Murray Darling Basin Plan: Labor, Greens push to pass controversial water changes

Regional Victoria could be devastated by mandated water changes, the opposition has warned, as Labor and the Greens work to expedite a major Murray Darling Basin Plan overhaul.

Regional Victoria will be “devastated” by a controversial mandate to return 450gl of water to the environment using buybacks, the Opposition warns, as Labor and the Greens team up to expedite an overhaul of the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

Water Minister Tanya Plibersek on Monday confirmed she had struck a deal with the crossbench party in exchange for their support as the Bill is debated in the Senate this week.

The agreement ensures the water will be delivered by December 2027, an independent audit of water allocated to the environment, $100m for water entitlements that benefit First Nations communities, and will enable the Commonwealth to withdraw unviable state government infrastructure projects.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek. Picture: Martin Ollman

Victoria is the only jurisdiction that has not signed up to the new plan because it has concerns about the affect the voluntary purchase of water entitlements from irrigators will have on communities.

Victorian Water Minister Harriet Shing said the bill held Victorian riverine environments to ransom.

“It is not about returning water to the environment, it’s more like water for some environments — like South Australia — at the expense of others,” Ms Shing said.

“Not only will this Bill cause irreparable damage to communities, it will fail to help Victorian environments — because the Commonwealth refuses to do the heavy lifting to continue the work that Victoria started.”

Victoria supports the funding for the Aboriginal Water Entitlement Program secured under the Greens’ deal.

But it does not support giving the Commonwealth government the power to withdraw state government infrastructure projects, and ensuring the government recovers the 450gl of additional environmental water by December 31, 2027.

Mallee MP Dr Anne Webster and Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce in Mildura. Photo: Else Kennedy

Ms Plibersek said she was continuing to have talks with the Allan government.

But Mallee MP Dr Anne Webster said the decision to reinstate voluntary buybacks to meet its targets would “devastate regional communities” left behind when farmers sell their entitlements and leave.

“A few thousand votes in Adelaide is worth more to them than communities on the Murray Darling Basin like Mildura, Robinvale and Swan Hill that produce 40 per cent of Australia’s food and fibre,” Dr Webster said.

A convoy of farmers and workers protesting the proposed changes drove through Shepparton on Monday.

Ms Plibersek said it would “be terrible” for taxpayers and the environment if the Bill didn’t pass because water infrastructure projects that cannot be completed by June 2024 would be axed.