McCormack changes tack on Murray-Darling Basin Plan

Michael McCormack says he accepts controversial measures to deliver more environmental flows in the Murray-Darling.

New Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack in question time yesterday. Picture: Kym Smith

New Nationals leader Michael McCormack says he accepts controversial measures to deliver more environmental flows in the Murray-Darling, after previously crossing the floor to oppose the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Mr McCormack was one of five MPs who opposed the plan in 2012, branding it an “attack on the ­nation’s farmers” and an “indignity” on his Riverina constituents.

Agriculture and Water Resources Minister David Littleproud is trying to hold the plan together ahead of an upcoming Greens disallowance motion on a package of projects to recover 605 gigalitres of water for farmers, and another 450GL for the environment.

Mr McCormack yesterday said he accepted both measures as long as socio-economic factors were taken into account when water projects were assessed.

He said his crossing the floor led to a Coalition cap on water buybacks, but the Murray-Darling Basin Plan had “settled down”.

“We need to be making sure that any takeout from the river is done on a social, economic and environmental (basis); that all those three factors are taken into ­account,’’ Mr McCormack said.

Labor is demanding the government commit to the 405GL of environmental flows in return for its support against the Greens ­motion.

Opposition water spokesman Tony Burke highlighted Mr ­McCormack’s voting record on the Murray-Darling plan.

“Michael McCormack has a choice. He either does a backflip from his previous position on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan or the consensus blows up. There’s no halfway point on this,’’ he said.

National Irrigators Council chief executive Steve Whan said irrigation communities were worried that finding an extra 450GL of water for the environment would create a “patchwork” of water usage that would make some ­regions less viable.

But he said the farmers needed the certainty that the Murray-Darling Basin Plan provided. “The alternative of not staying the course is throwing everyone into uncertainty and potentially having another 10 years while ­another agreement is negotiated,” he said.

Former water minister Barnaby Joyce all but ruled out finding that 450GL, saying it would have major socio-economic impacts on irrigation communities.

Labor backed a separate Greens disallowance motion ear­lier this month on government changes to reduce environmental flows in the northern basin.