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Where the Murray Darling Basin Worth Went?

"Farmers are still just whingeing."

"Nobody is taking water from anybody."

"$9b is a lot of money."

These are the views of the Wentworth Group, as put in a Qld Country Life Article about a year ago.

$3b will be used to subsidise improvement in water efficiency such as lining irrigation channels.

$6b will be “injected” into the basin economy through direct buy backs of water licences.

So $9 billion of taxpayers money has been allocated to facilitate the adjustment o a future with less water.

Some members of this group are used to feeding at the taxpayer “trough” so they might think that this “injection” is from some sort of benevolent society, having been long term beneficiaries themselves.

Are they really so naive as to think that paying “market value” for water allocations that is freely tradeable is some sort of government assistance.

How much more, do they suggest, should be paid per megalitre, by way of compensation, to those irrigators who will never again be able to access the amount of water they were previously entitled to.

Their simplistic thinking does not apparently extend to, or mention, the loss of value of on farm infrastructure that was put in place to utilise those allocations. What also of the subsequent loss of capital value of the farm itself as a result.

What does the Wentworth Group think then is “Just Terms Compensation”?

Tags: MDBP, Murray Darling Basin Plan, Wentworth Group

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dale Stiller on January 20, 2012 at 7:22am

Thanks Greg for republishing this discussion first published 18th October 2010.

If anyone else has saved material of discussions that were on the PRA group page before it was maliciously deleted mid November 2011; it would be greatly appreciated.

Permalink Reply by Greg Blackmore on January 20, 2012 at 8:38am

There is another previously posted discussion on the Murray Darling Basin Plan at the link below which contends that an unwanted outcome may be a threat to our food security and our future food supplies will possibly be mostly imported rather than grown here

MDB Plan to Move Farming Offshore

Permalink Reply by Joanne Rea on January 20, 2012 at 9:22am

The Wentworth Group (who ARE these people) has said yesterday that parliament had insufficient evidence on which to base a decision. No doubt, for a generous funding grant they would be prepared to fill the perceived gap in knowledge.

Wentworth said while the plan proposed a volume of water to be returned to the river, there was no data on the amount of water actually needed to ensure the river's health.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/water-issues/scientists-reject-pl...

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