Irrigators warn the Federal Government is on a power grab before the election
30 September 2024, Adelaide, SA: The Federal Government is again being called out for rushing through risky and untested reforms that seek to gain more power for themselves, prior to the upcoming election. Consultation soon closes on their recent grab, to list two new areas as “endangered” under national environment law, replicating a controversial and subsequently, disallowed move by the former Labor Government in 2013.
CEO of the National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) Zara Lowien, said “We are witnessing a recurring trend of this Government rushing through changes that seek more power, without doing their homework.”
“The proposal risks perverse impacts for our industry and communities, but also the environment, by rushing through reforms that are tokenistic and haven't properly considered the implications nor based on the best science.”
“Time and time again, we ask this Government to work with us for solutions, not against us with more regulation.”
The move seeks to list the whole Murray River downstream of the Darling River (and associated aquatic and floodplain systems) and the Macquarie Marshes, in the ‘Endangered or Critically Endangered’ category under the national Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
“We’ve seen this before,” said Ms Lowien. “The former Labor Government sneakily attempted this prior to the 2013 election by gazetting these areas within the EPBC Act, the day before caretaker period, with the new Government having to disallow them after the election. There is a striking resemblance with this proposal emerging again as we rapidly approach election time with very few sitting days of Parliament.”
“A key reason for the 2013 disallowance was that it would not provide greater environmental protection, given the species and habitats involved are already protected under the Act, but only add more green tape,” said Ms Lowien.
South Australian environment department officials said in 2013:
'In the South Australian government's view more work would be required to demonstrate that listings of the nominated ecological community would deliver equivalent or better environmental outcomes than those already delivered.'[1]
“We’ve had enough of this tokenistic reform that ticks a box for this Government but can hit industry hard by creating uncertainty and complexity for no environmental gain - we all deserve better,” said Ms Lowien.
The Government has misleadingly said in consultation documents that:
’Listing of a threatened ecological community is a separate process that does not alter any requirements or directions under any other environmental plans, including the Murray-Darling Basin Plan’.
“This ignores the complex regulatory framework of water management, which is connected to these environmental listings, more so those listed under national and international agreements”, said Ms Lowien.
“It also ignores the practical implications, because we know such proposals will add additional layers of complexity and green tape in an already highly regulated system, yet from what we see, for no additional environmental benefits.”
“Furthermore, the push to add the listings is so rushed, the ‘draft conservation advice’ that underpins the assessment has not been properly updated from 2013. It effectively excludes more than a decade of data from the implementation of the $13 billion Basin Plan, ignores that 1 in 3 litres of irrigation water is now available to the environment and the successful work of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to deliver water to these landscapes.”
The draft advice does say:
‘More recent data and analysis on trends will be available soon when Murray-Darling Basin Plan reports are released’.[2]
“The lack of updated scientific information is a problem because feedback is due in just two weeks, and the decision will be made without this new information.”
“It is clear this is being rushed through prior to the election, as with the new National Water Agreement. If this was about more than just politics, they’d await that advice,” said Ms Lowien.
One positive in the draft conservation advice is that it agrees:
‘Importantly, the Basin Plan, being primarily concerned with water, does not have the remit to fully address the myriad of other threats currently operating on this ecological community, including those of clearing, invasive species, and climate change.’
“We agree that just adding water isn’t the solution, and have been saying this all along, yet the Federal Government continues their relentless pursuit of more water, ignoring the complexity of the challenge and the science.”
“We’d rather see the Federal Government work with us to focus on ways to complement the environmental water recovery to date and provide non-flow improvements to these riparian areas and others around Australia, rather than add more complexity and uncertainty with little environmental gain by rushing through these listings.”
Ends
Media Contact: Zara Lowien, CEO, 0427 521 399
[1] Hansard - House of Representatives 11/12/2013 Parliament of Australia (aph.gov.au)
[2] River Murray downstream of the Darling River, and associated aquatic and floodplain systems - Climate (dcceew.gov.au)