Agriculture
22 November, 2023
Buyback support draws fire from region councils
ANGER has flowed across the region after a Senate report last week backed more water buybacks under the Murray Darling Basin Plan. The inquiry has supported Federal Government legislation but recommended amendments that boost the plan’s...
ANGER has flowed across the region after a Senate report last week backed more water buybacks under the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
The inquiry has supported Federal Government legislation but recommended amendments that boost the plan’s transparency and accountability.
Murray River Group of Councils has labelled the report disappointing, concerning and unbalanced.
Chair of the group that includes Loddon Shire, Cr Rob Amos, said: “It’s disappointing that the Senate Committee is recommending that the Bill is passed into legislation despite the significant negative socio-economic impacts water buybacks will have on our northern Victorian industries, economies and communities.”
He said the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee’s report on the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023 was particularly concerning with a comment that “the committee accepts that buybacks have an impact on communities but views some of the concerns regarding buybacks as overinflated and not supported by the high-quality evidence base”. “This statement is not only dismissive of the independent research that show water buybacks have caused significant negative socio-economic impacts, but it also lacks understanding of the concerns of our farmers, workers and industry leaders who have firsthand experience of these consequences.
“The committee’s reasoning for using buybacks because they have ‘proven to be the most reliable and cost-effective and efficient form of water recovery’ is also concerning.
“While buybacks may have short-term efficiencies and less upfront costs, what about the long-term costs of water buybacks on decimated businesses, industries and communities? Or, the long-term costs to Australian families as the reduced availability of fresh diary and produce pushes prices up at the checkout?
“This reasoning is also unbalanced because it doesn’t take into account the triple bottom line of social, economic and environmental impacts.
“It will be too hard to put the genie back in the bottle when the inevitable starts to happen if buybacks are reintroduced – once farms and associated businesses start to close, once workers start losing their jobs and once participation levels in community programs and local sports clubs start to drop – it will be too late.
“These are the ‘hidden impacts’ of water buybacks and go to the heart of the social cohesion and connectedness of our communities, and the health and wellbeing of our residents.”
Speaking to the Senate last week about his recent visit to the Murray River Group of Councils region, Senator David Van said:
“The simplistic just add water approach of Restoring the Rivers Amendment is not the answer. We need to be walking hand in hand with the people who farm our land and waterways,” Senator Van said.
“We need to listen to their solutions. Not rely on city-based modelling to determine the future of our food crops and farming communities.”
Cr Amos said: “I urge all Australian parliamentarians to take heed of this advice.
“Don’t put the food bowl of our nation or our economic and social future at risk, again. ote against the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023, for the benefit of all Australians.”