The open tendering of water buybacks is now open, and Federal MP Anne Webster has accused Labor of planning to reduce the economy in the Mallee.
The Nationals Member for Mallee says the Federal Government has ignored calls by northern Victorian councils to reject open market buybacks and urge a rethink on compensation.
She says the government instead announced an open tender water purchase for 70 gigalitres in the southern connected basin of the Murray Darling.
A Victorian Government report from September 2022 suggested that if 372.3GL of water was bought back from the southern basin, it could risk 8700 hectares of plantings and could lead to a $400 million decrease in the value of local farm production.
“Labor’s $300 million compensation package for what ABARES estimates is $111 million in lost productivity every year is a pittance compared to the planned economic destruction Labor is unleashing from this week on Mallee communities,” Dr Webster said.
Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/drop-of-water-drop-impact-ripples-578897/
