No more water can be removed from the region

REACHING A TIPPING POINT… Committee for Greater Shepparton CEO, Sam Birrell is calling for a complete review of the Murray-Darling Basin Project. Photo: Ash Beks.
REACHING A TIPPING POINT… Committee for Greater Shepparton CEO, Sam Birrell is calling for a complete review of the Murray-Darling Basin Project. Photo: Ash Beks.

All respective challengers have entered the ring for a fiery reigniting of the Murray-Darling Basin debate, following airing of an ABC Four Corners program last week called ‘Cash Splash’. The program contains fresh allegations that some of the government water buybacks designed to boost efficient water use are bypassing basin communities and flowing on to be used inefficiently by international corporations.

The episode argues that instead of utilising Commonwealth cash to invest in efficiency projects through the On-Farm Efficiency Program, the funds were being funnelled directly into establishing new production business for international cotton and almond farmers, who, ironically, are being accused of using out-dated and inefficient irrigation systems.

More locally, the issues of water are really stacking up. The original MDBP took a lot of water from the region and now the downstream buybacks are making it hard for local farmers, particularly within the dairy industry, to continue to purchase water at the same rate.

Committee for Greater Shepparton CEO, Sam Birrell says no more irrigation water can be taken from the region and the MDBP should be reassessed throughout its process.

“There has been a huge amount of horticultural development downstream of the Goulburn Valley past the Barmah Choke. They require water and such is the margin on those commodities, they can afford to pay a lot for water – more than the dairy farmers in the region. So there’s less water being used in the Goulburn Murray district because of the plan, and there’s water being traded out of the area because of the demand in the Sunraysia and Riverland areas,” Mr Birrell said

The Four Corners episode seemed to focus on whether major corporations building open and on-store storage dams should be allowed access to the funds as part of the On-Farm Efficiency Program. Mr Birrell believes that’s a legitimate debate to have.

“A lot of that money from the efficiency program went to great use, with several local farmers and businesses around the Goulburn Murray irrigation district upgrading their irrigation systems and making technological and efficiency advances, and that’s much more preferable. But in NSW, some corporate entities have taken advantage of the money to build huge on-farm storages. Is that an energy efficiency measure? I think that’s a legitimate question to be asking.”

Mr Birrell says that from his perspective, the On-Farm Efficiency Program should have focused on water usage, instead of storage.

“Things like sub surface drip irrigation, the Israeli technology that’s available now, centre pivots and improved surface irrigation; these are all better ways of using water. If you can use 70 percent of water for the same production then that water can go back to the environment and the community doesn’t lose out,” he said.

However, Mr Birrell said that despite the successes of the programs, no more water could be removed from the region, even with the On-Farm Efficiency program.

“Our position is pretty simple: the basin plan has taken water away from the Goulburn Murray irrigation district and that’s given the region an economic hit. The rivers and environment did suffer during the millennium drought, so something needed to be done. But now, there can’t be any more water extracted from this region. The extra 450GL that’s been proposed to flow back to South Australia cannot go ahead. That would decimate the region.

“From an environmental perspective, the high flows required in the Goulburn River to get the water to Sunraysia and South Australia – whether it be to the lower lakes or irrigation – it’s causing a lot of damage along the banks of the river. So we’re seeing the worst of both worlds: water taken away and environmental degradation. I think the whole plan needs to be reviewed.”

The Four Corners episode argues that buybacks and open dam storages shouldn’t fall under the umbrella term of efficiency and therefore be eligible to receive that funding. Mr Birrell believes that’s obviously a serious debate we need to have and the entire plan needs a complete review.

“When water was removed from the Goulburn Murray District, On-Farm Efficiency Programs were much preferable to buybacks, as they allowed farmers to invest in water saving technology and keep production high. But the region can take no more irrigation water removal, through buyback or On-Farm Efficiency Programs, as the reduced supply would increase the water price and put many industries over a tipping point,” Mr Birrell said.

“In some industries, in some seasons, this has already happened.”