Don’t forget about water
Water is the lifeblood of our beloved Riverina- cattle graziers, fruit and vegetable irrigators, and “townies” alike, we all need water to survive.
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We also need to know where this water will come from in the future. The future of our own water resources is under threat. Federal politics is striking very close to home for all of us, thanks to job cuts at the CSIRO.
While predictions of the future climate are very robust for some parts of the world, for our region of South Eastern Australia they are not. The latest research reports a wide range of likely changes in rainfall in South Eastern Australia.
Some results show that as soon as 2030 we could see a 22 per cent reduction in surface water resources, while others find little to no change. How can we plan the future of our farms or town water supplies with this range of possible outcomes?
I have personally completed a research project that could make strides towards resolving this uncertainty.
In an honours project at the University of NSW, I worked with world-class leaders in climate variability and developed a system to automatically locate and study rain systems in past weather data.
This tracking scheme is, to my understanding, the first of its kind in Australia. However, because the Coalition government is systematically dismantling anything with the word “climate” in it, I now cannot get a job to continue developing that work to improve rain forecasting.
To cut research into the vital topic of rainfall variability is to accept that our present estimates are fine, and that we are happy with the current capability of our prediction systems. Unless politicians invest money into the long-term future of our water and restore the research at the CSIRO, the future of farming communities all over South-Eastern Australia will simply get worse.
Nick Grosfeld
Wagga
Perception and reality
The lens we choose to look through determines our perception of reality.
Over the past few days, I have watched and listened to some people quickly judging and abandoning our Muslim community.
People, who choose to view the world through the frame of one lens, have only a one dimensional view of reality.
One dimensional people have little experience with the Muslim community and perpetuate racism based on media commentary, which only represents one experience and focuses on the extreme.
If we look through a one dimensional lens we risk becoming the voices of contempt, judgment, and irrationality. The challenge for me is to view the world through many lenses to see the country’s diversity.
If I look through the lens of the evil acts of the Lindt Café, of a police accountant murdered, of the recent incidents in France and Germany and the reality of IS – I see brutality and evil and denounce these acts.
If I look through the lens at our Border Protection, I see a conflicting reality where we must ruthlessly scrutinise anyone who tries to enter our country whilst keeping in mind those who need our refuge and support. If I look through the lens of the young Muslim people, I see they feel judged and threatened, unsure whether they should venture outside their home because of the verbal abuse and racism of a small minority.
When I look through the lens of mainstream Australians, I see the desire for peace and acceptance of all people.
When I look through the lens of the mainstream Muslim community, I see decent people who value Australia and its values and we cannot label them with the experience of terrorists and pure evil.
I work across many communities and with many young Muslim kids. I have some of the best youth workers, some of whom are Muslim. We must embrace our common humanity and shout down the evil done around the world from extremists.