In February, The Greens moved a motion to disallow an amendment to the Murray Darling Basin Plan. The amendment, proposed by the MD Basin Authority, reduced by 70 gigalitres the amount of water to be recovered in the northern basin. The disallowance motion succeeded in the Senate. A second disallowance motion to reduce the amount of water to be recovered in the southern basin by 605GL hangs in the balance. These disallowance motions are contrary to the advice of the MDBA and the state water ministers.
The disallowance motions have been supported the Labor Party, which is ironic as the Basin Plan is a Labor initiative. It appears that Labor wishes to secure environmental votes in the inner city over the welfare and financial security of farmers and rural communities. Labor has U-turned for votes.
The Liberal Democrats believe that farmers should not be punished because of political ideology. Our federal member Senator David Leyonhjelm has long stood up for farmers and rural communities. As chair of the Senate Select Committee into the Basin Plan he worked to make sure that green ideology did not dictate the outcomes of the Plan.