The NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water is denying that it intends to compulsorily acquire private land under a program designed to increase environmental flows in NSW rivers.
A DCCEEW spokesperson said it was accurate to say that the NSW Government is not seeking to buy, acquire or own private land under the Reconnecting River Country Program.
“We are seeking voluntary flow easements that would allow the passage of environmental water on a handful of occasions every 10 years,” the spokesperson said.
“Compulsory acquisition of flow easements is a last resort measure that can only be undertaken with ministerial approval under the draft Landholder Negotiation Scheme (LNS) which is currently on public exhibition until 24 November.
“This is not the same as compulsory acquisition of land.”
The spokesperson said only in very rare and exceptional cases, where an agreement is not reached with a landholder under the LNS Regulation, or a landholder elects not to negotiate, the water minister may approve the acquisition of a flow easement to enable environmental flows to pass through a property that is located on a flow corridor.
“Our focus remains on voluntary negotiations.
“Negotiations can only occur if the program is supported for delivery by the NSW and Australian governments and once the LNS regulation is in effect, which has not happened yet.”
The Murrumbidgee Final Business Case will be submitted to the Federal Government in early 2025 for consideration as the Reconnecting River Country Program is a Murray-Darling Basin Plan initiative. The business case will recommend a flow option and a pathway for delivery.
Water lobby groups have pointed to the department’s guidelines which include the option of getting the easements.
Southern Riverina Irrigators CEO Sophie Baldwin responded to NSW DCCEEW executive director Lisa Hingerty and her claims Murray Regional Strategy Group is creating misconceptions around the Reconnecting River Country Program, particularly compulsory acquisition.
“I have sat in on many, many meetings over time connected to the basin plan and Reconnecting River Country Program (RRCP) and compulsory acquisition is definitely on the agenda for our farmers under the Landholder Negotiation Scheme (LNS) — a regulation linked to RRCP,” Ms Baldwin said in a letter to Country News.
“In fact according to WaterNSW, 4000 landholders across Murray and Murrumbidgee will be impacted by the LNS (2700 of these are in Murray), so actually the threat of compulsory acquisition is very real.
“And so is the risk of major flooding.”
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