mmg.com.au

Campaspe Concerned Citizens will protest in front of Member for Rodney Paul Weller’s Echuca office on Friday morning.

The group will protest the National Party’s response to irrigation channel reform as part of Goulburn-Murray Water’s irrigation modernisation project.

The protest, at Percy St Echuca, is on Friday from 11.30am to 12.30pm.

Earlier today, the Riverine Herald reported the Victorian and Federal governments set their sights on irrigation water.

The governments have launched a Strategic Purchase Program to buy irrigation water from Goulburn-Murray Water irrigators on a spur channel.

The Federal Government needs between 25 and 50 gigalitres of water to help fulfil its environmental water allocation set out in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Echuca Village irrigators, who are on a spur channel, met last week to voice their desire to keep their irrigation water.

Many irrigators felt they would be forced to hand over their irrigation water because their farms were too small.

Mr Weller said the program was a chance to offer eligible irrigators a chance to sell their water rather than pay steep costs for connecting to backbone channels.

He said neither the state or federal government would pressure irrigators to give up their water.

‘‘For some people, it might not be viable to have irrigation water,’’ he said.

‘‘The Federal Government has agreed to pay above market price for water to help farmers make the transition into dryland farming.’’

Mr Weller said the offer was to promote an efficient irrigation network.

‘‘Everyone can make their own decisions,’’ he said.

‘‘This is about maximising efficiency.

‘‘It is not the ‘Swiss cheese’ approach to water buybacks the Federal Government had used in the past.’’

Victorian Water Minister Peter Walsh said the offers were open to eligible spur channel irrigators from the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District areas of Central Goulburn, Murray Valley, Loddon Valley, Rochester-Campaspe, Shepparton and Torrumbarry.

‘‘The program will offer frequent opportunities for sales in the coming months,’’ he said.

‘‘This is just one of the sensible outcomes Victoria pursued during the Basin plan process on behalf of communities in northern Victorian communities.

‘‘This program aligns with Victoria’s substantial investment in irrigation modernisation and on-farm water efficiency programs and will offer a fair deal to irrigators.’’

Federal Water Minister Tony Burke said the Connections Project was the largest Federal Government investment in irrigation infrastructure, with more than $2billion of State and Federal funding committed to date.

‘‘Last year we locked down the Murray-Darling Basin Plan,’’ Mr Burke said.

‘‘That locks in the health of the Basin and ensures the reform is law.

‘‘These projects are how the plan translates from a document to resilience for the rivers.’’