Griffith Business Chamber makes submission as part of water bill senate inquiry

The chamber has made a submission to the senate inquiry into the Water Amendment Bill citing 'the removal of the requirement that any recovery of water for environmental use have a neutral or positive socio-economic impact, sends a very clear signal that such recovery will in fact have negative results.'

In the Chambers submission, president John Nikolic says there is 'grave concern that the Plan's target of delivering an additional 450 gigalitres of water for environmental use will be met largely through water buy-backs, thereby reducing the amount of water available for consumptive use in the Basin.

"The focus of Australia's political will and resources should instead be directed to those initiatives (including SDLAM projects) which can increase our capacity to manage our rivers and enhance the available amount of water, including through infrastructure investments, better measurement and accountability measures, removal of constraints," Mr Nikolic wrote.

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"The Bill's proposed mechanism of water buy-backs exposes water entitlement holders to the caprice of the market and is likely to lead to the large-scale liquidation of water entitlements based on fluctuating economic conditions, rather than long-term considerations about effective consumptive water use."

He says those entities and areas which use water entitlements most effectively - such as the MIA - should be favoured and protected in the allocation of consumptive water rights.

"With more than 100 years of investment in sustainable water-use infrastructure and irrigated agricultural know-how, the Griffith LGA and MIA are well-positioned to ensure that the Basin's precious water is used effectively," he says.

"This will ensure the longevity and growth of Australia's prime irrigated farming areas... we may not be able to save 450 gigalitres in a single project, but we may be able to save one gigalitre 450 different ways.

"We must continue to experiment and invest in know-how and innovation, not in zero-sum transfers of water from consumptive use to environmental use," the submission says.

The Senate has referred the Water Amendment Bill to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee for inquiry and a report is expected next month.

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