The Gillard government faces a fresh backlash from the states, irrigators and green groups today after the independent Murray-Darling Basin Authority revealed it is sticking firm to the plan to cut 2750 billion litres of water a year from irrigation.
The final basin plan was released this morning after 20 weeks of often bitter public consulation and is now in the hands of federal Environment Minister Tony Burke, who must decide whether to put it to Parliament for approval or send it back for further revision.
The plan’s key element is returning 2750 billion litres a water from irrigation back to the environment to boost the health of the river system, including the iconic River Red Gums and sites such as the Lower Lakes and the Murray Mouth. This would mostly be done by buying back water rights from irrigators - which rural towns and farmers say could destroy their communities.
The previous draft plan has upset equally irrigators, who want less water cut from irrigation, and environmentalists, who want more. Likewise the states are divided. South Australia, sitting at the bottom of the ailing river system, wants more water to be returned to the environment and has threatened a High Court challenge. Victoria and NSW have slammed the 2750 billion figure as too large.
The plan released today does however reduce the amount of water that can be taken out of underground aquifers from 4340 billion litres a year to 3184 billion litres - a change that will please green groups.
The authority has also revealed that it is already saving 1344 billion litres a year through buybacks, leaving just 1406 billion a year that still need to be cut.
To get the plan through the Senate, Mr Burke must deal either with the Greens, who want more irrigation water to be returned to the environment, or the Coalition, which is not advocating a precise figure but has been heavily critical of the previous draft.
Andrew Gregson, CEO of the NSW Irrigators Council, said it was now up to Mr Burke to give the basin plan ”the balance that it has lacked in the debate that has now lasted over two years”.
”Minister, the authority has fundamentally failed to listen to communities. That role has fallen to you. Their future lies in your hands. You’re all that stands between them and social and economic Armageddon,” he said.
The authority received nearly 12,000 submissions over the past 20 weeks and has made more than 300 changes to the previous draft plan.
Authority chairman Craig Knowles said he was ”confident that the plan is well balanced and presents a way forward on management of the Murray–Darling system”.
”It is now over to the basin ministers and the federal Water Minister to lead the next stage of the basin plan process,” he said.
The states have also expressed frustration that the plan does not specify in which catchments much of the savings will be made, to which the authority has argued that in a market-based system the buybacks will be made wherever irrigators are willing to sell.
In a clear signal that it is now up to the ministerial council - made of Mr Burke and his state counterparts - to solve this problem, the authority said it would happily listen to any suggestions the ministers made.
Jonathan La Nauze Murray-Darling campaigner with Friends of the Earth, said: ”Under this plan, at least half of the basin’s Ramsar wetlands will likely lose their international listing, including the Coorong and the Barmah-Millewa forest. The Authority has clearly thrown up their hands - the question now is whether Tony Burke and Julia Gillard will show greater courage in standing up to the state governments who got us into this mess in the first place.”
Victorian Water Minister Peter Walsh said this morning the state could not support the reforms as they stand.
Victoria wants more water to be left available for farmers under the plan, calling for a reduction in the extraction target from 2,750 billion litres to 2,100 billion litres. Victoria says the difference could then be made up with savings from environmental works and measures such as pumps and pipes to water key environment sites.
‘‘From Victoria’s point of view we cannot support the plan as it is, and we will be working through the Ministerial Council to make sure we get changes, because as it is written it will be a death warrant for communities in Northern Victoria,’’ Mr Walsh said.
‘‘We believe the environmental outcomes can be achieved with smarter use of water, which is the case we have put forward. Get the environment outcomes but keep more water in food production.’’
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has indicated the state believes the amount of water to be returned to the river is inadequate to protect the environment including the famous Lower Lakes and Coorong at the mouth of the Murray.
Mr Weatherill has previously flagged a High Court challenge to the plan if water for the environment isn’t increased.
