Irrigators say the draft plan to save the Murray-Darling Basin will destroy communities and make food more expensive, while green groups insist the environment is the biggest loser of all.
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has released its long-awaited draft plan, but early signs suggest it has failed to satisfy either side of the debate.
The authority wants an extra 2750 gigalitres of water to be returned the river system each year to restore it to health, a step down from the minimum three to four thousand gigalitres set down in last year's guide to the basin plan.
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But Stewart Ellis from the National Irrigators Council says the draft is a scam and if adopted, will result in thousands of lost jobs, increased food prices and communities being shut down.
The plan is open for consultation for twenty weeks.
