THE Murray-Darling Basin Authority said the water it has made available through the Barmah choke water trade balance for 2024-25 is the second highest on record.
However, claims by MDBA acting executive director of river management Angus Paton this allocation will deliver trade opportunities for irrigators has been criticised by Southern Riverina Irrigators.
Mr Paton said about 56GL of water will be available to trade downstream of the choke from July 1.
“This projected figure is 4GL less than the 60GL made available for the 2023-24 season, making it the second highest opening balance since trade restrictions through the choke came into force in 2014,” he said.
“The Barmah choke is a naturally narrow stretch of the Murray, which limits the volume of water which can be delivered downstream.
“The choke therefore has a trade restriction to protect delivery to existing entitlement holders and to maintain the river environment.
“Trading water from downstream to upstream of the choke is always open, however trades from upstream to downstream can only happen if the same or greater amount has first gone the other way. This is the ‘balance’ of trade.
“The MDBA makes information about the opening balance available to water users ahead of the new season and this year we expect 56GL will be available to trade.”
Mr Paton said there were no plans to relax the restriction on trade through the choke in 2024-25.
He said the rules of trade are governed by the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement between the Commonwealth and the Basin state governments.
“River managers will continue to assess the balance of trade through the choke throughout the year, by considering factors like storage levels, expected demand, state allocations, and climate forecasts,” Mr Paton said.
Southern Riverina Irrigators chief executive Sophie Baldwin said the volumes were not enough.
“On one hand the MDBA and Canberra want Australia to be an indispensable part of the global economy and yet they are taking water away from irrigation and our ability to produce staple food, and generate wealth by wasting water out to sea in South Australia,” she said.
Ms Baldwin said irrigation underpins many facets of rural communities, from small local business and transport to major industry and manufacturing and the latest choke allocation is another example of allocations being slowly chipped away.
“I can’t see how Australia can become a huge player in the global economy when agriculture is continually kneecapped,” she said.
“It is a well-known fact every dollar generated by agriculture has a flow-on effect of between $4 and $7 into the wider community, depending on the commodity.
“I would like to know what the Albanese government is going to replace this major economic driver with, when they buy back the majority of productive water we have in the irrigation footprint.
“It is just absolute madness.”
