They say the move threatens food production, local jobs and long-term river health.
While in Adelaide last week, Federal Water Minister Murray Watt announced the government will purchase an additional 130 gigalitres of irrigation water, lifting total recovery in the south from 170GL to 300GL - a 76 per cent increase.
Irrigators argue the timing is politically motivated, coming ahead of the 2026 Basin Plan Review, and risks deepening problems already emerging under the existing “just add water” approach to river management.
“This was a political decision, not one based on national benefit,” said Wakool River Association spokesman John Lolicato.
“It is inconceivable the government would be buying back more water when this important review is on our doorstep.
“We have a Federal Government prepared to destroy rural communities and threaten our nation’s food security for political gain.”
Mr Lolicato said further buybacks would worsen unintended consequences of the Basin Plan, including carp proliferation, riverbank erosion from prolonged high flows, and higher flood risks when more water is stored upstream.
Reduced irrigation, he argued, also risks pushing up supermarket prices and increasing Australia’s reliance on imported food.
“Do we have any policy more ridiculous than one that deliberately reduces Australian food production while families face a cost-of-living crisis?” he said.
The concerns echo long-running criticism from local groups who say the Basin Plan has focused too narrowly on environmental water recovery at the expense of on-ground management.
This week, those voices received rare high-level backing from Victorian Environmental Water Holder CEO Sarina Loo, whose call to “move beyond a ‘just add water’ approach” has been welcomed across the Murray region.
“It is increasingly clear that water recovery alone is not enough,” Ms Loo said in a written statement, urging a shift to integrated catchment management that recognises the interdependence of water, land, biodiversity and communities.
She said degraded vegetation, invasive species and barriers to fish movement “cannot be solved by environmental water alone”.
Murray Regional Strategy Group chair Geoff Moar said Ms Loo had “nailed” issues Basin communities had raised for years.
“Prioritising ‘just add water’ is the easy option — it’s easy to buy water from stressed farmers and pour it down the river,” he said.
“Her perspective needs to be an integral part of the Basin Plan Review.”
The political backlash was led by Farrer MP Sussan Ley, who said Labor was “doubling down” on a “lazy, uncaring” policy born from last year’s deal with the Greens to deliver an additional 450GL of environmental water.
She argued the expanded buybacks will deepen regional divisions while increasing national debt and undermining agricultural output.
“Labor remains content to divide up our farming communities and put the skids on Australian produce,” Ms Ley said, accusing the government of using the policy to secure Greens support for upcoming environmental law reforms.
Regional groups are now calling for all buybacks to be paused until the 2026 Review is completed.
“Australia deserves evidence-based policy, not political posturing to appease voters in marginal seats,” Mr Lolicato said.
