ORGANISERS of the Convoy to Canberra to demand action on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan are calling on district irrigators and supporters to get involved.
Benjeroop farmer Lindsay Schultz said 60 trucks were needed to encircle parliament House.
“My job is to get trucks — as many as we can,” Mr Schultz said.
“If we have enough trucks to go right around the parliament ring road and lock them up, there’ll be nothing they can do.
“We need anyone who can bring a truck, tractor or whatever.
“I know people are busy. We’re all busy.
“But this is the last stand and you can’t just leave it to everybody else.”
The sense of urgency was echoed by Southern Riverina Irrigators chair Chris Brooks.
“I want people to know that this is the last stand,” he said.
“It’s about numbers with these [politicians] in Canberra.
“For us to be seen and to be heard with a united voice will have a massive impact on the decision-making of these people.”
Mr Brooks said polling showed the general public was “78 per cent in favour of farmers being productive”.
“To be productive we need water,” he said.
Both organisers dismissed recent federal government initiatives intended to address irrigators’ problems.
Mr Brooks said the new Murray-Darling basin inspector-general Mick Keelty, while well-intentioned, had so far been a “toothless tiger”.
He described the recently-announced federal drought package as “not worth the paper it’s written on”.
The proposal to provide drought-affected farmers with 25 megalitres of water at $100 a megalitre by turning on the South Australian desalination plant was “pathetic”, he said.
“It just goes to show how dislocated they are from real farmers because 25 megalitres is neither here nor there,” he said.
Mr Brooks said organisers had received undertakings from politicians across the political spectrum to meet with the protesters.
Shadow water minister Terry Butler and Greens leader Sarah Hanson-Young had expressed support, along with Pauline Hanson and the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party.
“It’s crowded in our corner — the cross benches, the greenies, Bob Katter and [Centre Alliance senator] Rex Patrick all fully agree that what’s happening is wrong and that a water review is required,” Mr Brooks said.
“The only way to get the message through is to go to Canberra.
“I just can’t encourage people enough.”
While Mr Brooks was critical of the National Farmers Federation for its support for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, Victorian Farmers Federation water council member Andrew Leahy, from Murrabit, said the state organisation supported initiatives to expose the plight of irrigators in northern Victoria.
“Anything that brings out the unfairness of the plan we’re happy to support,” Mr Leahy said.
“We support some parts of the plan, but we don’t believe it’s right.
He said the VFF was very keen to see problems with the plan addressed, especially as recommended by the recent Productivity Commission inquiry.
