“These communities have endured 30 years of reform, already losing one in three litres of water from farming, who are now hearing they risk a further 265 Gl, on top of the 450 Gl the Federal Government is already out purchasing,” National Irrigators Council CEO Zara Lowien said.
“It’s time to move beyond ‘just adding water’ to the environment, today’s environmental challenges need the right tools, and farmers and communities need stability.”
Work undertaken as part of the Basin Plan Review found 92 per cent of environmental indicators did not improve when comparing current settings with further recovery, even for an assumed larger 300 Gl shortfall and the additional 450 Gl.
“If the government is serious about improving the ecological health of the Basin, decisions should be based on today’s evidence, not past politics and rigid policy settings designed a decade ago.”
Of concern is the Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism.
Part of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, this uses state government water-saving projects to achieve equivalent environmental outcomes, reducing the need for further water recovery.
Initially 605Gl of offsets was agreed but the recently-released MDBA draft report suggests that 340Gl is likely, resulting in 265Gl shortfall.
“Governments should wait for the full Basin Plan Review later this year before making evidence-based decisions on the next steps for the current or any future plan,” Ms Lowien said.
She stressed the importance of targeted solutions like tackling invasive species, improving habitat and fish passage, and improving water delivery to floodplains and wetlands.
“We can achieve more by working together and investing in the right tools for the job,” she said.
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