Lifeblood Alliance lobbies Federal Government to urgently buy water to keep Murray-Darling Basin alive
Parts of the Murray environment are rapidly declining or on the verge of ecological collapse, their communities warn. They say water must be urgently bought from those prepared to sell.
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An alliance of community groups says the Federal Government must urgently pursue voluntary water licence buybacks to help restore the Murray-Darling Basin’s ailing health.
The Lifeblood Alliance, which includes 14 organisations including Conservation SA, the Australian Conservation Council and River Lakes and Coorong Action Group, is lobbying the Federal Government to buy back about 48GL from willing sellers.
It says rivers, flood plains and wetlands are in rapid decline and in some areas, on the verge of ecological collapse. The calls for more buybacks come amid news that the Darling and Murray rivers will join for the first time in two years.
But River Lakes and Coorong Action Group spokeswoman Elizabeth Tregenza said there was a lot more work needed to ensure the Murray-Darling Basin plan’s water recovery target was met. “The water coming down the river is fantastic but it’s not enough and we shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that it’s going to be enough,” the Finniss beef cattle farmer and olive producer said.
“Really, the only way to return the restore the river to health is through buybacks.
“While we’re welcoming the flow of water joining the Darling and the Murray, we need to remember that this should be part of the normal river flow.”
The Lifeblood Alliance said infrastructure measures and increased irrigation efficiency projects were not delivering the expected benefits of water returned to the system, and were also not cost-effective.
“Urgent action is needed to return more water and buybacks are the most effective mechanism,” the group said.
Conservation SA general manager Allys Todd said the basin and all life that depended on it was at “considerable risk” due to drought, over-exploitation and poor management.
Meantime, water watchdog Mick Keelty’s report on resource management is imminent.
In January, he told a meeting in Renmark that calls for a “Lock Zero” near Wellington, which would increase salinity levels in the Lower Lakes and reduce freshwater evaporation, should be “looked at” after his review, which will consider issues including how water is shared between states and traded. It followed repeated calls from irrigators upstream to investigate installing the infrastructure.
Alexandrina Mayor Keith Parkes said the Lock Zero proposal for Wellington was “a ridiculous fantasy” that would “never happen”, and Environment Minister David Speirs has rejected it.
Mr Parkes was awaiting the release of Mr Keelty’s report, saying “we can only hope that he supports the Basin Plan and continues on with the implementation of it”.
Federal Water Minister Keith Pitt said since 2016, the Government had purchased 68GL.
But he said it was now prioritising investment in water infrastructure and efficiency projects instead.
“The Government is managing the water recovery required by the Basin Plan in a way that minimises the social and economic impacts on local communities,” Mr Pitt said.