Victoria loses out in federal government dam funding
New South Wales and Queensland have secured commitments of almost $1.1 billion from the federal government for new dams and irrigation projects while Premier Daniel Andrews has been slammed for not availing of funds.
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New South Wales and Queensland are set to win the bulk of a $1.5 billion federal fund for new water infrastructure, with Victoria only requesting $201 million so far.
Those two states have secured commitments from the federal government totalling almost $1.1 billion for new dams and irrigation projects.
Opposition water spokeswoman Steph Ryan, who is pushing the “Big Buffalo” dam project in northeast Victoria, said the state government should make the most of the “genuine willingness from the federal government to contribute a significant amount of funding”.
“It’s beyond belief that Daniel Andrews is turning his nose up at federal funding that could help secure water for irrigators and communities that rely on a strong agriculture sector to survive,” she said.
Water Minister Lisa Neville said Victoria was waiting to hear back on requests for $240 million in federal funding via multiple sources, including $177 million through the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
“We’ve always advocated for Victoria’s fair share of Commonwealth funding to help build and upgrade vital water infrastructure across the state,” she said. “For the sake of Victorians farmers, we hope to hear some good news soon.
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“We’ll continue to talk to our irrigation communities about further work we can do to upgrade our water grid, whether that’s the modernisation of existing infrastructure or new projects to secure Victoria’s water supplies into the future.”
The $2 billion Connections Project in northern Victoria — the largest irrigation modernisation project in Australia — was also funded in partnership with the Commonwealth.
But the state government was unsuccessful in obtaining $7 million for the Coldstream recycled water project.