DISSAPOINTMENT WITH DELAY OF BASIN PLAN

THE Queensland Farmers’ Federation is disappointed that the Murray Darling Basin Authority has decided to not release the Guide to the Proposed Murray Darling Basin Plan until after the Federal Election.
CEO Dan Galligan said the guide, which the Authority had only announced it was developing at the end of last month, had been described as a plain English guide to the draft Basin Plan. The draft itself had originally been due for release this month. This delay to the guide, announced today, will cause a further delay to the Draft Basin Plan.
“We’ve now been told to wait until after the election,” CEO, Dan Galligan said. “It is very disappointing because the guide is not linked to any new policy decisions and therefore it should not be delayed by the campaign.
“Queensland irrigators and communities will now be kept in the dark for at least another full month and the delay to the Basin Plan remains unknown.
“The guide is expected to indicate what the water cuts – known as Sustainable Diversion Limits – will be for irrigators.
“This guide contains very important information that will help the industry and community understand what impacts the Basin Plan may have on profitability and sustainability of irrigation farms and towns across the basin.”
Mr Galligan said it was especially disappointing that the delay means it will be impossible to scrutinise, ahead of the election, what the major parties would do with the Basin Plan if they were in government.
“The caretaker mode provisions are not an adequate excuse to delay the release of the guide,” he said.
“The Murray Darling Basin Plan will provide a framework for water management for the future– and all stakeholders deserve to at least have some specific information about its content during this time, as the country makes a decision about their future government leaders.
“This further delay will mean MDB communities will not be given an opportunity to meaningfully discuss the impact of the plan with their local candidates.”