Northern Basin farmers robbedblind

Barwon Darling Water spokesman Ian Cole on the Darling River. Inset top: NSW Minister for Water Rose Jackson and inset below: Shadow Water Minister Steph Cooke. Photos: TWH/Steph Cooke contributed

The Minns Labor government has quietly amended water sharing plans for the Barwon-Darling, Gwydir, Macquarie, Namoi and Border Rivers that ban irrigation farmers from using overland floodwaters until the Menindee Lakes hold at least 250 gigalitres of ‘active’ water.

A DCCEEW spokesman said the trigger was increased from 195GL for ‘critical human needs and environmental requirements in the Lower Darling and to ‘manage the risk of mass fish kills.’

Barwon-Darling Water spokesman Ian Cole said the government had increased the threshold to 250GL of active storage without any consultation, drastically reducing the period in which northern irrigators could harvest flood water.

Mr Cole said irrigators had not provided with modelling on the impacts of this decision and whether they were owed compensation under the NSW Water Management Act.

“In fact, our water sharing plan was quietly changed by the Minister this week without any of the promised consultation on changes.

“Under this Act, compensation is payable for any reduction in allocation of more than 3 per cent over any 10-year period,” Mr Cole said.

The NSW government appears to have ignored its Regional Consultation Guide, resulting from lobbying by the Member for Barwon Roy Butler. […]

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