The spectre of water cuts to farming communities has risen once more with the Labor Party threatening to torpedo water-saving measures.
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Member for Farrer Sussan Ley and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce have slammed former Water Minister Tony Burke over a parliamentary speech that threatened to tie the amount of water to be reclaimed from farmers to controversial “upwater” measures.
The basin plan has been under attack from Riverina irrigators for a decade amid concerns it put the environment ahead of social and economic concerns.
Even before the plan has been completed, it has stripped billions of litres of productive water from farmers and impacted heavily on basin communities.
Mr Burke, who was instrumental in tweaking the plan while water minister in the Gillard/Rudd governments, is again in the crosshairs of farmers after his comments in parliament.
“Unless we can get a guarantee from the Deputy Prime Minister that he will deliver the plan in full by making sure that the 450GL is as significant as the 650GL and unless he can step back from his argument it is undeliverable… Labor will have no choice but to move an amendment to the Water Act which says ‘you cannot get the full 650GL unless the 450GL is delivered as well,” Mr Burke said .
Mr Burke was accused of political grandstanding by local MP Sussan Ley, who has made a point of highlighting the affects of the water-sharing scheme.
“It’s an insult to every one of my constituents,” Ms Ley said.
“It shows that the person who signed this plan into law has always seen it as a contest between the environment and irrigators, instead of a partnership in the interests of communities and the nation as a whole.”
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce accused Mr Burke of threatening the livelihoods of irrigators and devastating communities.
“He effectively declared he would bring an end to co-operation across the basin,” Mr Joyce said in a statement.
“Mr Burke has proven he is the biggest threat to the basin plan, the very plan he negotiated in 2012.
“The intergovernmental agreement clearly states an additional 450GL of environmental water may be recovered only if there are neutral or beneficial socio-economic impacts.”
Mr Burke argued voluntary participation in efficiency programs were proof of neutral or positive outcomes.