Key stakeholders have reported the Federal Government is pushing ahead to recover additional water and will alter the law to remove a requirement for a socio-economic impact test.
Chair of SRI Chris Brooks said buybacks have already decimated our communities while threatening the future of staple food production and ultimately the cost of living.
“Under the Basin Plan, Murray Irrigation has already lost 30 per cent of the productive water through the system. Further losses threaten a genuine $7 billion output and viability of our region,” Mr Brooks said.
He said South Australia and Victoria oppose buybacks in their respective states and the biggest concern remains the Federal government targeting NSW Murray and Murrumbidgee because of the capacity in its storages.
“Rather than target over allocated and illegal floodplain harvesting licenses in northern New South Wales, which would ensure water flows down the Darling-Barka River and achieves one of the key principles of the basin plan - river connectivity - Plibersek has her eye on our water.
“We commend the Member for Murray for bringing forward a private members’ bill to protect our communities.”
The bill will ensure no more water can be transferred to the government without a socio-economic impact review which demonstrates neutral to positive outcomes.
Mr Brooks said stakeholders already know what happens to our towns when you take water away.
“Look what happened to Wakool - 97 gigalitres was bought back and half the jobs were lost.
“Fast forward another decade and the dairy industry has been decimated, the local school has gone from 50 students to eight, the tennis, football and basketball clubs have all folded while the local pub operates under restricted hours; buybacks have ripped the heart out of a once vibrant community.”
Mr Brooks also said increasing volumes of water held in upstream storages increases flood risk.
“The MDBA already report the Murray River is over-recovered; any more water just compounds flooding issues.
‘’Last year’s unprecedented flooding caused billions of dollars of infrastructure and productivity losses and this could be our new reality if this bill is not passed.’’
He said there is already over 4600GL in held environmental water accounts.
‘’The CEWH stated they can only use 78 per cent of the water they currently have and we know sending more water downstream will only exacerbate environmental damage upstream.
“Buybacks have nothing to do with environmental outcomes.
“Make no mistake, it’s political and to the detriment of every single one of us who live here in the Riverina – from farmers to business owners to families, no one is spared.”
