As about 1000 protesters get ready to descend on Albury, claiming they are being ignored over water allocations in the Murray Darling Basin, Farrer MP Sussan Ley has defended the way she has been fighting for farmers.
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Southern Riverina Irrigators have organised a rally through Albury on Tuesday, staring at 10am in QEII Square.
Ms Ley was not formally invited, nor on the list of people to speak, but says she is listening and will be at the event.
"I wake up every single day of my political life and I fight for water," she said.
"I acknowledge the enormous pain of our irrigation communities."
Irrigators are ready to make a political point, calling for the basin plan to be reviewed.
They have become frustrated watching water be taken from Northern NSW, then be allowed to flow through to South Australia.
Ms Ley said she understood the angst and they were right to question why they had to account for every drop of water, but environmental flows did not.
"What concerns me is water that is flowing down our rivers to South Australia, in some cases is doing environmental damage on the way because the volumes that are being pushed down the river system are too high," she said.
"My request for an audit of environmental and water allocations, I believe, is gaining traction."
But her ability to make changes rests with the federal and four state governments in the basin, which all have to agree.
Ms Ley's efforts follow on from a call to borrow environmental water to help people in drought, which she said "hit a wall of bureaucracy", then Labor's failed move on the last day of Parliament to try to lift the cap on water buybacks and change the socio-economic test of when water can be recovered.
"I was so, so angry and I understand how distressing this is for irrigators and communities. I know that our government is listening," she said.
"I'm not giving up, I'm still on the case."
But some farmers wanting to make a political point have said the best way to get noticed by the federal government is to vote for independent Farrer candidate Kevin Mack instead.
"Farmers in the Murray Valley have no water to grow crops," Mr Mack said.
"The message they are seeking to send to the wider electorate in Albury on Tuesday is that it's all about the impact on business across Farrer.
"When you have farmers unable to grow crops and earn a living, then you have no expenditure in our towns and cities. Businesses small and large are impacted when their own incomes decline.
"It's important that Albury residents understand they will feel the impact when farmers can no longer come to town to spend money on entertainment, groceries, clothing, vehicles, and household and business goods and services.
"Our health services are also affected when communities experience growing mental health problems because of the pressure on farmers and their families."
With the Labor Party leading the polls ahead of the election, Tuesday's protest will be targeted at both the government and opposition.
Irrigators losing water are ready to rally
Farmers on the Border are sick of being overlooked when it comes to water allocations in the Murray Darling Basin, and they are ready to make some noise.
Barooga farmer Carly Marriott said it has been frustrating to watch as politicians have allowed water, which has fallen in Southern NSW and North East Victoria, to be moved elsewhere because they are under pressure.
In the lead up to a federal election next month, those on the Border want both sides of politics to recognise their own water needs.
"There's a fair groundswell," Mrs Marriott said.
"We don't know who we're yelling at because we don't know who'll be in power."
Southern Riverina Irrigators chair Chris Brooks urged community members to get behind the rally.
"If we want change, we have to make it happen. Tuesday is a chance to take a strong stance against what the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is doing to our communities," he said.
"We know that unfortunately the present situation is affecting mental health.
"It's bad enough having no water to grow crops, but it is especially difficult to take when the water you so desperately need is flooding forests and being poured down the river at such a massive rate that it's causing river bank and other damage."
He said farmers would be supportive if the issue was just about protecting the environment, but the environmental flows were "excessive".
"We must be out in force to make it clear that we have had enough," Mr Brooks said.
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