Australia’s food security is not guaranteed — it is produced.
Water policy sits at the foundation of our food system.
When irrigation water is removed without replacement infrastructure, domestic food production contracts.
That contraction flows directly into higher prices, greater import dependence, and reduced resilience during drought or global supply shocks.
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan has materially reshaped production across dairy, grains, rice, cotton and horticulture.
Processing capacity has moved, supply chains have thinned, and regional economies have weakened.
These are not abstract outcomes - they show up at the checkout.
Australia’s population is growing rapidly, yet food policy is being shaped by water settings designed more than a decade ago for a smaller, less volatile global arena.
Food affordability, food security, and national resilience must be explicit tests in the 2026 Basin Plan Review - not incidental by-products.
If water policy cannot demonstrate how Australia will feed itself affordably during prolonged drought and population growth, then it is not fit for purpose.
Yours etc.
David Farley
Executive director of Martix Commodities and deputy Chair of Speak Up 4 Water
28°C