Undemocratic: Sunraysia irrigators stripped of voting rights

Irrigators in Australia’s most productive food bowl have been stripped of the right to elect their own representatives to customer committees.

Victorian Farmers Federation water council chair Andrew Leahy said Lower Murray Water’s move to stop direct elections meant farmers would have little say over how their irrigation system was managed.

Victorian Water Minister Harriet Shing has turned her back on Sunraysia irrigators who have been stripped of the right to democratically elect their own representatives to Lower Murray Water’s customer committees.

LMW’s government-appointed board and management notified irrigators earlier this year that it would “appoint the committees through a skill-based ‘Expression of Interest’ and assessment process”, ending the tradition of irrigators nominating and electing their own members.

Irrigators have been incensed by the move, with about 80 meeting in Mildura last month to pass a vote of no confidence in LMW’s board and call on Minister Shing to “intervene and reinstate customer elected committees”.

But when asked last week if she would take any action to reinstate irrigators’ rights or simply ignore the issue, Ms Shing’s office said “these changes are a matter for the Board of Lower Murray Water.”

Red Cliffs table grape grower Domenic Sergi said LMW had failed to consult the wider irrigation community and irrigators had lost the right to “have the final say on who represents them”.

“If the community trusted LMW to select people for robust consultation we wouldn’t have a problem,” Mr Sergi said. “But the problem is there’s a propensity to lean towards people who don’t challenge the status quo.”

Victorian Farmers Federation water council chair Andrew Leahy said LMW’s move to stop direct elections meant farmers would have little say over the management of the irrigation system that is essential to their businesses and for food production.

“This will see LMW controlling the process to ensure they appoint who they want on their customer committees rather than what the actual customers want,” Mr Leahy said.

“Water authority customer committees must be made up of progressive irrigators and diverters who are respected in the community and will not be the lackey of the board.”

Mr Leahy said he was also concerned the new customer committee Terms of Reference that allows LMW to make exceptions and even allow non-customers onto the committees.

“The VFF is opposed to non-customers joining the advisory committees, this is seen as a blatant attempt by LMW to exert control.”

Meanwhile irrigators sitting on the water service committees of Victoria’s largest water corporation – Goulburn Murray Water – have confirmed they have been sounded out on reforms to their structure.

Central Goulburn WSC chair Peter Hacon said there was some discussion on merging the six WSCs into three, but it was unlikely GMW would follow LMW’s move.

Mr Hacon said GMW did need to put more effort into re-engaging its committees, given the key role they played in water reform.