THE Victorian Government has doubled down on its opposition to federal water buybacks, saying they have “significant consequences” for regional communities.
Member for Northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell asked Water Minister Gayle Tierney in Parliament on Wednesday to confirm that Victoria didn’t support the removal of water from farmers through water buybacks.
“Last week federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek announced buybacks of at least 100 gigalitres from the Murray-Darling Basin,” the One Nation MP said.
Water buybacks are a policy that involves the government purchasing water entitlements from farmers to help the environment to meet the water recovery target.
“This announcement has raised alarm bells within the farming community in my own electorate of Northern Victoria.”
Ms Tierney said there was “disquiet” in the electorate.
“I was in Shepparton only last Thursday and Friday and spoke with many people who are connected with water and those that are reliant on water in her region,” she said.
“Can I say that I stated it in my first minister’s statement as Minister for Water … I have been quite forthright in terms of the Victorian Government’s position in terms of the Commonwealth’s buyback scheme.
“As I have said, whilst there might have been a change in minister, there certainly has not been a change in the Victorian Government’s position, and we do oppose the open-tendered buybacks.
“Large-scale untargeted water purchases do have significant consequences for our regional communities.
“Victoria has delivered more than any other state towards the 450 gigalitres of additional water.
“We understand how important it is to achieve environmental outcomes for our rivers, but Victoria is working to meet our Murray-Darling Basin plan obligations without harming our regional communities.”
Ms Tierney said the government had established an interdepartmental committee.
She said that would work across portfolios and maximise environmental outcomes while supporting ongoing economic security for Northern Victoria.
“We can also create new opportunities for Northern Victorian communities to thrive into the future,” she said.
“This IDC includes the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the Department of Treasury and Finance, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions.
“The Premier and former Treasurer, the ministers for agriculture, environment, regional development and water, along with nine basin councils also wrote to the Prime Minister to make Victoria’s position clear and call for further support for our basin communities.
“I know that the IDC will be in Shepparton and the surrounding regions in early April, and I know from those conversations that I had around Shepparton late last week that there is a full agenda for the IDC, and people are really looking forward to having those face-to-face direct conversations with people on the ground.”
Ms Tyrrell asked a supplementary question of what the minister was doing to secure Victoria’s water supply for irrigation communities.
“Open tendering leads to pushing up the price of meat, fruit, dairy and vegetables, many of which are obviously produced in the basin communities,” she said. “Previous water recovery has led to irrigation industry job losses and family exits, which we are well acquainted with, all of which have had significant enduring flow-on effects in our regional economies.
“Seventy-five per cent of Australia’s grapes and wine, 50 per cent of fruit and 30 per cent of dairy is produced in the basin.
“The open-tender buybacks directly increase the water market prices.
“They leave irrigators exposed to volatile processes for water allocation, and of course the consumer also pays the price.”
