NSW Farmers Association, Media Release, 27 November 2023
The Albanese Government has allowed the Greens to dictate water policy that jeopardises the vitality of rural and regional towns across the Murray Darling Basin.
At today’s [27 November 2023] press conference, Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek stood side-by-side with Greens Water Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young to announce their new deal on the Murray Darling Basin that does not adequately weigh up the socioeconomic impacts for Basin communities.
NSW Farmers Water Taskforce chair Richard Bootle, who also lives in a Basin community, said too many policy issues were being dictated by inner city politics rather than the realities on the ground.
“The NSW Government is supporting this by agreeing to the scraps being thrown their way in extending deadlines for water recovery, while being blindsided at the same time with massive changes to the past protections for farmers and regional communities,” Mr Bootle said.
“NSW Farmers has been warning that the government’s proposed changes to the Murray Darling Basin Plan will drive up the cost of food and have a negative outcome for local economies.
“Politicians have failed to listen to locals who have been warning them about the detriments of water buybacks.
“Unfortunately for Labor, this is a decision they’ll one day regret. It’s just a pity that regional communities will suffer.
“Now’s the time for the Minns Government to see the writing on the wall and draw a line in the sand. They should be publicly announcing they don’t support water buybacks or they too will suffer when people’s grocery bills soar even further.
“NSW cannot standby and be part of an agreement where they are tacit to the destruction of farming families and the flow on impacts to rural towns and communities.”
