‘Govt yet to turn a sod of soil’ to build dams

Shadow Agriculture Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has called on the government to take immediate drought action, saying “our landscapes are burning, our towns are running out of water and our farmers aren’t getting the assistance they need and deserve”. His comments come after NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro called for the quick construction of new dams as the country battled devastating conditions and a depleted water supply. Mr Fitzgibbon said the drought conditions were “approaching calamity” and accused the government of having “no strategy or response”. “People just want this government to act, and in six years it’s failed to do that,” he said. “This government’s been talking about dams for six years now, there was a dam here, a dam there and a dam everywhere for a while, but they are yet to turn a sod of soil.”