The criticism follows reports the government recently purchased almost 86 gigalitres of water worth more than $430 million as part of efforts to meet basin plan targets.
RAMJO chair Ruth McRae said the move highlighted concerns about the impact of water recovery on irrigation-dependent communities across southern NSW.
While supportive of environmental outcomes, Ms McRae said RAMJO opposed policies that continued to remove productive water from regional areas.
“The basin plan has been done to our communities, not with our communities,” she said.
“This latest buyback confirms that the Federal Government is still chasing numbers instead of delivering practical, place-based environmental outcomes.”
RAMJO’s submission to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan 2026 Review calls for an end to further buybacks, rule changes and reductions in water reliability.
The organisation argues that reductions in available water have weakened the resilience of industries, including agriculture, food manufacturing and transport, while creating flow-on impacts for jobs and regional economies.
Cr McRae said further reductions in productive water could affect everything from crop production to the viability of local businesses and community services.
“Every gigalitre removed from productive use has consequences,” she said.
“It affects what farmers can plant, what processors can source, what transport operators can move, and whether small towns can retain jobs, services, schools, sporting clubs and young families.”
RAMJO is instead calling for greater investment in environmental projects such as wetland restoration, fish passage improvements, carp control programs and riparian rehabilitation.
According to the organisation, many of the basin’s environmental challenges stem from issues such as habitat degradation, invasive species and barriers preventing environmental water from reaching key areas.
The group believes addressing these issues would deliver better environmental outcomes.
RAMJO has also questioned whether the Federal Government’s $300 million Sustainable Communities Program will adequately offset the economic impacts associated with further water recovery.
The organisation is calling for detailed local and regional socioeconomic assessments before additional basin plan decisions are implemented, and wants formal representation on the Basin Ministerial Council.
“The Riverina and Murray are the food bowl of NSW,” Cr McRae said.
“These communities have helped build the nation’s food security, export strength and regional economy. They deserve better than another round of buybacks that drains confidence, reduces productive capacity and ignores local knowledge.”
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