Birrell says most of basin plan can be completed without buybacks

By Murray Silby

Mar 5, 2023

**Pushing ahead:** Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek has indicated the Commonwealth’s position is that water buybacks will be used to deliver the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Photo by Lukas Coch

Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell says most of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan can be completed without further damaging irrigation communities or pushing up prices for basic foods by withdrawing water through buybacks.

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The Victorian and NSW governments have asked for more time to complete water recovery through Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism projects.

However, Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek told the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council meeting on February 24 that the Commonwealth was determined to deliver the required 450 gigalitres per year of additional environmental water.

“Ministers noted it is the Commonwealth’s position that delivering the basin plan will include the purchase of water so that all targets can be delivered, consistent with an approach of all options on the table,” the meeting’s communique said.

Mr Birrell said that was unnecessary.

“Two more years is all that is needed to avoid the negative social and economic buybacks and deliver the plan in full through investment in water-saving projects,” he said.

“Despite project delays being caused by the pandemic and floods, irrigation communities are being denied the time to meet water recovery targets in the least harmful way.”

Mr Birrell said one in three litres of irrigation water was already diverted to the environment under the basin plan, and suggested that with an additional 450Gl and making up existing shortfalls, the Federal Government could be looking to purchase more than 760Gl in the coming years just to meet the June 2024 deadline.

“That is more than half the average amount of irrigation water used in the entire Goulburn Murray Irrigation District over the past four years,” he said.