WATER, in particular the Murray Darling Basin Plan, was the major talking point to come from the meet the candidates session held on Thursday.
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Members of the crowd raised issues including the future of young farmers, strategic water buybacks, dam policies and water allocations.
Of the two-and-a-half hours the session ran for, the majority of the time was spent on the Murray Darling Basin Plan and strategic water buybacks.
Griffith Business Chamber president Paul Pierotti put forward his view of the basin plan.
“One of the clear issues for our region going forward is the Murray Darling Basin Plan,” Mr Pierotti said.
“This plan is unnecessary and will not reach any of the environmental goals that have been set.
“They've been actively stripping our water with buybacks.
“I was at a meeting with Bob Baldwin this morning, they’re putting a 1500 gigalitre cap on buybacks, we don't think a 1500 cap is acceptable. How will you stop non strategic buyback in our region, right now?”
Independent Helen Dalton condemned the basin plan.
“I think it all goes back to the water act,” Ms Dalton said.
“It is not workable, it’s a bad plan, we get told we will get a worse deal if we open it up.
“We need to sing out loud and long.
“It’s not good for them to sit in Sydney and Canberra and dictate everything to us out here.
“I want to know why are the farmers shouldering the burdens of the nation’s problems.”
Member for Murrumbidgee Adrian Piccoli will meet with Greg Hunt in the near future and will talk to him about the buybacks, something Mr Piccoli said he had never supported.
“It’s been an enormous issue for the last 20 years,” Mr Piccoli said.
“What I’ll say to Greg in regard to finding savings in their budget is rather than cut pensions, stop buying water.
“I’ll make it a point, here is a time to make savings. If someone says to me, you can make a saving and it wont be painful, I would do it every time. Here’s a chance to save money, is it more painful than making people pay for a doctor. I’m going to try and offer a solution to Greg.
“I would love to have the power to enact every decision that I would like, I’ve always said we shouldn’t have any buybacks. I’d be happy to impose a moratorium.
“My position hasn't changed, I have as much interest in this as anybody in this room,i have a lot personally invested here.
“It is a democracy and you don't always get what you want.”
