The Keep Farmers Farming message landed at the Canberra Airport last week, with billboards, plus digital advertising, sending a clear message to Federal Parliament to reject water buybacks, ahead of the Bill to rewrite the Murray Darling Basin Plan being introduced to the Senate.
The mixed farmer, who is plastered across the billboards, says he is “deeply concerned” about the government’s proposal to allow water buybacks from farmers in the MDB.
“Further water buybacks would potentially have devastating effects on our farm business and our local community,” Mr Chalmers said.
“If I were having a conversation with a politician in Canberra I would ask the question: ‘Why are you so fixated on recovering this extra water when it won’t necessarily deliver a tangible benefit to the environment, but it will almost certainly decimate irrigated communities in the Murray Darling Basin?’.”
NFF chief executive Tony Mahar is calling on all Parliamentarians to support farmers, rural communities and the river “by saying no to the Bill and no to water buybacks”.
He says the basin produces 40 per cent of Australia’s food and fibre – and buybacks will take some of this away.
“Together, we have achieved staggering improvements to the river system’s health, with enough additional water flowing through the basin to fill Sydney Harbour almost five times over each year.
“This Bill terminates bipartisan support for the Plan and flies in the face the communities and environmental experts who back it.”
The Keep Farmers Farming initiative is urging Parliamentarians to prevent passage of the Water (Restoring our Rivers) Bill and retain existing limits on water buybacks.
Mr Chalmers, a second generation irrigator, farms sheep and grain on 4000 hectares at Wakool with his wife Felicia.
Irrigation is a key component of the family business, with the Chalmers’ deriving 75 to 80 per cent of their income from irrigated farming.
“Without that irrigation, our farm business wouldn’t be what it is,” Mr Chalmers said.
The water buybacks form part of the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023, which was introduced to Parliament in September.
The legislation proposes to recover 450 gigalitres of additional environmental water through water buybacks from farmers in the Murray Darling Basin.
It amends the Water Act 2007 and Basin Plan 2012 to repeal the statutory 1,500 gigalitre cap on Commonwealth water purchases that had given farmers like Michael some reprieve over recent years.
“In a community like ours, all businesses are related in some way to irrigated agriculture, so if we have less water you’ll see a reduction in jobs, sporting clubs will diminish, and there will be a loss of services in town — the whole community suffers when you reduce access to water.”
Mr Chalmers is calling on parliamentarians to support farmers and rural communities by saying no to the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill and saying no to water buybacks.
“If you value Aussie grown, protect Aussie farms. Keep farmers farming,” he said.
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