STATE water ministers Niall Blair and Lisa Neville have parked their political allegiances aside to secure a better deal for Murray Darling Basin communities.
The NSW Coalition and Victorian Labor ministers joined together in Albury on Friday to reinforce a determination to use the recently announced review of the sustainable diversion limit (SDL) adjustment mechanism.
It will allow the two governments to make sure the plan delivers real environmental benefits without short-changing basin communities.
The mechanism allows for the 2750-gigalitre recovery target in the basin plan to be offset by 650 gigalitres through projects which deliver equivalent environmental outcomes with less water.
Both governments have established a panel to review the offsets mechanism in the MDBP and will report back to the ministers in mid-March.
Mr Blair said the two states were key players in the review.
“It is no secret that we are two ministers from the other sides of the political spectrum working together for our communities,” Mr Blair said.
“It doesn't matter what side of the river they are on.
“They both face similar issues and we can park aside our political differences and work on this.
"We want to make sure the work we are doing as states and putting forward to the MDBA is being recognised and valued correctly.
“We want a healthy river system, but we also want regional communities that continue to thrive.”
Ms Neville said if any more productive water was taken out of the system the dairy industry would be in a precarious position and horticulture would also be under pressure.
“We need to continue to invest in modernisation, but also making sure we are testing every part of the model.
“It is really at a tipping point.
“Everyone knew water would come out of the system under the plan, but more water has come out of the system than had been expected.
“More people are relying on the trade of allocation markets than we ever expected.”
The panel members are Dr Don Blackmore, Brett Tucker, Chris Arnott and Professor Peter Davies.
Dr Blackmore was the MDB commission chairman for 15 years.
Mr Arnott has worked across the basin for more than two decades.
