12 months
ago we expressed our deep regret to family and friends in the Riverina
community who were impacted by the job losses announced by SunRice. We are
saddened to hear of further cutbacks today.
12 months
ago we said that "A further reduction of the amount of water available for
producing food and fibre means more people without a job, jobs across our
entire community and the nation -
because that is the power of water.
Without water we have nothing."
Next
year's crop is predicted to be the second lowest on record and we understand
that these cutbacks are a direct consequence of that. We also acknowledge
SunRice's offer of record fixed price rice grower contracts to maintain a
milling program at its Deniliquin and Leeton facilities. But for our growers;
particularly those on the Murray who are looking at a second year of zero
allocations, even this offer could not counter the exorbitant price of water on
the open water markets.
The RGA
welcomes the independent report from RM Consultancy Group (RMCG), commissioned
by SunRice. It reinforces what we already know and have been voicing to
governments for many years now.
"The
RMCG analysis shows that in the last nine years there has been
disproportionately lower water availability for General Security water
entitlement holders in the southern Murray-Darling Basin, with the effect of
eroding their water rights in contradiction of the commitments made to these
farmers".
The RGA
has been working collaboratively with SunRice on our interpretation of this
independent report.
The Basin
Plan has been exposed as having unintended consequences.
Through
the RGA Water Policy Committee’s contributions to the following:
• the ACCC Water review,
• the Socio-economic panel reviewing the
impacts on our communities,
• the Water Sharing Plans for the Murray
and Murrumbidgee
• and more,
we have
further unmasked the fallacy that the Plan is the best we've got and assert
that it should not be delivered in full and on time. The RGA will continue to
promote changes and solutions at both the federal and the NSW state government
level.
We call
on all Members to reach out to those in our Community who have been affected by
these job cuts, and we look forward to rains and change.