THE Murray Regional Strategy Group (MRSG) says it wants to work closely with new federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek to deliver the “most effective” Murray-Darling Basin Plan, inviting her to tour the NSW Murray region.
Chair Geoff Moar said the group had written to Ms Plibersek with the aim of organising an online meeting, then hosting her visit to the region at the earliest opportunity.
MRSG comprises industry, Indigenous, community organisations and irrigation groups in the NSW Murray Valley.
“MRSG wants to work with governments to ensure we have a Basin Plan to manage and deliver water for Australians well into the future,” Mr Moar said.
“To do this we need to consider ecological needs, the needs of people and communities, and also ensure we are producing enough food for domestic and international consumption.
“The latter requirement has increased importance with the recent food security concerns from the United Nations.”
Mr Moar hopes Ms Plibersek will accept MRSG’s invitation, which would provide an opportunity to see first-hand the complexity of water delivery issues in the region.
He said effective management is essential not only to protect National Parks, creeks, rivers and billabongs on both private and public land, but also to ensure we can sustain our agricultural industries and the communities which rely on them.
“MRSG has been working collaboratively with governments and their agencies to help strengthen relationships and understanding of water management, including deliverability concerns in our region,” Mr Moar said.
“There are capacity constraints which have been highlighted at this week’s Murray-Darling Basin Authority conference in Mildura, especially around the Barmah Choke.
“We have to move away from the ‘just add water’ approach to the Basin Plan and develop more sustainable management options that efficiently use the water that has already been recovered.”
Mr Moar said communities want to see the flexibility and adaptability in the Basin Plan that was promised when it was legislated by a Labor Government in 2012.
“Ms Plibersek comes into her role at a vital time for the Basin Plan, which does not necessarily mean recovering more water just for the sake of it,” he said.
“Instead, we should aim to make best use of every drop that is available. She has a unique opportunity to reset the agenda and move the focus away from recovery and towards effective use of the available resource.”
