A FIERY meeting of Murray Darling Basin state water ministers earlier today has ended in a tense stand-off, with little chance of resolution in sight.
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The downstream state of South Australia is pitted against NSW, Victoria and Queensland in a tug-of-war over 450 gigalitres of water.
In the lead up to the meeting, SA Water Minister Ian Hunter called for federal Water Minster Barnaby Joyce to be sacked after he suggesting a 450GL flwo target is not achievable.
Mr Hunter said he was “outraged” that upstream states don’t want to deliver the water recovery targets in the Basin Plan “because it’s too difficult for them”.
The 450GL tranche would come in addition to a baseline target of 2750GL to be recovered from irrigation for environmental flows – but only if the extra water can be delivered without unacceptable socio-economic impacts from the reduction in primary industries.
Mr Joyce wrote to Mr Hunter this week about the 450GL target, putting him on notice that socio-economics impacts were a primary concern.
“The recovery must has (sic) positive or neutral social and economic outcomes,” Mr Joyce said.
“If it was genuinely possible to put an additional 450GL down the river without hurting the people, then none of us would have a problem with it.
“The reality is that it will.”
The Basin Plan was legislated in federal parliament in 2012 to recover a 2750GL for environmental flows, but a controversial clause was added to provide an additional 450GL from upstream flows for SA, to come from “efficiency measures”, such improving irrigation channels or weirs and a range of other works.
To date, 1950GL has been recovered and the remainder of the 2750GL could be come from a combination of in-stream infrastructure works, on-farm efficiency projects, direct water licence buybacks.
Eastern states water minsters have argued they would not agree to further water recovery if it further impacts agricultural production or local communities.
NSW Minister Niall Blair said his government was “unashamedly clear” that it would avoid further community impacts.
NSW and Victoria are seeking independent advice on how the environmental objectives of the Basin Plan could be achieved without further water recovery.
“This includes the additional 450GL demanded by South Australia,” Mr Blair said after today’s meeting.
“They (SA) need to understand the impact that their ‘just add water approach’ has on farming communities throughout the Basin, including their own state.”
