MDBA PLAN IS A SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CATASTROPHE IN THE MAKING

08-October-2010

Friday October 8th
The official release of the Murray Darling Basin Authority Guidelines has understandably shocked and angered farmers. The plan will wipe out agricultural and associated industries in much of the basin.
Mrs. Mirabella said there are more questions than answers to this ill conceived and impractical plan that will devastate communities and individuals across the region.
This plan will exacerbate government debt, alienate rural communities and not necessarily provide any quality environmental outcomes. It is a lose / lose situation.
The predicted financial losses to irrigated Agriculture are between $800M and $1.1B with the loss of an expected 800 jobs. These figures are very conservative and job losses will easily go into the tens of thousands.
Mrs. Mirabella said “the plan includes capping Ground water to 186 gigalitres per year with only sketchy details on how that is to be policed.”
Mrs. Mirabella continued by saying “it is very light on the social and economic details of our communities that will be devastated by this plan. It has no reference to compensation for any individual or community, beyond the actual cost of buying back water from willing sellers.
Predictably so, farmers across the region, The Victorian Farmers Federation and other stakeholders are furious at the lack of consultation.
Local irrigator in the Kiewa and Broken River areas will take the biggest hits with reductions of up to 45% predicted. Goulburn River irrigators are expected to lose up to 37% and those along the Murray a similar figure.
Once again rural communities across the nation and in North East have been hung out to dry by a Labor government that just doesn’t care.
It is no surprise that this plan was held back during the election.