Liberals vote down Nationals bid to strip 450GL from Murray Darling Basin Plan

The Nationals have gone their own way on water, in a bid to amend the Basin Plan, but the Liberals have tied them down.

Senator Bridget McKenzie told Parliament yesterday, the Nationals want to strip the 450GL of upwater for South Australia from the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

The Liberals have pulled the plug on their Federal Nationals’ bid to amend the Murray Darling Basin Plan to strip it of the need to recover an extra 450 gigalitres of “upwater” for the environment.

Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie moved four amendments to the Water Act (2007) and Basin Plan Act (2012) in the Senate yesterday, which would have:

REMOVED 450GL upwater

REMOVED buybacks

ENABLED new Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Measures projects to offset 605GL of recovery for the environment.

ENSURED no further water be taken for the environment when the Basin Plan concludes in 2024.

But the Senate voted down the Nationals amendments last night, after Liberal Senate Leader Simon Birmingham declared: “The government, will be voting against those amendments”.

It’s unlikely the Liberals would ever support the amendments, given they have spent eight years in power repeatedly stating they would deliver the basin plan on time and in full, including the 450GL.

The 450GL is crucial to the Government retaining the support of South Australian cross-bench Senators, as the Coalition has just 36 votes in the 76 member Senate.

SA Independent Rex Patrick warned the Coalition yesterday he would no longer work with them if the Nationals amendments were passed.

“I will block my phone from every minister in the federal government, if these amendments go through,” Mr Patrick said.

Federal Water Minister and Nationals Lower House MP Keith Pitt seems wedged on the issue, saying the amendments were “a policy of the Nationals Party Room”, but that “I am (a) member of Cabinet and I support the Government’s position”.

Even if the Nationals Senators could win over the Liberals’ support, they would still need the votes of Jacqui Lambie and the two One Nation Senators to get their amendments passed.

NSW Murray Irrigation Limited chairman Phill Snowden said the Nationals amendments clearly aligned with what irrigators, their communities and numerous reviews into the Basin Plan had highlighted for years.

But National Irrigators Council chairman Jeremy Morton asked “what’s the purpose of the exercise, other than making a point, if the numbers kill it anyway”.

“Maybe it (the package of amendments will) go off to committee, maybe get to the House of Representatives and then sent back to the Senate and go nowhere.”

Victorian Farmers Federation Water Council chairman Andrew Leahy said the Nationals were “getting crucified along the river” and the amendments were all about politics.

“I just want them to put up or shut up," Mr Leahy said.