Expect a repeat of 2016 floods if Basin Plan goes ahead, Border farmer says

Murray River Action Group chair Richard Sargood, based at Corowa, has blasted the revised Murray-Darling Basin Plan after the Albanese government brokered a deal with the Greens on Monday, November 27.

"It's going to be an absolute bloody disaster," he said.

"It's going to cost jobs, it's going to increase the cost of living and it's going to decimate some of the smaller rural communities that rely on agriculture.

"And what's more, it will do environmental damage at this end of the system for next to no environmental benefits at the other end."

The majority of the water recovered under the plan will be delivered to South Australia.

Mr Sargood said the 2016 floods mimicked what it would take to deliver the volumes of water the government wanted to recover.

"There's no scientific basis for delivering this 450 gigalitres," he said.

"It's purely political water - it's designed to win votes in South Australia."

Mr Sargood said the government was unable to deliver the 4600 gigalitres of environmental water they already had.

And in order to deliver the extra 450 gigalitres, they'd have to allow for out of bank flows.

"It's like robbing Peter to pay Paul," he said.

"If they start relaxing constraints to try and deliver this water, then there'll be increased rates of erosion and an increase of trees falling in the river.

"Without something flooding really high somewhere in the system, they will not get engineered flows to the South Australian border of 80,000 megalitres a day.

"It is impossible to do, and that's part of the objectives of the basin plan."

However, Professor Nick Bond, director of the Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems at La Trobe University's Albury-Wodonga campus, said the plan would help futureproof the river against drought.

"If the bill is passed, this deal will be an important step in securing the long-term health of the basin's ecosystems, especially in ensuring that sufficient water will be available to protect ecosystems during future droughts," Professor Bond said.

"The deal also supports First Nations water access and despite delays, will help ensure the goals of the plan can be delivered in the long-run."

On Monday, the government came to an agreement with the Greens over the plan after initial negotiations had stalled.

The original $13 billion plan aimed to return 450 gigalitres of water to the environment by June 2024.

The government has put forward legislation to move the deadline to the end of 2027.

The amendments will also allow the government to employ voluntary water buybacks to reach the target.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek announced amendments to the bill in exchange for support at a press conference with Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young on Monday.

"Not delivering this is simply not an option," Ms Plibersek said.

"We want to make sure we have a healthy and sustainable river system for the communities, industry, First Nations groups and environment that rely on it."

Without the support of the Greens, an end of year deadline would be missed, and the government would be forced to start water buybacks for about 300 gigalitres of water next year.

The deal includes an independent audit of water in the basin and $100 million for First Nations water and the Aboriginal water entitlements program.

Farrer MP and deputy leader of the Opposition, Sussan Ley, described Labor's "dirty deal" with the Greens as "reckless in many ways".

"It firstly betrays the bipartisan agreement we reached in 2012 to balance economic, social, and environmental outcomes," she said.

"Just as loopy, is promising all this extra water by 2027, while our dams are full at a cost of up to $4 billion.

"Why on earth would you ask taxpayers to buy water that will effectively shut down smaller regional communities, and also increase food prices at the checkout? Lunacy!"

NSW Irrigators' Council chief executive Claire Miller has accused the government of not listening to regional communities, following multiple protests across the Basin last week.

Further demonstrations were held in Shepparton on Monday.

"Farm jobs will be lost and small businesses in basin communities are going to take a massive hit," she said.

"This political deal is going to cause irreversible damage to regional communities.

"We have 12,500 members and most of them are small operations. It will be hard enough for the big operators to absorb the cost increases, but our smaller operators are terrified and the government refuses to listen."

Mr Sargood mirrored this sentiment, saying, "the government has totally ignored the views and the knowledge that is held in local communities".

"Buybacks is the worst possible way of getting any of this water," he said.

"It's the cheapest for the government because they just go in and buy it, but it decimates these local communities on the way through and it'll cost jobs.

"But unfortunately, the people who are making these decisions are all city-centric and they really couldn't care less about rural communities."