10 May 2018
The Queensland Farmers’ Federation has welcomed the Australian Senate’s return to a bi-partisan approach to deliver the Murray Darling Basin Plan, providing certainty for farmers, irrigation reliant communities and the environment.
QFF President Stuart Armitage said the vote last night to uphold the Sustainable Diversion Limit (SDL) Adjustment Mechanism meant Basin communities needed to give up 605GL less water, while still achieving environmental outcomes.
“The agreement between the Government and Labor has ended the recent ‘politics over people’ actions that were being playing out in the Senate. The return to a bipartisan approach will provide much needed certainty for farmers and Basin communities,” Mr Armitage said.
“Importantly for Queensland farmers, the Northern Basin Review (NBR) will also now be delivered, meaning farmers in those irrigation regions will have to return 70GL less water.”
“The NBR was a particularly important science and evidence based refinement to the Plan, as these communities have already suffered damaging socio-economic impacts. For example, Dirranbandi has lost 27% of its irrigated area while in St George, jobs in agriculture have dropped by more than 15% and non-agriculture private sector jobs are down more than 20%.”
“The SDL Adjustment Mechanism and the NBR are vital components of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan that was agreed by all Basin State Governments and the Federal Parliament in 2012.”
“Bi-partisanship is a must if we are to deliver the Plan, and it is something QFF has been pleading with politicians to return to. It recognises the last six years of hard work by Basin communities, the states and successive Federal Governments while also ensuring the Plan has a future.”
The post Murray-Darling Basin Plan back on track appeared first on Queensland Farmers' Federation.