In the wake of the announcement of revised water recovery targets by the Murray Darling Basin Authority today, the Balonne Shire Council’s deputy mayor has invited Natural Resources Minister Anthony Lynham to visit her struggling communities.
The Northern Basin Review has recommended a total of 320 gigalitres of irrigation water be recovered, which Fiona Gaske said had the potential to wipe towns like St George and Dirranbandi out.
The minister was criticised last week by LNP MPs David Littleproud and Barry O’Sullivan for not attending a meeting of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Group in Adelaide in person, and Cr Gaske said she thought the presence of Dr Lynham would have demonstrated a willingness to work in partnership with other state and federal water ministers.
“To achieve the result we need, partnerships are essential,” she said.
Cr Gaske also believed the minister could have demonstrated his willingness to work with the community, as requested in the Balonne shire’s water buybacks position paper, adopted at their October council meeting and presented to the minister at the LGAQ conference soon after.
“We’ve written to the minister, advising him of our position and the socio-economic impacts of the buybacks to date.
“Today’s announcement means another 35ML could be recovered from us – that would be absolutely devastating.
“We call on him to publicly support our communities and work with other stakeholders to achieve environmental outcomes through alternative on-farm water use efficiencies.”
Dr Lynham has defended the science behind the announcement, saying he understood the Balonne council’s concern, but all the science continues to support the need for greater water recovery to save Australia’s biggest river system, adding that all responsible governments must continue to support water recovery.
“However, I do support complementary programs to support water efficiencies and that’s why I’ve called today on deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce to fund the development of complementary measures such as fishways, cold water pollution mitigation, and the protection of environmental flows throughout the system.”
He also called on Mr Joyce to provide full funding for economic support to affected communities, including Dirranbandi, saying he’d strongly encourage the council to make a submission and continue to seek support of their local federal MPs for a structural adjustment scheme.
He assured the Balonne Shire Council that he was taking up Queensland’s cause about the Northern Basin proposals.
“The Murray Darling Basin Authority briefed all ministers last Friday on their findings from the Northern Basin Review,” he said.
“The review’s recommendations were not up for debate at that meeting and the recommendations will be discussed at the next MINCO in the first half of 2017 after public submissions have been received.
“I imagine that south west communities in the northern basin will welcome the proposed reduced water recovery target. “
The review released on Monday recommends that Queensland reduce its annual surface water use in a region from Hungerford in the west, north to Augathella and east to Warwick by 140 GL by 2019. Currently, farmers have cut their water use by 90 gigalitres a year since 2012.
Today’s review changes the amount of surface water use required to be reduced, or “water recovery”, across the whole northern basin by 2019 from 390 GL to 320 GL. For Queensland, this means a change of 36 GL.
#MoreThanFlow Campaign spokesperson Michael Murray said on Monday morning that the proposal was still taking too much water from production and communities will continue to be hurt as a result.
“I think it’s fair and reasonable to question how those communities will be supported,” he said.
“The main way to do it is by headwaters recovery programs.
“Current programs are beginning to come to an end of their life, and may need help to be extended.”
According to Dr Lynham, that community support needs to come from the federal government.
“Queensland farmers need to know how Mr Joyce will support them and their communities as they they do their bit to protect the Murray-Darling,” he said.
The Palaszczuk government supports the proposed target in the review, which is now out for public comment for eight weeks.
Dr Lynham said the proposed new target would still meet more than 20 environmental indicators that measured the health of the Murray-Darling river system.
“The target will deliver a sustainable triple bottom line outcome based on new science and reduces the socio-economic impacts on south-west communities like Dirranbandi and St George.”
It was this statement that had Balonne’s Cr Gaske perplexed.
“This shows the minister is out of touch,” she said.
“That directly contradicts the socio-economic report by the MDBA released a few weeks ago, which spells out the impacts so far, and the impacts to happen.
“The minister needs to take a more proactive approach.
“If he were to stand with other water ministers and engage in constructive conversations, we would get a much better result.”
She said she would love Dr Lynham to “step out of his leafy suburbs in Brisbane” and come to St George and Dirranbandi.
“We’ll show him what we’re talking about – the empty shopfronts – and get him to talk to the people who’ve lost their businesses.”
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
