Mr Pitt, visiting the Murray Valley over several days this week, brought with him news of $34 million in basin grants, but the lobby groups say the amount is tiny compared to the billions of dollars in lost production due to poor water policies.
Mr Pitt is responding to numerous invitations to come and see the effect of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan on rural communities.
He spent an hour with the Southern Riverina Irrigators group at Finley on Monday and is expected to spend four hours with the Central Murray Environmental Floodplains Group at Cohuna on Wednesday.
Southern Riverina Irrigators chairman Chris Brooks was not impressed with the funding offers.
“Thirty-four million will not go very far when spread across all the valleys, and compared to the billions lost in production,” he said.
“We don't want the money, we want our water back. We wand to be able to farm.”
In the meeting, Mr Brooks raised the issue of floodplain harvesting in the northern basin and its effect on end-of-system flows for the Murray River and its potential to impact on the water available to irrigators in the Riverina and northern Victoria.
He described the harvesting as illegal and challenged Mr Pitt to ensure that NSW complied with river system caps and end-of-system flows.
From Wednesday, basin communities can apply for a share of $34 million in grants to stimulate job growth and boost economic development under the third round of the Economic Development Program.
Mr Pitt said the third round of the EDP was about putting people, jobs and communities at the heart of the basin plan.
“Our government has allocated $34 million towards the largest round of the EDP to date, offering grants of between $50,000 and $1 million to fund projects in 38 eligible community areas.”
Federal Member for Nicholls Damian Drum said the EDP would again allow basin communities across the Nicholls electorate to determine what best works for them.
“This program recognises that communities know how best to tackle the challenges they face, and what kinds of economic activity would support people in their own communities,” Mr Drum said.
“I will be work closely with local communities and stakeholder groups over the coming months to ensure anyone interested has the opportunity and support they need to apply for funding under this program.”
Mr Pitt was scheduled to meet with co-chair of the Goulburn Murray Water Industry Leadership Group, David McKenzie, on Tuesday in Shepparton, where they were expected to discuss the Barmah Choke and the strategy for meeting water savings targets if the basin plan concludes in 2024 without the targets having been met. The group is against any further buy-backs.
Mr Pitt was the guest at a Deniliquin National Party dinner on Monday night.
