Unlimited water buybacks will not be the way the federal government fulfils the goals set out under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, according to the federal Water Minister.
Tanya Plibersek was addressing the annual Murray Darling Association conference at Murray Bridge, SA, on September 27.
In a sometimes tense atmosphere, the Minister and other speakers fielded questions on whether the government was prioritising environmental outcomes over regional communities and agriculture, and whether SA towns at the end of the river were getting preferential treatment over upstream communities.
The meeting comes off the back of the government extending the deadline for the delivery of the plan from June 30, 2024, to recovery of 450 gigalitres of water for the environment by the end of 2027, and the delivery of water infrastructure projects by the end of 2026.
While states agreed on the extension, the Victorian government has made it clear it is not in support of water buybacks to achieve delivery.
Ms Plibersek said the government was not out to buy all of the 450Gl of environmental water, but buybacks had to be "part of the mix" if they were serious about delivering the plan in full and on time.
She said the government had "opened up a full suite of water recovery options".
"With our amendments, we'll be able to invest in on-farm water infrastructure, in land and water purchases, and in other water recovery mechanisms," Ms Plibersek said.
"We'll be able to count over-recovery against the bridging the gap target towards the 450GL target.
"We are also including voluntary water purchase from willing sellers, where it's needed, to deliver the plan."
While the Minister said she didn't want to bring politics into the discussion, she said the previous government recovering 2GL of environmental water in nine years had resulted in the plan "drifting".
She also hit out at claims that water buybacks would send water and food prices soaring.
"Food prices and availability are affected by a lot of different inputs," Ms Plibersek said.
"When water recovery was at its highest in 2011 and 2012, the price of food and drinks decreased by 3.2 per cent.
"I'm not denying that water isn't an important input and has an impact, I'm just saying this is a complex relationship and if we pretend it's a simple one we're not doing anyone any service."
Bourke Shire Council, NSW, mayor Barry Hollman said he and another councillor had driven 1200 kilometres to the Murray Bridge meeting because they were worried about water security for their communities.
"We have been informed that the Coorong is seeking 450Gl to secure the future of their communities," he said.
"Bourke will go into water restrictions shortly because hundreds of thousands of megalitres of water has gone past us in the floods we've had and will be headed to the Coorong and other communities downstream."
Mr Hollman questioned the Minister as to why communities south of Bourke were more important than Bourke when they too had environmental assets of significance.
Ms Plibersek was quick to tell the audience that "no community is more important than any other community" in the plan's delivery.
"South Australia is not going to get water at Bourke's expense," she said.
"The whole purpose of the plan, and the changes we're making to it, is to try keep those little bits of water that keep towns like Bourke alive during the driest times, so that when the rain comes again you've been able to hang onto what you need to make it through the driest time."
Ms Plibersek also made a point to tell the audience that keeping agriculture industries, reliant on the river, strong was also a key focus.
"We want to make sure our food bowl can keep feeding our people and underwriting our economy," she said.
"That's why we're delivering the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full - because if we don't protect the river system we won't be protecting river communities and industries.
"It's not a question of prioritising the environment over agriculture, or agriculture over the environment. The truth is we absolutely need both and each depends on the other to survive."
While much of the tension in the room centred around how the plan would balance critical human and industry needs with environmental outcomes, there was an agreement that collaboration and open, honest discussion were critical in making the plan work for all.
MDA national president David Thurley said the time for rivalries was over because a lack of collaboration thus far had led to poor outcomes.
He said the plan would not be enough to save the river and its industries and communities if disputes weren't resolved and a collaborative approach taken.
Mr Thurley said healthy debate was still essential as the plan moved forward.
