“The proposed amendments will substantially hamper attempts to restore the Murray-Daring River system and are clearly not in the public interest,” Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.
“Water buybacks are a critical tool for reviving our dying Murray-Darling River system. Without them, we may never restore the basin’s rivers, lakes and billabongs, and we’ll leave a legacy of toxic algal blooms and dead and dying river red gum forests.
“Any moves to outlaw buybacks as a legitimate management tool are extremely reckless.
“We call on Senators to stop the Nationals further undermining the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and entrenching the wealth and power of the irrigator lobby.”
The amendments would also scrap the return of 450 gigalitres of desperately needed water to the environment.
References
[1] Water Legislation Amendment (Inspector-General of Water Compliance and Other Measures) Bill 2021
[2] Nationals push major basin plan changes, June 23, 2021, Matt Coughlan, AAP