The declaration that the Murray Darling Basin Plan is back on track was announced on June 08 by the Federal Minister for Water David Littleproud, during the Federal Budget.
AAP reports that a deal between the government and opposition saved the plan with an agreement of 450 GL of environmental water to end the deadlock on the decision.
Prior to this the Labor party had blocked the changes which gave more water to commercial Irrigator's in southern Queensland and northern NSW.
David Littleproud MP says The Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism will recover 2750 gigalitres and there’s an additional 450 GL's in terms of up water in the southern basin which has economic and social neutrality tests, so it can’t be recovered (no resolution).
He explains that water is moved through buy backs in the marketplace and the Federal government have purchased 1200 GL's.
The rest of the water is being recovered in efficiency measures.
They have invested 8 billion dollars for projects to build efficencies. The deal will streamline pipelines and water ways to get better efficiency and use of the water.
Littleproud says "We are using technology to return more water back to the environment and back to Indigenous communities for cultural water. I’ve also asked the Commonwealth water holder to start to look at how those environmental flows interact with our Indigenous communities for their cultural purposes. I think that’s important."
The loss of water in certain regions of the Murray Darling Basin has seen the loss of environmental water and cultural flow for many Aboriginal families who are First Nations river people.
CEO Will Mooney of the The Murray Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations says "By mimicking natural water events and replicating a flood using infrastructure, you have to get less water back from consumptive users and Irrigator's then you can change the target on how much water can be recovered."
The Federal Minister for Agriculture and Water David Littleproud says the findings from the The National Cultural Flows research will push for water entitlements that will support First Nations voices to be heard so traditions and community needs are met.
"How can these areas be fixed when you look at some of the farms that got more water than someone who lives down the Darling River there, where there is no water at all?"
Maria Wilson contacted NITV Radio this year after receiving a phone call from one of her sisters in Wilcannia in Western New South Wales. "She’s telling me that the animals are going into town looking for water and also the birds are dropping."
The Barkandji grandmother Maria Wilson is a descendant of Hero Black. Maria says Hero Black was the king of the Barka (Darling River) and he had half of a moon on him to tell he was the King of the river and of the river people.
Maria says "He had to take care of the people of the river. So when the Aboriginal people all lived on stations they must have called grandfather up to sort something out. He played a big role in Wilcannia for the Aboriginal people there."
Maria's son William questions the Independent investigation into NSW water management and compliance and the monitoring of water allocation for environmental and commercial use.
"How can these areas be fixed when you look at some of the farms that got more water than someone who lives down the Darling River there, where there is no water at all?"
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The Federal minister for Agriculture and Water David Littleproud says he is aware of the plight of the Barkandji people and the issues of cultural and environmental flow in the Darling River (Barka).
David Littleproud says " That’s why we are working with the states, the Commonwealth doesn’t have control over the resource. We have to work with the states. The states own the resource. My role is really a facilitation one.
"The 40 million dollars goes beyond that to also empower Indigenous communities to make sure they share any economic benefits that can come out of the water."
"It brings the states together and asks them to take into account the environment and those cultural flows and that’s what the Commonwealth water holder who owns the water, that we as the Commonwealth have purchased back from those individual states are to be able to make sure that we’re getting the right flows."
"The 40 million dollars goes beyond that to also empower Indigenous communities to make sure they share any economic benefits that can come out of the water."
Since the final report was handed down by Ken Matthews in 2017 on the Independent investigation into NSW water management and compliance monitoring on water for agriculture and irrigation is now in the spotlight after the screening of the ABC Four Corners episode of Pumped: Who's benefiting from the billions spent on the Murray-Darling?
The program sparked the investigation that allegations of Irrigator's in NSW were not compliant with the Murray Darling Basin Plan on the amount of water that was being pumped from the Murray Darling Basin for agriculture.
David Littleproud says compliance is important.
"We’re only asking what’s fair and what’s right for both farmers, the environment and our Indigenous Australians."
"We’re going to be working with the NSW government in particular because they’ve been quite proactive around more measures around metering and hydraulic flow."
"Compliance is important, no one should fear compliance if your doing the right thing. If you do the wrong thing you’ve got to swing for it."
Littleproud says "Irrigator's at the moment are saying it’s a good thing we’ve got compliance, because those that are doing the wrong thing are taking it away from everyone.
"We’re only asking what’s fair and what’s right for both farmers, the environment and our Indigenous Australians."
More on the independent inquiry into the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
Systemic fix urged to heal the Murray Darling Basin
Barka River (Darling) Low flow and suffering a green algae bloom 2018. Source: Barkandji Barlku
