The greater Shepparton community rallied behind Mayor Shane Sali to stop the water buybacks
By Aaron Cordy
THE support was on display in Shepparton on Monday as the Greater Shepparton City Council-led convoy rolled through the streets of Shepparton to stop the Federal Government’s water buybacks, which will see 450 GL of water removed from local irrigators.
Over a hundred trucks and tractors made the trek from Shepparton Sports City precinct along Wyndham Street, up High Street before cutting left towards SPC, in hopes the Federal Government will see reason and stop taking water from the food bowl of Australia.
Crowds of people gathered to hear an impassioned Mayor Shane Sali, introduce Co-Chair of GMID Water Leadership Committee David McKenzie, Dairy farmer Natalie Akers, outgoing Greater Shepparton Business Network president John Anderson, Chairman of Fruit Growers Victoria Mitch McNab and a fired-up President of the National Farmers’ Federation David Jochinke.
Water is the lifeblood of farming communities like ours and the follow-on effect of the buybacks has the potential to be generational if we continue to mismanage this resource that at times seems as though it’s in abundance, but it was not that long ago we were in drought.
Any chance the Federal Government would see reason and heed the masses in the convoy was dashed with the announcement that the Albanese Government had made a deal with the Greens.
“This deal makes it crystal clear the Government is completely out of touch and doesn’t give a stuff about communities,” said David Jochinke.
