Northern Victoria secures national council opposition to devastating MDB water buybacks
Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster says the nation’s councils have endorsed Murray River councils’ view that Murray-Darling water buybacks will devastate the region and has called on the Federal Water Minister to halt Labor’s buyback plan.
“I have written to Minister Plibersek this morning urging her to halt her buyback plan after the nation’s councils resolved in Canberra yesterday to oppose the plan,” Dr Webster said.
The Australian Local Government Association conference adopted Swan Hill Rural City Council’s amendment to a Maranoa Regional Council (Qld) motion on the Murray-Darling Basin, to read:
“This National General Assembly calls on the Australian Government to enhance the Murray- Darling Basin Plan’s implementation with a focus on the economic and social welfare of local communities. This entails revising water sharing arrangements to ensure equitable access and support for the agricultural sector, alongside community engagement initiatives to foster local input and trust in water management decisions and rejecting open market buy backs and putting communities at the heart of any water recovery plans. It further calls on the Australian Government to revise the proposed compensation package for communities which is grossly inadequate.” (emphasis added)
“I met with the Murray River Group of Councils (Mildura, Swan Hill, Gannawarra, Loddon, Moira, Campaspe) in Canberra during the week and workshopped this amended motion because – as I said over three weeks ago – $300 million ‘compensation’ is abysmal considering the forever economic impact buybacks will have,” Dr Webster said.
The Albanese Labor Government announced yesterday declared Monday 15 July would be the date they would start buying water in the Southern Basin.
“The fact that regional and metropolitan councils alike have, in conference, opposed buybacks is another major grassroots rejection of the Albanese Labor Government’s buyback plans. Labor tore up bipartisanship for the first time on the Basin Plan teaming up with the inner-city Greens to recommence buybacks and should pause and listen to the democratically elected voices of regional Australians.”