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SA Liberals need to get onboard Team SA on Murray-Darling Basin Plan: Close

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The Hon. Susan Close, Deputy Premier (SA), Minister for Climate, Environment and Water (SA), Media Release, 21 February 2023

The SA Liberals misguided opposition to voluntary water buybacks risks undermining South Australia’s position ahead of Friday’s Murray–Darling Basin Ministerial Council meeting.

A united South Australian position is crucial when dealing with the unwillingness of the NSW and Victorian governments to deliver the 450 gigalitres promised when the Murray-Darling Basin Plan was agreed to.

Only 4.5GL of the 450GL has been recovered to date. David Speirs needs to show some leadership and rein in Liberal MPs arguing against measures which can recover the 450GL.

The Liberals’ opposition to voluntary buybacks comes despite NSW and Victoria continually failing to meet water savings targets and only serves the interests of the eastern states that continue to deny the South Australian environment its fair share of River Murray water.

According to the SA Liberals’ logic, a foreign company is allowed to buy water to make a profit, but the Commonwealth shouldn’t be allowed to purchase water from willing sellers to protect the sustainability of the Basin.

Despite there being no evidence of voluntary buybacks harming river communities, the Liberal’s Nicola Centofanti continues to parrot Barnaby Joyce’s talking points opposing them.

The Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission report states:

‘Buyback did not cause a mass exodus of people from farming or irrigation — most buyback agreements related to partial sales of entitlements only. The vast majority of those who sold entitlements retained water delivery rights.”

Over the last 20 years, about one third of our state’s irrigation entitlements have been sold or acquired for efficiency improvements and at the same time, the area of irrigated horticulture in South Australia has increased by over 3,000 hectares.

That is how water efficiency works – more production for less water, yielding a sustainability dividend.

Quotes attributable to Susan Close

David Speirs and the SA Liberals really need to get onboard Team SA because by playing party politics they are playing into the hands of the NSW and Victorian governments who have long stated they do not want to deliver the 450GL.

The Liberals need to put aside the National Party’s long discredited talking points on voluntary buybacks and support South Australia getting its fair share.

I’m not sure why Nicola Centofanti thinks it’s her job to defend interstate governments, but her advocacy for them is undermining our capacity to get the water we were promised.

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