Government launch 100GL water tender

Despite a looming federal election, the government has moved to strip another 100 gigalitres from Murray Darling Basin irrigators.

The launch of another 100GL basin buyout comes despite ABARES reporting past and planned water recovery will wipe up to $914 million off the farmgate value of irrigated agriculture.

The Albanese Government kicked off a tender this week to buy 100 gigalitres out of the southern Murray-Darling Basin for the environment, despite failing to publish any sale contracts from its first 70GL-round of purchases that closed last September.

NSW Irrigators Council chief executive Claire Miller said with an election due any moment, the government’s announcement of a second tender was “clearly intended to try to win city votes while throwing regional communities, farmers and even the environment under the bus”.

In announcing the latest tender, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water stated the decision followed federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek’s “consideration of the social and economic impacts”.

But federal Opposition water spokeswoman Perin Davey said “it was impossible for Minister Plibersek to be able to say they had considered the social and economic impacts of water buybacks”, given last year’s 70GL round of purchases had not been finalised.

The federal government’s AusTender website has no listings of water purchase contracts under the first 70GL tender.

As for the latest bid to buy another 100GL, DEECA stated there was “no fixed volume to be recovered by state, catchment or water right type”, although it is restricted to offers of 20GL or more from individuals or corporate water holders.

“The department will seek to purchase water rights that represent the best value for money,” it stated.

Ms Davey said “it is little wonder people are so cynical about the Albanese government’s motives”, given it was rushing through another round of buyouts, without knowing where it would purchase the water or what environmental outcomes would be achieved.

Ms Miller said Minister Plibersek had ignored ABARES evidence, which showed past and planned water recovery would wipe $602m to $914m off the farmgate value of irrigated agriculture.

Ms Plibersek has announced a one-off $300m assistance package to offset the impact of buyouts.