The Federal Government Recommences Farm Water Purchases

The Federal government has recommenced farm water purchases as described in this advertisement from the Deniliquin Pastoral Times on 18/4/23. The initial purchase will be 44.30 gigalitres (GL).

The Government has previously stated that it will purchase another 450 GL of water in the near future. There is also another 605 GL of water that NSW has stated will be offset by water savings, which will otherwise also be purchased by the Federal government. NSW has to date proposed practically no water savings relating to this 605 GL. This means that the Basin Plan 2012 (CWTH) will potentially remove another 1099.3 GL of water from productive use.

NSW has Australian Constitutional authority (Section 100) over the water in rivers in NSW, but consequent to the Water Act 2007 (CWTH) and Basin Plan, NSW has agreed to allow the Federal government to manage this water on an annual basis.

Every gigalitre of water taken out of productive use also takes out wealth production and consequent jobs, employment and prosperity of the people in the Riverina. The NSW government is acting in conjunction with the Federal government in one of the most financially and economically destructive acts the people in the Riverina have ever been subject to.

While this act is disguised as an environmental necessity, it is actually an act of political necessity, proven by among many things, 1) the continued existence of the 6.5 kilometers of barrages in Lake Alexandrina that have severely degraded Lakes Alexandrina’s and Albert’s natural estuarine character, and 2) the 556,092 people in NSW that voted for The Greens and the Sustainable Australia Party in the 2023 election (read here), plus sympathetic voters in other political parties, that will vote out any urban politician or party that doesn’t support the removal of water from irrigation farming

A Riverina State will inherit the authority over water guaranteed in the Australian Constitution. This State will ensure the responsible, productive and beneficial use of water in rivers in the Riverina. Only a Riverina State separate from NSW can preserve the livelihoods and prosperity of the people in the Riverina.

David Landini

Note that 1 gigalitre is 1,000,000,000 litres. It weighs 1,000,000,000 kilograms i.e. 1,000,000 tonnes. The volume is 100 metres cubed.