Farmers outraged over buyback Murray-Darling Basin plan

The nation’s peak farming lobby has accused the Albanese government of a ‘rushed and clumsy attempt to override states genuine concerns’ about water buybacks.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The nation’s peak farming lobby has accused the Albanese government of a “rushed and clumsy attempt to override states’ genuine concerns” about water buybacks and has backed Victoria’s decision to reject the reformed Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

The National Farmers Federation labelled the federal government “politically conniving” after Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek forced the basin states to accept buybacks as a method of water recovery as a precondition for amending the plan’s deadlines.

The attacks come after Victoria refused to sign up to Labor’s Murray-Darling Basin Plan, with the state vehemently opposed to Labor’s plan to buy water entitlements in a bid to deliver on its election promise to recover 450 gigalitres for the environment.

The new agreement – unveiled on Tuesday – will seek to extend the deadline for water savings targets to be met under the plan out to 2026.

It will also push out a deadline to recover 450GL to 2027 and allow the federal government to use buybacks to recover the last of the remaining water required by law.

NFF president Fiona Simson said the move to restart buybacks would be “met with disbelief”, given the government’s recent consultation, and failing to bring Victoria on-board ended “16 years of fragile co-operation”.

“Maintaining a degree of unity between the states and the commonwealth has been a major achievement of the plan to date,” she said.

“Today unity has been pushed to the wayside with what looks like a rushed and clumsy attempt to override states’ genuine concerns about buybacks.”

Victorian Water Minister Harriet Shing on Wednesday told The Australian the state had a longstanding opposition to buybacks and it had delivered “more water than any other state towards the up to 450GL of additional water”.

Ms Plibersek on Wednesday emphasised that the federal government did not need the permission of basin states to restart water buybacks.

She also attacked the Nationals party for “pretending” that the 450GL of environmental water could be delivered through water efficiency projects alone.

The confirmation of buybacks sparked anger among Coalition MPs, with Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley accusing Labor of “ripping water and the heart out of the Murray and Murrumbidgee communities”.

NSW senator Perin Davey urged Ms Plibersek to consider the harmful impacts of buybacks, warning they would drive up food prices and damage regional areas.