The Ricegrowers’ Association has welcomed the start of a 12‑week consultation on the Murray–Darling Basin Plan Review.
RGA president Peter Herrmann said industry would take the time to consider the options and ideas posed in the paper, but welcomed the recognition that after 15 years, a different approach was needed.
“Our industry and the communities we support have long been saying the focus must be on outcomes, not just recovery volumes, and at first glance it seems that may now be being recognised,” Mr Herrmann said. He noted that water reform pre‑dates the Basin Plan, and environmental recovery now totaled around 3100GL, delivering a significant portfolio of water to manage, but at a cost to industry and communities.
“We have long called for a shift to integrated catchment management and community‑supported solutions.”
RGA executive director Graeme Kruger said the acknowledgement that flow patterns, rather than recovery volumes, may be the appropriate future risk mitigation in the key rice‑growing valleys reinforced the fact that the “just add water” approach was now outdated.
He said since water reform began, the irrigation sector had done its part for the Basin Plan – improving water use efficiencies, selling entitlements to the Government and working with Environmental Water Holders – yet successive governments had failed to deliver against their obligations such as constraints management, infrastructure upgrades and finalising the SDL Adjustment Mechanism projects.
Mr Kruger said it was unfortunate the discussion paper still assumed further water recovery of close to 750GL without acknowledging the impact on communities and industries that have already seen significant adjustment in the name of the Basin Plan.
“It is time we shifted the focus from water recovery – which has largely been done – to water management and environmental outcomes.”
The RGA is encouraging everyone with an interest in the future of the Basin to participate in the consultation and make a submission.
