More water to leave southern NSW staple food production

Independent member for Murray Helen Dalton is outraged one of the first actions of the new Labor government in Canberra is to rip another 450Gl of water away from southern NSW staple food production.

 “Federal Labor is showing a blatant disregard for Murray and Murrumbidgee communities by chasing what is essentially an undeliverable volume under the guise of the Basin Plan. The basin plan must be about actual environmental outcomes and not about a number,” Helen said.

 In reality, to send an additional 450GL to South Australia means the Murray, Murrumbidgee, Lower Darling and Goulburn rivers must be kept in flood; which puts the low lying central Murray region, its communities and any consequent staple food production at extreme risk.

 “Labor should focus on licensing floodplain harvesting in northern NSW and secure an end-of-system flow target for the Darling-Baaka River to ensure connectivity, before looking at taking more water from southern basin food production.”

 The southern basin has done all the heavy lifting, contributing the majority of water to the basin plan through buybacks, and has no more water to give.

 “Ironically the basin plan is about protecting the environment and yet we are facing significant environmental degradation and flooding upstream, to deliver ever-increasing volumes downstream.

 “The Barmah choke has lost 25 per cent of its capacity in the past decade and river health has declined since the introduction of the basin plan,” Helen said.

 Unregulated permanent plantings downstream such as almonds will, on maturity, use more than half of the water in the productive pool.

 Helen said for the basin to thrive socially, economically and environmentally we need a connected and healthy river system.

 “This isn’t an argument about the environment versus agriculture. We have to get the balance right to protect both. 

 “The reality is if we keep taking water away from irrigation we will have a massive price increase in the cost of food and create an unhealthy dependence on other countries to provide our basic food needs.”