By Deanne Jeffers
THE Goulburn Murray Irrigation District (GMID) Water Leadership Forum is calling on the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to extend the May 1 submission deadline for the Basin Plan Review.
Forum Co-Chairs Suzanna Sheed AM and Andrew Man said that unprecedented global instability, severe farm input shortages and the MDBA’s own acknowledgement that its discussion paper inadequately address agriculture, food production and regional communities necessitate an extension.
Ms Sheed said farmers and regional communities are facing mounting pressures as fuel and fertiliser shortages intensify, and recent rainfalls drive urgent sowing activities across the district.
“Water availability underpins food production, yet agriculture and basin communities were not properly recognised in the MDBA’s draft,” she said. “More time is needed to ensure the final review reflects the role of water in national and global food security, regional economies and community resilience.”
She added that on numerous occasions it has been raised that the impacts on agriculture and regional communities have not been properly addressed in the discussion paper.
Andrew Mann, Forum Co-Chair and Manager of Advanced Ag, said the timing of the review adds to the difficulty facing local producers.
“Farmers are confronting fuel and fertiliser shortages and high costs while preparing for sowing. Extending the submission period would allow meaningful input that reflects the real challenges on the ground,” Mr Mann said.
The Forum emphasised that the extension would allow the MDBA to work constructively with production sectors and supply chains, ensuring informed recognition of agriculture in the final report. It would also align with the Federal Government’s establishment of the National Food Security Council, allowing coherent policy between water reform and food security.
“At a time when global events are testing food systems everywhere, an effective Basin Plan Review must fully consider agriculture and the communities that sustain it. Providing the minimum period of 12 weeks for the review under the legislation is simply not enough and is destined to deliver flawed outcomes,” Ms Sheed said.
To review the discussion paper and to make a submission, go to www.mdba.gov.au/bpr-discussion-paper
