THE Nationals have demanded New South Wales and South Australia join an agreement to enforce a halt on new development to help protect Victoria’s irrigation communities.
They say communities in northern Victoria are at breaking point and no more water should be extracted unless it could be shown there will be no increased risk to the environment or entitlement holders.
In joint statement issued yesterday by The Nationals’ Senator for Victoria Bridget McKenzie, Member for Nicholls Damian Drum, water spokesperson and Member for Euroa Steph Ryan and Member for Mallee Anne Webster, the party called on other basin states to enforce a moratorium on further development below the Barmah choke.
They said the moratorium on new development adopted in Victoria was a good first step as water demands for horticultural crops in the southern basin were already higher than estimated.
“It is clear our communities don’t have enough water now — as new plantings including almond orchards mature in coming years, demand is only going to increase,” Senator McKenzie said.
“We say to NSW and South Australia, ‘Back a moratorium, no more extraction licences, no more water extraction increases below the Barmah choke’.”
Ms Ryan said change was the only way forward.
“For months we have been calling on NSW and South Australia to follow Victoria’s lead by putting a moratorium on development downstream of the Barmah choke,” Ms Ryan said.
“Our communities are hurting — enough is enough,” she said.
“NSW and South Australia need to get on board with a moratorium on any further development to protect existing entitlements downstream of the Barmah choke, and the health of the river.”
Mr Drum said a targeted approach was needed if the southern Murray-Darling Basin was to meet ever-growing water demands.
“Whether it is investigating the feasibility of building Big (Lake) Buffalo to create more storage capacity, or all states backing a moratorium on development,” Mr Drum said.
Member for Mallee Anne Webster said irrigators in Mallee and across northern Victoria had borne a significant burden from the implementation of the basin plan.
“There must be no more water recovered from irrigators or the consumptive pool,” Dr Webster said.
“It is not possible for our already hurting irrigation communities to lose any more water.
“It is time for genuine water action so our irrigators can get on with the vital job of feeding Australia.”
