Water reforms a win for farmers and improved useWith the drought broken and weather agencies predicting La Nina conditions, which signal above a...
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network
With the drought broken and weather agencies predicting La Nina conditions, which signal above average rainfall this summer, it is a good time to take stock of reform of the Murray-Darling Basin. Twelve years and more than $6bn into the rescue mission first launched by John Howard to balance the needs of farmers, rural communities and the environment, the challenge remains as fraught as ever. Which is why federal Water Minister Keith Pitt was guaranteed to receive a mixed reaction to his latest plan to stop water buybacks, prioritise farm communities and strengthen policing of the nation’s most important river system.
Managing the Murray-Darling Basin, which crosses state borders, has always been a tough political ask. For rural politicians, handing out licences to extract water has been akin to giving out rights to grow money, and votes. Sophisticated water trading markets have helped inject competition and efficiency into water use. But it has led to winners and losers in rural towns, where there will always be demand for more water. There also have been divisions between upstream and downstream states, and a growing pushback from environmental groups that argue climate change is exaggerating the boom-bust cycle that is part of the Australian experience.
Under the measures announced by Mr Pitt, rural communities appear to have the most to celebrate. The federal government has committed to not buy any more water from farmers but to focus on investing in technology to improve water use efficiency. There will be a $38m shake-up of policing water rules and the establishment of an inspector-general of water compliance office. The new body follows complaints of rorting, illegal harvesting and noncompliance, and will combine resources from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Interim Inspector-General of Murray-Darling Basin office led by former Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty. The new approach delivers on recommendations last year from the Productivity Commission, which said the MDBA had conflicting roles and should be divided.
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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/editorials/water-reforms-a-win-for-farmers-and-improved-use/news-story/b2b058b1bb976ad65b7ed92b6f0bf5cd