war on them. No river system can be managed sustainably when one major water user, Adelaide, thinks it has a god given right to take more and more water from the system at whim. Where is the talk of capping Adelaide's extractions? When will we hear about Adelaide taking all "reasonable and practical steps to help itself" (ie water tanks and desalination) before holding its hand out for more of someone else's property? When will we hear about restoring the original sea water tidal flows to the Alexandrina Estuary? When will we hear that these clowns have discovered something better to do with the million megalitres of fresh water that evaporates from the Lake?

Scott is right, it was an absurd and insensitive claim. However, re the above comment: a) When did river water become anyone's "property"? No person, group or industry has any special right to it; b) Denigrating people as "clowns" takes the abusive approach used by Rann. Our water supply problems are everyone's problems and will only be resolved by mutual concern and mutual respect.

What about the series of impoundments placed along the river to prevent it becoming a series of mud holes? Open up the last barrier and allow tidal flows in and Yes 30 years ago South Aussies were complaining about lack of water and yet have done nothing to help themselves except bitch about those upriver.

I don't know which planet Waterboy has been on of late but every other user of water in the MDB has an allocation based on a normal years flow. In dry years they all get a portion of whatever water is available. And that, matey, is is a fully tradeable "property right" in both actuality and law. The only people who do not accept the principle that we can only use water that is actually there are the residents of Adelaide who want more water in a dryer year. In fact, they believe they have a god given right to take all of whatever is left and bugger the rest. This kind of gross insensitivity cannot be dealt with effectively by being civil to the perpetrators because it only allows them to wrap their sleazy deeds in a veneer of civility. There does come times and circumstances when remaining polite becomes a form of censorship that seriously distorts the character and scale of the offending behaviour. The theft of a minority's property by an ignorant majority that demonises its victims to the point where any capacity to empathise is excluded, is one of those circumstances. By their deeds shall ye know them.

Simple Fact. THE RAIN FALLS IN QLD!