FARMERS are demanding the Federal Government abandon its "no impact study" approach to water buybacks as pressure mounts on Minister for Water, Penny Wong, to buy controversial cotton property, Cubbie Station, and all its water to save the Murray-Darling Basin.
National Farmers Federation (NFF) president, David Crombie, told Rural Press this week that the Government "needed to learn a few lessons" from previous high-profile water buybacks.
The NFF is arguing the economic and social effects on rural communities and agriculture have not been properly considered in the past.
Minister for Water, Penny Wong, would not be interviewed by Rural Press this week but made it clear earlier this year that the Government was under no obligation to consult with communities on the impacts of water purchases, and made no apology for "unashamedly removing water from irrigated agriculture for environmental use".
The Government flagged its preference would be to buy the water only and not the three properties on the market, but the water entitlements had not yet been separated from the land title.
Mr Crombie said with debate raging about the merits of any such purchase it was timely to look back at some of the other big buybacks and highlight the impacts of buying such big parcels of water on the local towns dependent on major irrigation operations.
"The Government really needs to learn some lessons out of the two previous major buybacks – Toorale and Twynam," Mr Crombie said.
"In the instance of Toorale where they bought water and the property, I think there were two impacts.
"One was the impact of taking that water out of the local community and the impact on local businesses.
"The second impact of that Toorale purchase was taking land out of production.
"The Twynam purchase was different because it was the purchase of water alone.
"You just can't take 240 gigalitres out of productive agricultural use and think that there won't be an impact.
"What we need to do is learn from those two purchases and any suggestion there was to be a buyback from Cubbie, the Government really needs to take into account the impact on the communities of the Lower Balonne, of Dirranbandi and St George."
Mr Crombie said the stranded assets of other irrigators also needed to be considered because those farmers also lose out "when they don't have the critical mass in terms of production".
Mr Crombie said there was "no doubt" of the economic impact on towns that rely on intensive agriculture from irrigation when water is removed, and urged the Government to change its position of refusing to study the effects before it makes any more big purchases, either at Cubbie or elsewhere.
"If you're going to take water out of those systems it's important that it is clearly identified where that water is going to and what the measure of success is.
"We need to understand what benefit this water would create downstream and the particular target for this water."
Cotton Australia chief executive officer, Adam Kay, said the debate on water licence buyback had distracted from the importance of achieving real on-farm water savings across the whole basin and he urged the Government to immediately implement its promised $300 million to support on-farm infrastructure improvements
"Australian cotton farmers have been consistent in their support for the Government’s response to the challenges of water – including the purchase of water licences from willing sellers," Mr Kay said.
"However, we have consistently said the buybacks often fail to deliver any ‘real’ returns and must not remain the only active element of the policy response to water."
Queensland Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce said the Government should buy all of the Dirranbandi township if it decides to buy Cubbie or its water.
He said there is some capacity for the Federal Government to buy some of Cubbie's water licence.
"But if the Government were to take away the fundamental basis for the regional economies of Dirranbandi and St George, it would put those towns into a situation of destitution," Senator Joyce said.
"We don't want another Collarenebri (northern NSW) outfit where Twynam was purchased leaving behind a stranded asset being Queensland Cotton's gin which is now not commercial," Senator Joyce said.
"If the Government intends to buy Cubbie then it should buy the whole of the town."
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