Senator Davey, who is Federal Shadow Minister for Water, said tucked into the depths of the 2024-25 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) MYEFO is “further proof” that water buybacks are the sole focus in recovering water for the basin.
“Instead of helping farmers become more resilient to a changing climate, or future proofing the basin, Labor is draining more money into the buyback bucket,” Senator Davey said.
“This occurred on the same day the Murray-Darling Basin Authority released a report admitting flow targets contained in the Basin Plan cannot be achieved.
“Labor is so focused on saying they have met the water recovery targets, they have taken their eyes off the environmental objectives.
“While they are happy to tell us how much money they are ‘saving’ by shifting this money around, they are still not telling us how much they are spending.”
The MYEFO reconfirms the closure of the On-farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate Scheme, moving all remaining, but unidentified, funds to delivering the Murray-Darling Basin.
“The rebate scheme was designed by the Liberals and Nationals in government to assist farmers prepare for, and be more resilient to, the impacts of climate change,” Senator Davey explained.
“It was all about protecting and improving productivity in a future with more extreme weather events.
“Importantly, the scheme was Australia-wide, recognising that it is not only the Murray-Darling Basin that will be confronted by climate change.
“MYEFO continues a trend from past budgets where Labor has moved money from Australia-wide water infrastructure programs including the National Water Grid into the ‘not-for-publication’ Basin Plan buyback program.”
Senator Davey highlights that $34.1 million of the National Water Grid fund is being diverted to “support other priorities in the Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water portfolio” while $28.6 million is being ‘saved’ from the same portfolio to fund conservation actions for the Maugean skate.
“It is like the magician diverting your attention while they slip the pea from beneath the cup,” she, said.
“The Liberal and Nationals in Government bolstered the National Water Grid Fund by $6.9 billion in our last budget, which Labor have used as an ideological slush fund diverting money from water infrastructure at every budget since.
“Unfortunately for them, this time around, they have been shamed into funding a major water project by the Liberals and Nationals commitment to the Greater South East Irrigation Scheme.
“I have no doubt that if Peter Dutton had not announced our commitment to funding that scheme, it would not be the headline project for the National Water Grid in MYEFO. Projects like the GSEIS are exactly what our nation needs to boost productivity and give confidence to our private sector.
“But rather than ensuring ongoing funds in the National Water Grid Fund, Labor keeps eating away at it at the same time as our productive industries like irrigators and salmon farmers are increasingly losing confidence in their futures.
"Past budgets have seen money transferred from the National Water Grid Fund to Murray-Darling Basin water buyback programs, rather than being invested in desperately needed infrastructure projects across the country.“
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