Mr Birrell said Victoria’s modernised irrigation system and efficiency projects had already delivered 826 gigalitres for the environment, meeting the state’s Bridging the Gap target.
Mr Birrell’s comments come after the Federal Government began further voluntary purchases of water this week in NSW and Queensland to recover a remaining 49GL to reach the final Bridge the Gap target.
“Our irrigation communities have played their part and achieving the remainder of Victoria’s 1075GL target is already occurring through Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism projects,” Mr Birrell said.
“The Albanese Government has announced a round of water buybacks in Queensland and NSW to bridge the gap, but more concerning is that recovery of an additional 450GL for South Australia through damaging buybacks is still on the table.”
Mr Birrell said the Nationals backed the deal agreed to by all states and the Federal Government in 2018 designed to protect regional communities from water buybacks.
The agreement put in place a neutrality test, meaning additional water could only be recovered if there would be neutral or positive socio-economic impact from recovering this water.
“We know from experience that buybacks, even from willing sellers, reduces the consumptive pool and has a negative impact on the viability of farms,” Mr Birrell said.
“The impact of farm closures, job losses and reduced productivity and economic output flows through entire regional communities, we can’t afford to let that happen.”
Mr Birrell said public comments from Water Minister Tanya Plibersek that the Basin Plan must be completed, using buybacks if necessary, to counter the impacts of climate change and prevent “mass extinction” was deeply concerning.
“This is extremist language lacking any factual basis,” Mr Birrell said.
“The Albanese Government just doesn’t get it. The greatest risk is to irrigation communities if the government proceeds with buybacks to amass additional environmental water it can’t even deliver efficiently.
“It is clear that environmental lobbyists have the Albanese Government’s ear, and they remain deaf to the concerns of hard-working regional Australians who rely on water to make a living, and to produce the clean, green produce we all enjoy.”
Goulburn Murray Irrigation District Water Leadership co-chairs David McKenzie and Suzanna Sheed said the Federal Government was “wilfully blind” to the impact of buybacks, and that recommencing them was an ominous step.
“This is the worst-case scenario for northern Victorian communities,” Ms Sheed said.
“Every analysis of buybacks has demonstrated that they cause a catastrophic hollowing out of regional economies, undermining their resilience and causing huge third-party impacts.
“It's not just the farmers who have less water available to grow critical food and fibre, it’s the entire supply chain — milk factories, rural supply businesses, rice mills, machinery sales and servicing — everyone right down to the local shops and schools suffer from the impact of buybacks.”
Victorian Farmers Federation Water Council chair Andrew Leahy echoed Mrs Sheed’s comments, saying the government’s buybacks in the NSW Murray catchment would in turn affect Victorian farmers.
“We operate in a connected market and the 10GL earmarked to be bought out of the NSW Murray will result in less water being available to irrigators across the Southern Basin,” Mr Leahy said.
“We know it won’t stop there, with the government saying it will look to buy back water to recover the 450GL.”
To find out more about water purchasing in the basin, visit: www.dcceew.gov.au/watertender
