The refusal of our State Government to listen to the plight of vegie gardeners can be tolerated no longer. This is a grave injustice to many of the poorer members of our community, who rely on their gardens to put food on the table.
In the 17th century, Diggers seized public land when greedy landlords denied them the opportunity to grow food to give to the poor. It was this protest that spawned the name Diggers and united our miners, under the Diggers banner, to rebel at the Eureka Stockade in the 19th century.
Vegetables need daily water to germinate and get established, (not 3 to 4 days later) just as a child needs its mother’s milk. The minister should explain how he would feel if his children were given a drink every 3 or 4 days! The ‘mother’s milk’ for vegie growers is being diverted into hugely inefficient coal fired power stations, the topping-up of swimming pools, or the washing and polishing of cars.
Water restrictions aren’t imposed on our market gardeners, who are calculated to use up to 5 times as much water as backyard gardeners. To penalise us for growing our own food and forcing us to buy food that not only wastes precious water, but accounts for 25% of CO2 emissions is intolerable!
But don’t despair, there is a solution.
It is quite legal, if patently absurd, to waste water inside the house.
If you had a leisurely 80 litre shower each day, it would provide enough water to support a vegetable garden of 50 metres (nudge nudge wink wink say no more!)
This government has ignored our sovereign rights to grow seeds that are not genetically modified and now, by applying punitive water restrictions, has taken away our rights to grow our own food.