mmg.com.au

The NSW Government could be an ally in the local fight to change the Murray Darling Basin Plan - but the Federal Government may stand in the way.

That is the impression Deniliquin Mayor Brian Mitsch took away from a meeting with NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson in Finley on Thursday.

The minister discussed the Murray Darling Basin Plan with about 30 people at the Finley RS Club before visiting Blighty farmer Malcolm Holm’s property.

The draft plan proposes diverting 2750 gigalitres of productive water to the environment, with local stakeholders warning of severe negative social and economic impacts if this occurs.

Ms Hodgkinson, Parliamentary Secretary for Natural Resources Troy Grant, NSW Nationals’ Legislative Council member Rick Colless and Member for Murray-Darling John Williams took part in the stakeholders’ meeting in Finley before visiting Mr Holm’s dairy farm.

The NSW Government is conducting consultation on the draft plan as it forms its own submission for the MDBA.

Ms Hodgkinson’s visit was part of a week-long tour of the Murray-Darling region.

‘‘The lack of Commonwealth Government community consultation on the proposed plan is just unfair, which is why this tour has been a priority for me,’’ she said.

She said the purpose of Thursday’s meeting was to listen first-hand to members of smaller communities like Berrigan, Finley and Deniliquin.

Cr Mitsch said the meeting was ‘‘really positive’’, and that Mr Grant in particular was ‘‘pretty switched on’’.

‘‘He got a good idea of the community’s point of view and some of the constraints that have to be overcome in putting the basin plan into place.’’

Cr Mitsch said he got the impression the NSW Government was not content with the current draft plan.

‘‘I think they’re agreeing with what we want,’’ he said.

However, he said ‘‘inter-government relationships’’ could be a hurdle.

‘‘The states are concerned that they may be overruled by the Federal Government and they need to be very diligent in putting their submission forward in such a way that the Feds will listen to it.

‘‘The bottom line is that the Feds have the cheque book and they’re in a position to hold payments on various issues.’’

Southern Riverina Irrigators’ chairman Ted Hatty attended the tour of Mr Holm’s property after meeting Mr Burke in Deniliquin.

Mr Hatty said the NSW Government was ‘‘very concerned’’ about the draft plan.

He also said a main message of the day was that the basin plan needs justification.

‘‘The Federal Government have no justification for the large amount of water they certainly plan to procure,’’ he said.

‘‘They have no idea what they’re planning to do with the water they have and they really haven’t worked out what impacts (could occur).’’

Mr Hatty said constraints in delivering the environmental water were also raised with Ms Hodgkinson.

‘‘The state is very aware of the delivery constraints in the river system,’’ Mr Hatty said.

Local farmer Louise Burge also attended the meeting with Ms Hodgkinson, and said a ‘‘key failing’’ of the basin plan was ‘‘no development of an environmental water delivery plan’’.

She also said that environmental deliveries could pose flood risks, and affect irrigators’ entitlements.

Ms Hodgkinson’s visit coincided with Federal Water Minister Tony Burke’s tour of Deniliquin over Wednesday and Thursday last week.

Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) and Commonwealth Environmental Water Office senior staff also attended the Ricegrowers’ Association branch meeting held in Deniliquin yesterday.