The threat comes from the recent announcement by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to shepherd water through Menindee Lakes and to the South Australian border in breach of the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement, Southern Riverina Irrigators CEO Sophie Baldwin said.
While everyone supports the idea of a connected Darling Baaka for environmental purposes, it will come at a cost and again southern basin irrigators will pay the price, Ms Baldwin said.
In a recent statement, CEWH Simon Banks confirmed irrigators will lose allocation reliability stating “southern basin users have benefited since 2020 when in fact water recovered in the northern basin should be used to protect and restore the environment as was always intended”.
It can’t be said irrigators have benefited from this recovery when it’s simply the rules upon which the Murray-Darling Basin Plan was modelled and drawn up, Ms Baldwin said.
“It is incredible how the department want to cherry-pick things to suit themselves, but cant find a solution for everyone and the greater good.”
Ms Baldwin said currently water is re-regulated at Menindee and shared between the NSW and Victorian Murray — changing this rule, without a quid pro quo will have dire impacts on the productive pool. Irrigation-dependent rural communities are already under attack and threatened by a 450 Gl water buyback.
She said the Federal Government must look at alternatives to continue to support our ability to farm and produce food.
“The last three decades of water management and policy have completely changed the way the system is run.
“A solution is to return the 696 Gl loss and dilution flows to Victoria and NSW Murray in exchange for the 1721 Gl out of long-term average annual inflows into Menindee Lakes.
“This decouples southern basin irrigators from the Darling and allows CEWH and the MDBA to run whatever programs they like out of Menindee.”
Ms Baldwin said it was important “we at least get in the room to have a conversation because you cannot keep ripping water away from the productive pool”.
“The Australian rice industry is hanging on by a thread, along with the dairy industry and any further loss of water increases the cost for those who choose to stay.
“This turns irrigators into stressed sellers, not voluntary sellers as we are led to believe by government spin.”
Irrigation underpins many facets of the community and losing our ability to produce clean green staple foods will impact investment, industry, manufacturing and employment, she said.
“Cost of living pressures will continue and we will rely increasingly on imports which also present a biosecurity risk.
“Of course we need to have a healthy and sustainable river system but we also need to have a balanced approach supporting future food production — there has certainly been no acknowledgement irrigation is dual purpose water and supports biodiversity on-farm and throughout the extensive delivery system.”
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