Mr Pitt and Ms Ley, along with Deniliquin-based Senator for NSW Perin Davey, announced a $1.2 million ‘‘injection’’ across the Farrer electorate through the latest round of the Murray-Darling Healthy Rivers Program.
It will benefit 11 community and user groups, including the Coleambally Irrigation Cooperative Ltd.
‘‘These (projects) are about improving local environmental standards. It’s about addressing weeds and fencing riverside, and these are really good local projects,’’ Mr Pitt said.
He said the funding would help build local economies and provide practical environmental outcomes across this section of the Basin.
The funding will pay for 4000 hectares of weeds to be treated, 58 kilometres of fencing, and the purchase of 58,000 seedlings across the 11 projects.
A $150,000 grant — the second highest sum on the list — will aid Coleambally Irrigation in fencing biodiversity reserves.
‘‘Enclosing these reserves with wildlife friendly boundary fencing will enable to us protect the work we have done for future generations,’’ Coleambally Irrigation CEO Clifford Ashby said.
The ministers visited the Murrumbidgee region on Monday before making their way to Deniliquin, in what many considered the first tour on the campaign trail ahead of the 2022 federal election. No date has been set for the election, but latest speculation is suggesting some time in May.
The Deniliquin visit, which began Monday evening and continued yesterday, was hosted by Murray Irrigation.
The water supplier released a statement yesterday espousing the positive relationship the company hopes to achieve with the Coalition going forward.
‘‘We appreciated the opportunity to showcase our achievements to Federal Minister for Water Keith Pitt, Federal Minister for Environment Sussan Ley, and our local Senator Perin Davey,’’ said Deputy Chair of Murray Irrigation Noel Baxter.
‘‘Murray Irrigation also appreciated the efforts of so many local people, representing a broad cross section of community and farming interests, who joined us and were also able to engage effectively with Ministers Pitt and Ley, Senator Davey and other government representatives who attended.
‘‘On Tuesday, our communication with government continued when representatives from Murray Irrigation hosted a half-day session with the recently appointed New South Wales Minister for Water Kevin Anderson. We are confident this, too, will be a catalyst for improved communication and understanding of unique issues around water policy and management in the New South Wales Murray.’’
On Monday, the ministers jointly announced $126 million toward a state-led off-farm efficiency program for the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, centred around Griffith and district.
‘‘The $126 million was for a project led by Murrumbidgee Irrigation, it’s entirely in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation District, we’re open to looking at similar ideas from other groups and other organisations, for example, in the Murray, but we totally understand the reservations people have because there is a portion under the Off-farm Efficiency Program for water savings to be transferred to the environment,’’ Senator Davey said.
‘‘And to date, from the Murray, there has been a reluctance to do that. And that is fine and that’s why it’s got to be a state led project; it’s got to have community consultation, community buy-in and we support projects that community supports.’’
Mr Pitt said the Coalition is ‘‘looking to strike the right balance between the needs of irrigators, the needs of the community, and the needs of the people that live here, and of course, the needs of the environment’’.
Ms Ley said she is ‘‘accutely conscious’’ of the criticism toward her government on the issue of water, including wastage due to overflows, evaporation and low allocation, along with concerns over rising fees and charges. Locally-based water and farming lobby groups such as Speak Up have called for overhauls of the system, while Murray Irrigation Ltd has warned against heightened water charges, and the Murray Regional Strategy Group has demanded closer consultation with heavily affected communities.
Yesterday, Ms Ley also promised the controversial water buybacks would be a thing of the past.
‘‘Even on a good year, farmers are planning for the tough years, as they should,’’ she said.
‘‘And some of the toughest years in the Basin have been in our region, which is why we’re so determined to make change.’’
She believes the mood in her electorate is positive for the future.
‘‘But I also note, that within the Basin Plan, we have legislative constraints; we can’t just change the legislation easily.’’
She emphasised her focus on the next election and urged Farrer communities, particularly farmers, to ‘‘stay strong’’.
‘‘We’re focused on the next election — we also really, really know that it’s important that we are here after the next election to continue as we come to that critical review of the Basin Plan in 2024, because I know that the people we represent, would much rather we did that review than Labor.
‘‘And I’m optimistic as we enter a new phase, as I said, with a reset of the relationship with landholder associations with a new New South Wales water minister (Kevin Anderson), who’s actually here this week and the outcomes we all seek will be best achieved with partnerships between the state and federal government because that’s what’s completely intertwined in the Basin Plan.’’