While the class action was originally filed back in 2019 by nine Riverina farmers, the case has since grown to include 28,000 other farmers, with Doyles Farm Produce as the lead litigant.
The class action is seeking damages from the MDBA and Commonwealth for negligence.
NSW Member for Murray Helen Dalton said the trial was about holding the MDBA to account.
“This trial isn’t just about compensation for farmers,” Ms Dalton said.
“For decades, the MDBA has been unaccountable. They have acted like they don’t owe anyone any explanation about the poor decisions that they make.
“This case will force the MDBA to explain their actions, and own their failures.”
Between 2017 and 2020, the MDBA flooded the Barmah forest, which led to drastic changes to water allocations for farmers in both NSW and Victoria
Farmers claimed that not only did they lose access to crucial water supply, they also suffered damages, including a reduction in the market value of their water, increased costs of water on the temporary market and business losses.
They further claimed that the MDBA and its delegates mismanaged the operation and maintenance of the Murray-Darling Basin by causing or permitting “overbank transfers” through the Barmah-Millewa Forest between 2017 and 2019.
The trial is set to conclude on Friday, October 3.
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