Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF), Media Release, 1 April 2026

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s (MDBA) own analysis shows further water buybacks are unlikely to deliver significant improvements in environmental objectives across the Basin and zero improvements in any Victorian river systems including the Victorian Murray.

VFF Water Council Chair Andrew Leahy says the findings add further weight for an immediate halt to Commonwealth water buybacks in the face of devastating farming consequences.

“The MDBA’s own analysis shows there is very little upside to water buybacks from an environmental point of view. At the same time, we know buybacks absolutely devastate farming regions.”

“This ‘just add water approach’ is a recipe for disaster.”  

“Buybacks cause irreversible damage to irrigation, food processing and regional jobs. There is no possible justification for the Commonwealth sacrificing regional communities for no environmental benefits, and the MDBA should come clean.”

The MDBA’s own analysis in the Basin Plan Review Discussion Paper shows that there would be no or only marginal improvements in achieving environmental objectives by buying back the remainder required for full implementation of the Basin Plan, which could be around 550 GL for the environment and no improvement for Victorian rivers.

Across the Basin, the MDBA assessed 115 environmental indicators, only 13 or 11 per cent show any marginal improvement if additional water is recovered.

“The government is spending billions of dollars of taxpayer’s money and for what? All they have to show is they are taking a sledgehammer to regional farming communities masked under the disguise of environmental benefits.”

“They should be reallocating funds to targeted environmental works and complementary measures such as habitat restoration, fish passage improvements, revegetation and erosion control to maximise the environmental benefits of water already recovered”.

“The MDBA’s findings highlight the need for a new phase of Basin reform focused on delivering stronger environmental outcomes with complementary works and measures, rather than simply buying more water.”

“Healthy rivers and strong regional communities must go hand in hand. The focus now must be on practical solutions that deliver real environmental outcomes while supporting food production and regional jobs,” Mr Leahy said.

The VFF believes the Basin Plan Review represents a critical opportunity to refocus policy on achieving meaningful environmental outcomes while maintaining long-term regional resilience and national food security.