CSIRO Hydrologist States Current Data Insufficient to Link Decade of Tasmanian Drought to Global Warming. (January 19, 2010)

 CSIRO Hydrologist David Post in an interview with The Canberra Times said yesterday: ''At this stage, we'd prefer to say we're talking about natural variability. The science is not sufficiently advanced to say it's climate change, one way or the other. The jury is still out on that.''

Dr Post, a Senior Research Scientist with CSIRO Land and Water, was referring to a CSIRO report of which he is a co-author, which found that a decade long drought has cut water availability in northern Tasmania's premier wine growing region by 24 per cent, with river flows reaching record lows.

Referring to the report Rossylin Beeby notes: "[R]ainfall in northern Tasmania's Pipers River region... has dropped by 12 per cent in the past decade, with recent climate conditions 'drier than those of the last 84 years'. More than 80 per cent of Tasmania's river catchments have been affected by drought, with the South Esk the island's longest river and source of water for beer production most at risk."

Commenting on the report Green's Tasmanian Senator Dr  Bob Brown vented his displeasure in no uncertain terms accusing CSIRO of "caving in to political pressure... We should ask why CSIRO is prepared to turn an unaccountable blind eye to recent climate trends in Tasmania. This undercurrent of scepticism would seem to suggest the report has been politicised".

In this instance a reasonable discussion/debate between Drs Post and Brown surely would be worthwhile because if Dr Brown's accusation of political bias has basis in fact, it is a very serious matter, particularly in the light of the recent clash between CSIRO's Chief Executive, Dr Megan Clark and Dr Clive Spash who resigned from CSIRO because of "bullying" following his public criticism of cap and trade schemes, like the one the federal government is seeking to introduce.