Chants of “no more buybacks” echoed out into the Deniliquin CBD yesterday as district residents rallied against proposed amendments to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Joining the chorus were farmers and community members from across the region, including the Berrigan Shire and Murrumbidgee Council areas.
Flanked by tractors which stopped traffic in the CBD, rally participants marched through the CBD brandishing placards which read ‘Keep farmers farming’, ‘Keep workers working’ and ‘Water buybacks hurt communities’.
Among the crowd was Berrigan farmer Noel Baxter, representing both his family farming business and Murray Irrigation Limited.
He said he was compelled to attend the rally because “buybacks kill our region”.
“Without water in the area we’re open to low populations, low production and other impacts,” Mr Baxter said.
“Water really is the lifeblood of our region.
“The rivers and the environment have enough water, they just need to use it wisely.
“We don’t want things swinging more toward the environment; the socio-economic protections must stay in place or it will destroy this area.”
Preceding the march, rally participants heard from a range of speakers representing Speak Up, SunRice, Edward River Council and farming families.
Kicking off this formal part of the day was Deniliquin-based Federal Senator and Shadow Minister for Water Perin Davey.
In a promise to the crowd, she refused to vote for the amendments being presented to Parliament until safeguards promised by the former Labor Government’s water minister Tony Burke were honoured.
“I am calling on the government to amend the Bill to make sure the words Tony Burke are upheld - that water will not be recovered if it does not have a neutral or positive socio-economic outcome.
“There are better ways (to achieve the outcomes of the Basin Plan without resorting to buybacks); there are smarter ways.
“Why aren’t we dealing with the constraints first and then coming back (to this debate)?
“70 per cent of all inflows stay in the river system, and yet they want to take more? They want to take some of our 30 per cent.
“What for? Show me what difference it will make.”
The rally was one of three held across the region at the same time yesterday, with others in Griffith and Leeton.
The aim is to influence thinking on Federal Labor’s Bill to reintroduce buybacks before it is debated and voted on in the Federal Senate, and to send a clear message that our region is strongly opposed to being collateral damage for the government’s political agenda.