Water Ministers are expected to meet this week and both the Murray river Group of Councils and the VFF want some answers around the SDLAM.
Murray Group chair, Cr Jason Modica, expressed that some of the projects are not going to be finished by the legislated deadline.
“As things stand, that means the Commonwealth will have to step in and recover that shortfall by purchasing water rights from irrigators. That’s what the legislation requires. But Minister Pitt has said no more buybacks, so what is the plan?”
“We appreciate that the Commonwealth is pushing for the projects to be completed on time and is encouraging the States to work faster, but the work needing to be done is scientifically detailed and requires careful discussion with affected communities.
“No-one wants corners cut on engaging with communities due to an arbitrary deadline put in place a decade ago or the science to be ignored because it takes time to get right”
“Minister Pitt has talked about putting communities at the heart of basin plan delivery which is exactly the right thing to do.
“That means taking the time to consult and listen. Communities are calling for certainty.
“We urge all Ministers to work constructively to find a way forward that will provide certainty to communities and enable the full 605 Gl worth of environmental benefits to be delivered by the SDLAM projects”
The VFF is also calling on the Commonwealth government for certainty on how it intends to manage water saving projects at risk of not being delivered by 2024.
VFF Water Council chair Andrew Leahy said the offset projects, need to be front and centre of discussions between Basin water ministers.
