Birrell says no more buy backs

REPORTS that the Government are contemplating buying back water as part of the additional 450gl add-on to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan are concerning local families and businesses.

Member for Nicholls, Sam Birrell asked Water Minister, Tanya Plibersek, during Question Time last week whether she would honour the agreement with the states that requires a neutral or positive socio-economic impact on regional communities to recover water.

“Unfortunately for our electorate, the Minister chose not to answer,” said Mr Birrell. “She did make an emphatic point that the former Government had failed to deliver the 450 gigalitres.”

Ms Plibersek said she would table a report that shows that the 450gl was unachievable.

“On this she is right,” said Mr Birrell, who affirms that the additional 450gl was not achievable under the previous Government, “because we refused to inflict further social and economic pain on Basin communities.”

“Tanya Plibersek had an opportunity to support Basin communities by committing to only recovering the 450gl based on an agreed neutrality test that Basin communities would not be worse off, but she refused,” said Mr Birrell.

PARLIAMENTARY ADDRESS… Mr Sam Birrell MP Member for Nicholls Victoria delivers his first speech in the House of Representatives. Photo: Supplied.

“As I stated in my first speech on Monday, words matter in legislation, and socio-economic neutrality is fundamental to any further water taken from irrigation.”

Mr Birrell stated that, “if the society and the economy in Nicholls are negatively affected because of this political add-on, then it cannot go ahead.”

“I will keep the pressure on the Minister to explain how going after 450gl that would be taken away from growing apples, pears, peaches and milk, and employing many of my constituents in the process, has anything other than a devastating socio-economic impact”.