Greens push water reforms to save Darling-Baaka

THE NSW Greens have launched a plan to save the Darling-Baaka River, calling for major reforms to prevent an ecological disaster.

The five elements to the plan include reining in floodplain harvesting, removing undue influence of big irrigators on water management, restoring First Nations rights to water, factoring climate projections into water allocations, and setting rules that water can’t be taken until it has reached downstream rivers and wetlands.

Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the river was on the brink of ecological collapse and reforms were essential.

“The National Party has pushed through dodgy floodplain harvesting regulations that hand out $1 billion worth of water entitlements to their corporate irrigator mates at the expense of the Darling-Baaka,” Ms Faehrmann said.

“The Greens will see floodplain harvesting properly regulated and brought back within the legal limits under the basin plan.”

Greens Upper House candidate Lynda-June Coe said the next government would need to manage water resources in a fair and equitable way for traditional owners, communities, farmers and the environment.

“Our rivers are the bloodlines to country and provide life to our communities, the environment and animal kin,” said Ms Coe.

“It is time aqua nullius (is) overturned and First Nations water rights are part of a treaty process, which ensures long-term sustainability and protection of our rivers.”

Ms Faehrmann accused the current government of giving water to corporate donors over First Nations people, downstream communities and the environment.

“We know climate change means less water in the rivers,” she said. “Our plan will make sure the limits for each valley are set based on the latest accurate climate data so that we’re ready when the next drought hits.

“We will make sure First Nations peoples are meaningfully involved in water management instead of being dismissed with sham consultations.”

Nationals candidate for Murray Peta Betts said the announcement by the Greens came as no surprise.

“The people of Murray can expect more of this if a Labor-Greens-independent government is elected on March 25,” Ms Betts said.

“It is ironic that the Greens now want to license and meter floodplain harvesting when they, with the support of Helen Dalton, have blocked every attempt by The Nationals to regulate enforceable, measured limits on floodplain take.

“In contrast, I will fight to protect our valuable irrigated agriculture sector and ensure water is kept in the productive pool so we can continue to produce the food and fibre that underpins our local economy and provides so many jobs from the farm, up the value chain to processing, transportation and manufacturing.”

Murray MP Helen Dalton said The Nationals were misrepresenting the facts.

“The National Party have continued to throw the southern basin under the bus, pushing a regulation through the Upper House to license floodplain harvesting for the fifth time,” Mrs Dalton said.

“The regulation was blocked four times because the volume of floodplain harvesting is above the legislated legal level of cap – 46 gigalitres.

“This volume effectively gifts 350GL of water plus a 500 per cent carryover to the National Party’s donor mates in the north, putting at risk $24 billion in staple food production and the livelihoods of every single licensed and metered southern basin irrigator.

“The National Party forgot to mention an Upper House inquiry received around 200 submissions supporting the disallowance, while the National Party continued to push through a regulation that sacrifices the southern basin.

“The floodplain harvesting regulation does not protect end-of-system flow targets for the Darling and goes against a key principle of the basin plan, a connected river system. This volume will impact Darling River flows.”