VICTORIAN Farmers Federation is calling on regional community members to make submissions to the Murray Darling Basin Plan Review.
Consultation for the 2026 review opened on 5 February, inviting stakeholders to submit their thoughts on the plan’s regulatory design and the current health of the Murray-Darling system.
The submission period will close on 1 May and VFF Water Council chair Andrew Leahy said it was important for local communities to make their voices heard.
“This is one of the most important policy moments for our region in over a decade,” he said.
“If we want decisions that reflect the reality on the ground, we need people to speak up and share their experiences.
“It’s a real strength in numbers game. We need as many people as possible to use the VFF template, add your own experience, and make a strong, practical submission before the deadline.”
Interested stakeholders can use VFF’s resources and templates to make a submission to the consultation.
Mr Leahy said it was important that local community members took the time to put a submission together.
“We know people are busy, so we’ve taken the hard work out of it and we hope it delivers a strong message to decision makers,” he said.
“The most powerful submissions are often the simplest. Talk about your connection to the Basin, what water means to your farm or business, and the impacts you’ve seen.
“That real, lived experience is what decision-makers need to hear.
“It’s critical that we get a strong, united response from the Northern Victorian community and demonstrate that we matter and can make a real difference.”
Submissions to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review will close on 1 May and a report of the findings will be released later in the year.
