Basin plan certainty needed now more than ever

Following Monday’s Murray Darling Basin Plan Minister’s Meeting in Albury, NSW Farmers has reiterated the need for Basin Ministers to provide certainty for Basin communities, and to recognise and respond to the needs of farmers, communities and the environment. 

“We welcome the agreement on 605GL of efficiency and water savings. Water savings that can be a win-win for productivity and the environment should be maximised,” NSW Farmers’ President, Derek Schoen said.  

“The additional 450GL risks causing further unnecessary pain in the regions across the Southern Basin. We welcome the independent analysis on the socio-economic impacts of the removal of this water. We are imploring Basin Ministers and officials that it must stack up according to the triple bottom line. The Basin Plan is quite clear- this water can’t be taken unless doing so is socio-economically neutral or positive.  

“Reports of action on compliance from state governments is a welcome development. This is reassuring for Basin communities who are already under significant social and economic pressure as a result of Basin Plan reform.

“This has been a long and arduous process. Irrigators, farmers and regional communities need certainty as we approach the final stages of this significant generational reform,” Mr Schoen concluded.

Date: 21 December 2017
Media Contact:   Michael Burt  | 0428 288 988