Have your say: Crunch time for Murray Darling Basin communities

The fate of rural communities across northern NSW and southern Queensland will be decided next week when Federal Parliament resumes and must decide on the next stage of the Murray Darling Basin.

Parliament must vote on a Disallowance Motion moved by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. If successful, the Motion would wind back the achievements of the Murray Darling Basin Plan to date, and threaten the viability of communities and the livelihoods of farmers across the Northern Basin.

The Disallowance Motion means the Northern Basin water recovery target would be increased by 70 gigalitres (Gl).

Now is the time to have your say in opposition to a Motion that will prompt additional economic losses in communities that are already struggling.

The Queensland Farmers’ Federation urges you, community members and industry participants to voice your opposition to a move that will cost jobs in Northern Basin communities.

The best way to convince Canberra to do the right thing by Northern Basin communities is to write an email to Senators and Labor Party leaders, and ask them to vote against the Disallowance Motion.

Key points to raise in your email might include:

• If the Disallowance Motion proceeds, predicted job losses across Northern Basin communities will increase from 530 to 710. This figure comes from the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s own modelling
• Increasing water recovery will actually result in one less environmental target being met
• Increasing recovery targets will provide a disincentive for the Commonwealth, NSW and Queensland Governments to invest in the ‘toolkit’ of complementary measures which would leverage environmental gains out of the environmental water already acquired by the Commonwealth
• Northern Basin communities have already been hit hard by dry conditions in the past six months – they simply can’t afford another economic shock delivered by increased recovery targets and water buybacks
• Job losses have already impacted Northern Basin communities which can ill afford to suffer more (see table below to see how many more jobs would be lost in Basin communities if the Disallowance Motion proceeds). Your email may like to highlight the impact on your own community.
• Enough is enough – water buybacks have already crippled rural communities in the Northern Basin. It is time for Canberra to take action

Attached at the link below are email addresses for key Labor Party leaders and Senators – the Queensland Farmers’ Federation asks you to have your voice heard by emailing your most relevant contact and asking them to oppose The Greens’ Disallowance Motion.

Please contact as many of the attached below has you can, either with individual emails, or include multiple recipients in your email.  High priority contacts are The Hon. Tony Burke and your State Labor Senators.

Key email contacts

Labor Party leaders:

Senators: