That is one of the clear messages Bruce Simpson says has been expressed at community meetings on the Murray Darling Basin Plan held to date.
Mr Simpson — who has more than 40 years of experience in the agricultural and finance sectors — helped lead sessions in Finley and Jerilderie in recent weeks, as a member of the Independent Assessment of Social and Economic Conditions in the Basin panel.
Mr Simpson said the panel decided to hold meetings across the basin because members felt it was the best way to gather information in a holistic approach.
Based on discussions held in the Southern Riverina, Mr Simpson agrees with some business owners who have told the Southern Riverina News ‘‘there is little be be positive about’’.
‘‘The more people we hear from, the more frustrated and upset I get about how poorly the government is reacting to this crisis,’’ Mr Simpson said.
‘‘We had a really good roll up to our Finley panel which was great to see. People were able to articulate and express themselves well.
‘‘A lot of what we heard from the community was a feeling of little worth in the way they’re treated — that there’s a sense of helplessness, and the government isn’t reacting. ‘‘The community feels dismantled because of the water reform.’’
Berrigan’s Kelvin Baxter — who runs both a transport and farming business — said to describe the mood of the meeting as being a ‘sense of hopelessness’ seemed accurate.
‘‘The general consensus was that there’s little to be positive about in this situation — as a whole, the meeting saw no one saying anything positive,’’ Mr Baxter said.
‘‘A big issue right now that a lot of farmers face is the cost of permanent cropping and annual cropping.
‘‘Big business can afford to plant permanent crops and it takes away from struggling farmers who aren’t even aware what annual crops they will be planting (because the NSW Murray Valley is still on a zero per cent general security water allocation).
‘‘It is essentially sucking up water — those who can afford permanent cropping are taking away from our region.’’
Mr Simpson said the intention of the panel consultation sessions is for the decision makers to hear the real stories, and not just rely on the data being provided to them.
‘‘After our final panels in the northern area of the basin and in Forbes in a couple of weeks, we plan to gather all the information together and send a report to Federal Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud and the government.
‘‘We’re hoping that when the government reads the interim report in December, our recommendations and how to deal with this situation is taken on board and acted upon.’’
Mr Simpson said Mr Littleproud and the government are also being provided with weekly summaries as the consulatation sessions go on.