Today, Basin communities were dealt an unfair blow by the Senators who supported the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023.
The Basin Plan has lost its longstanding bipartisan foundation, with Tanya Plibersek pursuing deals with the Greens and independents to secure the Bill’s passage.
President of the Ricegrowers’ Association, Peter Herrmann was incredibly disappointed by the Senate’s decision to ignore reasonable amendments.
“The decision to pass the Bill shows a blatant disregard for Basin communities. It removes all pre-existing socioeconomic protections and ignores every one of the project-based opportunities the RGA has been putting forward for over a year.
“Southern Basin communities are still recovering from the 2100 billion litres of water that has already been removed from the annual consumptive pool, and this Bill will allow the Government to remove a further 750+ billion litres.
“While this Bill should signal alarm bells for Basin communities, Plibersek has continued to make promises around a ‘light-handed’ implementation approach. The RGA will continue to advocate for our members and pursue this Minister who insists on a ‘trust me’ approach to policy.” |
