Although primarily a federal issue, some of the candidates for the approaching Victorian election have identified the buybacks as a sensitive issue in northern Victoria.
The Nationals’ candidate for the Shepparton Shane Sali is renewing calls to end water buybacks and protect the water that supports local farmers, businesses and jobs.
Mr Sali said water security remained essential to the region’s future, with the impacts of buybacks extending beyond the farm gate to food processors, transport operators and small businesses.
“Farmers, local industries and our economy all rely on water security,” he said.
“When water is taken out of our region, the impacts flow through our entire community. It means less water to grow food, support jobs and keep local businesses operating.
“Our communities cannot afford to lose more water.”
Mr Sali said the review of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan must prioritise the needs of communities that depend on water.
“What we’re seeing is a Federal Government undertaking water buybacks without a clear strategy to protect the communities affected,” he said.
One Nation upper house member for Northern Victoria, Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell, is working on developing more detailed water policies for the state, including an end to buybacks.
Ms Tyrrell, a former farmer, is working with candidate for Murray Plains, and irrigated beef farmer, Garner Smith.
The One Nation policy platform proposes to restrict water trading to farmers who own land and supports the expansion of Lake Buffalo with a pipeline connection to Lake Nillahcootie.
It also includes the proposal to “provide full allocation at the start of the season, up to 120 per cent where storage allows”.
Questioned about the party’s published allocation policy, Ms Tyrrell acknowledged the policy statement was too light on detail and could be misunderstood.
She said the intention was to make a change giving priority to irrigators in the allocation.
“It’s prioritising irrigators ahead of environment and water traders.”
“We are preparing the water policy, because it is too vague at the moment. We will be rewriting the policy with more detail.”
There were no costings available for the Lake Buffalo expansion.
Ms Tyrrell said it was difficult to make commitments on expenditure without knowing the state of Victoria’s finances.
Instead of buybacks for the Murray-Darling Basin, One Nation wants to see alternative water recovery methods, including more efficient infrastructure, more efficient farming practices and new sources of water for environmental flows.
Liberal candidate for northern Victoria Steve Brooks has warned that any relaxation in river constraints policy for Victoria would give encouragement to the Federal Government to try to secure more environmental water through buybacks.
Mr Brooks, a primary producer, said a change in constraints would give a Federal Government more flexibility to push more environmental water down the Murray and Victorian rivers.
“NSW said they wouldn’t flood their rivers until six moths ago, when they changed their position under federal pressure.
“It is absolutely critical that Victoria doesn’t capitulate to federal pressure.”
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