Victorian and New South Wales primary producers have called for a halt in any further water recovery, under the Murray Darling Basin plan.
The Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) has recommended cutting recovery targets for the northern basin by 70 gigalitres (GL).
Upper Goulburn River Catchment Association spokeswoman Jan Beer, a Glenburn beef producer, said cutting recovery targets in the north was “a bit late” for the southern basin.
“The MDBA hasn’t done a socio-economic impact study on the southern area – and a study will show it’s going to be as bad, if not worse, than the northern area,” Ms Beer said.
The MDBA hasn’t done a socio-economic impact study on the southern area – and a study will show it’s going to be as bad, if not worse, than the northern area
- Jan Beer, Upper Goulburn River Catchment Association.
The target reduction in the northern basin followed the release of an MDBA review which found the Basin Plan had seen employment fall 21 per cent in the northern NSW town of Collarenebri and 11pc in Warren.
It also found water recovery targets at Dirranbandi, southern Queensland, could result in an 18pc fall in employment there and a futher 9pc in nearby St George. The MDBA has since promised to carry out a socio-economic review of the southern basin.
The decision also followed a Goulburn Murray Irrigation District (GMID) Water Leadership forum report, which found the Basin Plan had cost at least $550million in lost production in the Goulburn and Murray valleys. The report, by the RM Consulting Group, found 1000 jobs had been lost, since 2012.
Ms Beer said farmers had already felt the impact of cuts in irrigation water.
She said it was imperative the legislative requirement, to protect regional communities from further damage, was honored.
“Under legislation there must be no negative social and economic impacts from gaining an additional 450GL through implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan,” Ms Beer said.
Fernihurst mixed farmer Ken Pattison said the MDBA had realised the socio-economic ramifications of reducing water available for irrigation were “horrific.”
“It’s probably too late, the damage is probably done,” Mr Pattison said.
He said he was also concerned the federal opposition believed the 450GL environmental upwater was still viable.
”They cannot deliver water down the rivers, the Murrumbidgee, the Murray and Goulburn, without absolutely severe socio-economic damage to those communities,” Mr Pattison said.
Ms Beer and Mr Pattison said there were also significant constraints on releasing more water down the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Goulburn rivers.
“The environmental flow targets simply cannot be achieved because all three major river systems have one or more significant chokes which greatly reduces channel capacity,” Ms Beer said.
Northern dairy farmer Tim Humphris said a lot would depend on whether the Southern Basin was required to make up the shortfall.
“There are strong socio and economic effects of the water buybacks in Basin Plan and they are starting to realise that; having done that for the north, I suspect conditions and outcomes will be the same in the south.”
He agreed the 450GL of environmental upwater needed to be taken off the table.
Rochester dairy farmer Tom Acocks said the south had already given its share to the water recovery effort.
“It seems a bit rich – any more water recovered, at this stage, is too much,” Mr Acocks said.
“Too much is gone already, don’t recover any more off the irrigators.”
He called for a hold to be put on the 450GL environmental recovery target.
“Let’s just put the brakes on it for a little while and have no more recoveries from anywhere in the basin.”
Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia (RGA) president Jeremy Morton said it would not support any future on-farm infrastructure programs, designed to recover further water for the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
He said it was unacceptable to take the additional 450GL of productive water from the environment.
“To date nearly 2000 gigalitres of water has been recovered across the Basin.
“A large portion of this recovery has occurred in the rice growing valleys in the Murray and Murrumbidgee,” Mr Morton said.
Separate reports, conducted by the GMID forum and MDBA showed the social and economic impacts of recovery, to date, were significant.
“It is disingenuous for South Australia to be demanding the recovery of a further 450GL of productive water when they know full well that there are caveats around the recovery of that water,” Mr Morton said.
“These caveats are relaxing constraints and addressing detrimental social and economic impacts of the water recovery, neither of these can be practically achieved.”
Victoria’s water minister Lisa Neville said Victoria and New South Wales would push ahead with key reforms to ensure a balanced approach to implementing the Basin Plan.
Ms Neville said the government sought to key measures to better protect Victorians.
She said Victoria was seeking the appointment of an independent expert panel to maximise environmental outcomes under the plan and minimise the impact on communities and greater state oversight of the MDBA socioeconomic assessment.
