Murray Darling Basin Plan
Draft Murray Darling Basin Plan Released
The Proposed Murray Darling Basin Plan was released 28 November 2011, some 13 months after the release of the Guide to the Proposed Murray Darling Basin Plan.
NSW Farmers has reviewed the new Proposed Basin Plan and is concerned that it falls a long way short of the mark in terms of the outcomes we have been seeking. Prior to the release of the Proposed Basin Plan , NSW Farmers issued a list of four key expectations from the process.
Unfortunately, from what we have seen of the Proposed Basin Plan to date, we are not confident that any of these expectations have been adequately dealt with in the Proposed Plan and as a result, at this point, we are unable to support it.
- Click here for a copy of NSW Farmers’ submission in response to the Draft Plan
- Click here for a copy of our media release... (Veneta will hopefully have this done in the next couple of hours)
- Click here to view public submissions lodged to date
What NSW Farmers is Seeking
In the lead-up to detailed briefings on the Proposed Murray Darling Basin Plan, NSW Farmers issued a list of our four ‘must-haves’ in the Plan. At a minimum:
- WE NEED triple bottom line planning;
- WE NEED a focus on outcomes, not numbers;
- WE NEED a robust discussion about the management of the Lower Lakes; and
- WE NEED to ensure any risks associated with environmental watering are communicated and avoided.
Click here for further detail on NSW Farmers’ key expectations.
Click here for a copy of NSW Farmers’ Position Statement on the Basin Plan.
What Happens Next?
Submissions in response to the Draft Plan have now closed. The MDBA will now consider the thousands of submissions received, and advise the Federal Water Minister accordingly. The revised Draft Plan is then expected to be considered by Ministerial Council, with a view to presenting the Proposed Basin Plan to Parliament in the second half of 2012. Please monitor this page or the MDBA website for updates.
The Guide to the Murray Darling Basin Plan
The Guide to the Murray Darling Basin Plan was released 8 October 2010. Please click on image at right for a copy of the plan.
The Association was present at the ‘lockup’ prior to the release of the Guide, but with the MDBA failing to provide the actual data used as the basis of their recommendations, this was little more than a token exercise. Initially, only Volume 1 of the Guide was released. This first volume was essentially an executive summary of what the Guide would include and unfortunately provided very little data. Volume 2 of the Guide, which contained the actual data used, was not be released for some time after, and well after the Community Information Sessions were conducted – severely limiting any informed and valuable discussion that could be had on the issue.
The Guide to the Basin Plan indicated that the amount of water that needs to be returned to the environment is between 3000 and 7600 gigalitres per year. However, the MDBA suggested that any figure above 4000 gigalitres would not meet the requirements of the Water Act due to the harm that would be inflicted on communities, leading the Guide to suggest a range of 3000 to 4000 gigalitres. The MDBA has recommended average cuts to water in NSW from 27 to 37%. These figures are higher than expected, particularly for northern systems in the Basin.
Click here for a copy of the Association’s briefing note on the Guide...
Socio-Economic Analysis – the missing link
With the MDBA focusing on environmental considerations in the development of the Plan to date, socio-economic analysis has been severely lacking. Fortunately, a report was released, providing peer-reviewed, socio-economic analysis of permanent water reductions. The Cotton Catchment Communities Cooperative Research Centre released Exploring the Relationship Between Community Resilience and Irrigated Agriculture in the MDB: Social and Economic Impacts of Reduced Irrigation Water, 5 August 2010. The report, prepared by Judith Stubbs and Associates, confirmed the Association's long-held concerns regarding the impacts on farm families and rural communities of permanent water reductions. The key socio-economic findings of the report mirror the emerging trends of the Association’s Basin Plan survey (see below), particularly with respect to expected job losses and population drift out of key farming areas.
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) – Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) also released a report titled Environmentally sustainable diversion limits in the Murray Darling Basin: Socioeconomic Analysis, which was intended to provide an economic analysis of the effects of the proposed sustainable diversion limits in the Guide. The MDBA requested that ABARE-BRS identify the socioeconomic implications of the proposed Basin Plan for the Australian community, economy, people and communities within the Basin, regional economies and industry sectors within the Basin, and regional communities and economies outside the Basin that that depend on Basin water resources.
Murray Darling Basin Survey Findings
In October 2010, NSW Farmers released the findings of its survey into the Murray Darling Basin planning process, highlighting a severe lack of community engagement and a farming landscape that could be changed forever. More than one in three farmers surveyed believe the Draft Plan could force them to leave agriculture permanently, closing the door on generations of farming history.
- Click here for a copy of the Association’s media release on this issue...
- Click here for a copy of the full survey report...
Key NSW Farmers Basin Plan Documents and Submissions to Date:
- NSW Farmers key expectations of the Draft Basin Plan
- NSW Farmers submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Water Act 2007
- NSW Farmers submission on the Guide to the proposed Basin Plan
- NSW Farmers submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Management of the Murray Darling Basin
- NSW Farmers submission to the House of Representatives Inquiry into the Impact of the Basin Plan in Regional Australia
- NSW Farmers Basin Plan member survey
- NSW Farmers Position Statement on the Murray Darling Basin Plan
