Federal Member for Indi, Sophie Mirabella MP, has organised for a local delegation to meet tomorrow with Federal Minister for Water, Tony Burke MP, to discuss the impacts of the Murray Darling Basin Plan. The delegation represents the Local Government areas of Wangaratta, Wodonga, Benalla, Towong, Mansfield and Indigo.

 

North East Victoria faces some of the largest cuts throughout the entire Basin, with irrigators currently facing cuts of up to 71%. The meeting will be the first opportunity to talk face to face with the Minister responsible for the implementation of the Basin Plan.

 

“Under questioning, the Chairman and CEO of the Murray Darling Basin Authority have acknowledged that the North East is facing “perverse outcomes”, so hopefully Mr Burke will acknowledge it too and send the plan back to the drawing board,” said Mrs Mirabella.

 

“This will be an important opportunity to voice the concerns of North East Victoria. Mr Burke has refused to attend any of the community consultation meetings, so this will be our chance to explain why his plan is so fatally flawed.

 

“There are a range of concerns across the electorate of Indi and a number of river systems will be impacted upon in different ways. So this is an important opportunity for us to speak with the Minister directly.

 

“We live in the most productive food growing region in the Basin, we return between 95% and 99% of our water back to the basin system and yet we are being asked to make the largest cuts of anyone.”

The meeting will take place in Mr Burke’s office and will be attended by Sophie Mirabella – Federal Member for Indi, Cr Anthony Griffiths – Mayor of the Rural City of Wangaratta, Doug Sharp – CEO Rural City of Wangaratta and John Brown of Brown Brothers wineries.

 

“I will be voicing the concerns of the many hundreds of people who have contacted me, horrified about the impacts this plan will have on their livelihoods, local economies and Australia’s ability to feed itself,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.