The Murray Regional Strategy Group, a coalition of industry, community and irrigation organisations across the NSW Murray Valley, has joined a growing chorus of opposition to proposed water price increases.
A 184 per cent increase has been proposed by WaterNSW and will be reviewed by the government’s Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, which is tasked with also taking into account the reaction of affected communities.
If approved, they would push the licence cost for a farmer with 500 megalitres from less than $6000 a year, to nearly $17,000, at a cost of more than $23 million across the NSW Murray Valley.
The increases would cover the burgeoning cost of running Water NSW, which MRSG chair Geoff Moar says is a “department out of control”, that is over-complicating water management instead of concentrating on its key functions.
He believes WaterNSW should hold public meetings to explain its need “for such ridiculous price increases”.
Mr Moar said the Murray-Darling Basin Authority also needs to explain the exorbitant rise in its ‘pass through’ charges, which is up to 281 per cent and is part of the reason for the WaterNSW increase.
He said the regional community needs to join farming organisations which have written submissions and letters opposing the “ridiculous price proposal”, and urge the NSW Government to step in and take control of the department’s cost structure.
This can be done by writing directly to IPART at ipart@ipart.nsw.gov.au, and to NSW Member for Murray Helen Dalton (Helen.Dalton@parliament.nsw.gov.au) and Member for Albury Justin Clancy (albury@parliament.nsw.gov.au).
Mr Moar said the NSW Government had already intervened and asked IPART to limit water charge increases in Sydney and Newcastle, and now pressure needs to be applied to ensure the same occurs for farming communities.
“A Sydney Water resident can expect to pay an additional $42 per year for water in 2025-26 following its IPART review,” Mr Moar said.
“To lump farmers with increases in the thousands is incomprehensible.”
Mr Moar said there was general concern about why Water NSW says it needs so much additional revenue, and this has been expressed repeatedly, including what appears to be over-complication of water management, committing to unfunded and unnecessary projects, while at the same time neglecting its core business.
Additionally, it expects water users to pay for its inefficiencies.
“The ultimate result is threatening the viability of our farmers, who continue to face unsustainable price increases, in addition to drastic declines in water availability and reliability from water reform over the past two decades.
“Government regulation is driving the increases, but then it wants farmers to pay the price.
“If we want to continue growing clean, fresh Australian food we have to stop the push to make farming unviable.
If the IPART proposal is not changed, Mr Moar said it will impact regional communities and pose yet another threat to cost of living pressures.
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