VICTORIAN farmers are challenging the need for further water recovery under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan after a key government report highlighted that river systems have already benefited.
Victorian Farmers Federation water council chair Andrew Leahy said positive environmental outcomes were already being achieved without the need for a further 450GL of water recovery.
“Over 2100 gigalitres of water has already been recovered for the environment and has delivered great benefit to our ecosystems,” he said. “But we must acknowledge the huge toll on rural communities and agricultural jobs as a consequence.
“Further recovery can’t be achieved, will hurt farming communities and jobs, and won’t provide any real environmental benefit.”
Mr Leahy said the Commonwealth’s State of the Environment Report failed to mention the need for additional water recovery, instead saying the environment had benefited substantially from existing recovery.
The report stated: Progress has been made and measurable outcomes have been observed … flows are now provided by releasing water for the environment. These are restoring the health of rivers and wetlands and helping to mitigate issues such as fish deaths and algal blooms that occurred during the recent drought (Pg 91).
“Contrary to reporting, the State of the Environment Report made no mention of the Murray Darling Basin’s Plan’s recovery of the 450GL of up water target,” Mr Leahy said.
“Unfortunately, commentators forgot to focus on what was actually stated in the report and rather emphasised the Federal Government’s election agenda on the 450GL, despite no mention of it in the report.”
Mr Leahy said the VFF had long argued 450GL target was not achievable because it is not guaranteed in legislation and is subject to a test that any recovery of the water must have no negative socio-economic impacts.
“The Federal Government wanted to point out that only 2GL of the 450GL has been recovered, yet we must remember there is a good reason why this is so,” he said.
“The 450GL was an add-on to the Basin Plan back in 2012 to secure South Australia’s support, but it was never guaranteed in legislation and was always subject to no negative socio-economic impacts.
“State Water Ministers in 2018 agreed to strengthen the socio-economic test to ensure there are no third-party impacts on regional and rural communities when it came to recovering water towards the 450GL. It has been four years since the strengthened test, and we need to ensure it remains in place.
“The hard truth is that water recovery for the 450GL will devastate rural communities and destroy jobs, and that is why it cannot pass the socio-economic test.”
NSW Irrigators’ Council CEO Claire Miller also weighed in stating media reports claiming negligible water has been recovered for the environment under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan are just plain wrong.
“While the new minister may well be shocked only two gigalitres of the extra 450 gigalitres promised to South Australia has been recovered, that is far from the whole story,” she said.
“More than 2100 gigalitres has already been recovered from irrigators under the Basin Plan for the environment, the equivalent of more than four Sydney Harbours.
“Along with 607 gigalitres held by the States from pre-Basin Plan programs, the environment now holds 27 per cent of water entitlements.
“That’s in addition to the annual average 16,500 gigalitres of undiverted water flowing through these river systems.”
Ms Miller said the minister herself in her State of the Environment speech credited the Basin Plan with saving the river system in 2019 during the most severe drought on record.
“The CEWH says the environmental entitlements enabled it to build up ecosystem resilience during the drought, so that the rivers and wetlands were primed to bounce back immediately when it turned wet again,” she said.
“The result is outstanding bird, fish breeding and native vegetation recovery.
“Targets have not only been met, but exceeded, and Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDLs) are in place, with irrigation usage tracking well below those limits.
“The Basin Plan is delivering what was intended: sustainable diversion limits and resilience to climate extremes.
“The 450GL was a last-minute add-on that from the start was clearly going to be difficult to deliver in practice on several fronts.
“Using slow progress on the 450GL to pretend the environment has gained almost no extra water is just plain wrong.”
