That is the argument from Federal Member for Farrer David Farley, who says impacted communities need a seat at the table as Australia plans for its future water needs.
In a renewed push on water reform, he says the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is no longer delivering for regional Australia and should be replaced by a negotiated ‘Water Accord’.
He said this would bring governments, irrigators, Indigenous groups, environmental stakeholders and Basin communities together as equal partners.
The proposal comes as water remains one of the most contentious issues facing southern Basin communities, with concerns continuing over the economic impacts of water recovery on irrigation-dependent towns across the Riverina.
Mr Farley said water policy must be viewed through both economic and community lenses, arguing productive water supports jobs and investment far beyond the farm gate.
“Water in the hands of a farmer is instant economic stimulation and instant underwriting of regional value adding capacity,” Mr Farley said.
“A megalitre of water continues working for the Australian economy well beyond the farm gate.”
Mr Farley said the value of irrigation extended to food processing, manufacturing, transport, logistics and retail industries, making the Basin critical to Australia's food security and export capacity.
While backing the need for healthy river systems, he said the process of achieving environmental outcomes had left many Basin communities feeling excluded from decision-making.
“For more than two decades, communities and commerce across the Murray-Darling Basin have been disenfranchised from decisions affecting their livelihoods that have been made for them rather than with them,” he said.
Central to his proposal is significant investment in water infrastructure, including new storages, modernised irrigation networks, efficiency projects and strategic water security assets.
Mr Farley said Australia should be planning for an additional 2000 gigalitres of water capacity across the Basin and funding infrastructure through long-term intergenerational financing models.
“By moving from imposition to partnership, and from conflict to cooperation, we can build a Murray-Darling Basin Water Accord that underwrites healthy rivers, thriving communities and a stronger national economy for generations to come.”
The proposal adds to Mr Farley's ongoing criticism of the Basin Plan and his calls for greater recognition of the economic and social impacts water policy decisions can have on regional communities such as Deniliquin.
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