A WAR of words has erupted over how environmental targets set out in the Murray Darling Basin Plan will be met.
Opposition deputy leader Sussan Ley has hit out at NSW Independent Helen Dalton, saying she has been unable to influence the NSW Government on voluntary buybacks.
Speaking to ABC Riverina, Ms Ley said NSW Premier Chris Minns and Water Minister Rose Jackson had “taken her for a ride”.
“They’ve dumped her on a side road … they’ve asked her to find her own way home because she has not been able to impact the one thing that matters to us most, which is water,” Ms Ley said.
Ms Ley said NSW is a clear buyback target for federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek, and the Federal Government won’t be coming to Victoria to buy water.
“You know where they’ll be coming. They’ll be coming to the NSW Murray and Murrumbidgee and that frightens me, alarms me and makes me incredibly angry … but I am up for this fight. But I don’t think our local state member is up for this fight,” Ms Ley said.
Her comments come ahead of a planned protest outside Tanya Plibersek’s Redfern office on Thursday, September 14, by NSW farmers, Mrs Dalton, and supporters.“Sussan Ley doesn’t seem to know how politics works,” Mrs Dalton replied.
“The Minns government is a minority government. They rely on independents like me to pass the laws they need to pass.
“Trust me, when independents like me talk, the government is all ears.
“Nationals can’t do anything the Libs won’t let them do, so this government doesn’t listen to Nationals.
“My Private Members Bill does exactly what Ley wants and that is stop the buybacks.
“Sussan needs to focus on the rivers and the farming families that depend the rivers, and not on party politics.”
Mrs Dalton introduced the Water Management Amendment (Transfer of Water) Bill 2023 to NSW Parliament on June 29, it is currently at a second reading debate stage.
Under the proposed amendments, a Minister or the Commonwealth would be unable to register a transfer of water in NSW via buybacks unless an assessment can demonstrate the transfer caused neutral or positive socio-economic and environmental impacts in the relevant area.
Such an assessment would look at a range of criteria including a farm’s production output levels, employment levels and diversity, individual and business incomes and other measures.
When quizzed whether environmental water targets could be met without Victoria participating in water buybacks, Victorian Water Minister Harriet Shing said Victoria has done more than any other state to return water to the environment.
“We have done the heavy lifting in Victoria, it’s important to make sure that as we in Victoria continue to implement the Basin Plan in full that we agreed to, that Basin states signed up to, that we’re not harming communities in the process,” Ms Shing said.
“This is my job not just as Water Minister but also as the Minister for Regional Development, to make sure that the voices of basin communities in Victoria are heard and the contribution of Victorian communities to the environment, to primary production, to food production …. is part of those conversations with the Commonwealth.”
