COHUNA dairy farmer Doug Fehring is leading a rebellion and has the flag to go with it.
“You’ll see these flags start to go up from Echuca to Kerang along the Murray Valley Highway and the Three Chain Road on supporting farms that have had enough,” he said on Tuesday.
“I’m saying we’ve got to take a stand because we’ve gone through the normal processes and they’re not listening.”
In a letter and accompanying advertisement placed in newspapers around the region earlier this month, Mr Fehring said he was refusing to pay council rates and water bills and suggested others join him in the protest.
“Our community has tried to be heard by protesting in the acceptable, traditional, democratic way by writing letters to politicians, attending meetings and organising convoys to Canberra to protest on the lawns of parliament,” he wrote.
“Community consensus suggests that 2020 will require a more direct and meaningful approach to bring about action.
“This town should be considering holding their rates because our councils have not supported us well enough.”
Mr Fehring, who is one of the members of a small irrigators’ advocacy group, the Central Murray Environmental Floodplains Group, said his water bill of approximately $12,000, was due on December 16 but he hasn’t looked at it yet.
Following the Convoy to Canberra, which he helped organise last December, he was waiting to see what would come out of farmers’ representations to the relevant ministers.
“There was no outcome, so they’re not getting paid,” he said.
“I’m happy to pay the bills when I get a royal commission.”
Fellow Cohuna farmer and Central Murray Environmental Floodplains Group member Russell Crichton has taken a somewhat softer stance but is also refusing to pay his water bill.
Mr Crichton said he intended to send a letter to the water authority explaining his position.
“I’m 75 years old, I’ve worked proudly producing food for 50 years and this is the first time in my life that I haven’t been able to pay my bills on time,” he said.
“To hold my head up in this community I’m going to pay the locals first.
“So water is down the bottom of my bill pile and I don’t intend to pay it.
“I’m going to pay the locals first because the community will die while they’re sitting on their hands.”
Mr Crichton said he owed $14,000 to Murray Goulburn Water but has only used 4 megalitres this season.
“We’ve got no water and we’re paying rates for a system that isn’t working and so we have to pay for something that we don’t get,” he said.
“The best thing we can do for the community is not pay our water rates,” he said.
Gannawarra shire mayor, Cr Lorraine Learmonth, said the council had written to the state government requesting rate relief.
People considering supporting Mr Fehring by not paying water bills and council rates should be aware that additional fees and penalties may apply for unpaid accounts.
