‘Almost 90 per cent’ of 450GL buybacks target by Christmas

‘Almost 90 per cent’ of 450GL buybacks target by Christmas

Murrabit irrigator Andrew Leahy has accused the federal government of “asset stripping irrigation communities, when people were already on their knees”.

The Albanese government will have stripped Murray Darling Basin irrigation communities of 90 per cent of the water needed to meet its 450 gigalitre Restoring Our Rivers target by Christmas, according to its latest claims.

A federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water spokeswoman said “over 400GL is planned to be recovered towards the target by the end of 2026, equating to almost 90 per cent of the total 450GL target”.

The boast has infuriated irrigators, given the buyouts will drain more water from the consumptive pool to boost environmental flows, putting even greater pressure on water prices that have gone from $195 a megalitre 12 months ago to $400/ML today.

Victorian Farmers Federation water council chair Andrew Leahy accused the government of “asset stripping irrigation communities, when people were already on their knees” in the face of soaring fuel and fertiliser prices.

Given the federal government had recovered just 221.2GL towards the 450GL by December 31 last year, it will need to spend about $1.8bn this year to meet 400GL by the end of the year.

Yet Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s analysis shows recovering more water delivers no additional environmental benefits to 14 of the Basin’s 20 river systems, when compared to the 2100GL already recovered under the Basin Plan by June 2024.

Out of the 20 river reaches analysed, the MDBA found just six gained some ecological benefit from additional environmental flows – the SA Murray, Lower Lakes-Coorong system, Murrumbidgee, Barwon-Darling, NSW intersecting streams and Queensland’s Condamine-Balonne.

Mr Leahy said the MDBA’s work “shows there is very little upside to water buybacks from an environmental point of view”.

“At the same time, we know buybacks absolutely devastate farming regions,” he said.

“The government is spending billion of dollars of taxpayers money and for what? All they have to show is they are taking a sledgehammer to regional farming communities masked under the disguise of environmental benefits.”

DCCEEW’s latest progress report shows it had purchased 189.6GL of irrigation entitlements by the end of February towards the 450GL, of which 4.4GL or 2.3 per cent came from South Australia, 106.8GL from NSW and 78.4GL from Victoria, with the biggest parcel purchased from above the Barmah choke.

In the meantime the federal Coalition tried to introduce legislation to parliament last week calling for a commission of inquiry into the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder management of flows, which was voted down by the Labor Government.