ID :
16097
Sat, 08/16/2008 - 09:48
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/16097
The shortlink copeid
Farmers keen on govt buying water, land
(AAP) - Many fed-up farmers would be keen to take up the federal government's offer to buy out their land and water, according to the National Farmers Federation.
The government has announced it wants to buy some Murray-Darling properties outrightand send the water downstream to try to save the river system's parched lower lakes.
Laurie Arthur, chair of the NFF water taskforce, said the drought was biting sofarmers would be interested in selling up.
"People are rattled, they're not sure of their future, some of them are decidingit's just too hard," Mr Arthur told AAP.
"If the government comes in aggressively and purchases those properties, I'd say many landholders would be attracted to the proposition." The government on Thursday announced a suite of new Murray-Darling measures to savethe ailing lower lakes near the mouth of the Murray River in South Australia.
As well as buying properties outright, it will try to buy up entire irrigationcommunities' water rights and has brought forward spending on water buybacks.
Mr Arthur cautiously welcomed the plan to buy out whole irrigation communities,saying there were cases where inefficient infrastructure wasted a lot of water.
If communities agreed, it might be best to turn off their irrigation tap, he said.
But the National Irrigators Council is opposed to the government's new watermeasures, saying they will devastate rural communities.
The council's chief executive Andrew Gregson said accelerating the buyback of water licences would not fix the river system's problems, because those licences had nowater attached to them due to the drought.
"Buying entitlement is not buying water, it is buying a share in a resource for whenthat resource becomes available," Mr Gregson said.
"This is a drought - a bad one. Fresh water simply isn't available." Mr Gregson described the government's new measures as a "knee-jerk reaction drivenby loud minority groups".
The government has brought forward $50 million for buybacks this financial year.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon criticised the extra funding, saying it would noteven pay for a "a half-decent road".
"This is a trickle and what we need is a flow," he said.
The government has announced it wants to buy some Murray-Darling properties outrightand send the water downstream to try to save the river system's parched lower lakes.
Laurie Arthur, chair of the NFF water taskforce, said the drought was biting sofarmers would be interested in selling up.
"People are rattled, they're not sure of their future, some of them are decidingit's just too hard," Mr Arthur told AAP.
"If the government comes in aggressively and purchases those properties, I'd say many landholders would be attracted to the proposition." The government on Thursday announced a suite of new Murray-Darling measures to savethe ailing lower lakes near the mouth of the Murray River in South Australia.
As well as buying properties outright, it will try to buy up entire irrigationcommunities' water rights and has brought forward spending on water buybacks.
Mr Arthur cautiously welcomed the plan to buy out whole irrigation communities,saying there were cases where inefficient infrastructure wasted a lot of water.
If communities agreed, it might be best to turn off their irrigation tap, he said.
But the National Irrigators Council is opposed to the government's new watermeasures, saying they will devastate rural communities.
The council's chief executive Andrew Gregson said accelerating the buyback of water licences would not fix the river system's problems, because those licences had nowater attached to them due to the drought.
"Buying entitlement is not buying water, it is buying a share in a resource for whenthat resource becomes available," Mr Gregson said.
"This is a drought - a bad one. Fresh water simply isn't available." Mr Gregson described the government's new measures as a "knee-jerk reaction drivenby loud minority groups".
The government has brought forward $50 million for buybacks this financial year.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon criticised the extra funding, saying it would noteven pay for a "a half-decent road".
"This is a trickle and what we need is a flow," he said.
