Wednesday, 28 August 2024

 Tim McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (09:57): Last Friday I attended a water forum in Bendigo with many industry leaders and politicians in farming communities that are very concerned about the buybacks that will destroy northern Victorian communities. One speaker from the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority told the room they currently have 650 megalitres to use within the Goulburn River catchment for environmental projects and they cannot use the water they already have. So more water buybacks will have no environmental benefit in our region at all.

What was distressing was that the Victorian Premier arrived and, along with the Victorian Minister for Water, admitted that what the Albanese government is doing to rural communities in Victoria and the damage that is being forced upon farmers and irrigators is a disgrace. But then only 2 hours later, in the same regional city of Bendigo, the Premier refused to meet with farmers who had joined together to be heard and tell the Premier how renewable projects are destroying our local communities. So in the course of a single day in Bendigo the Victorian Premier wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with farming communities about the Albanese government and what it is doing to them and then refused to meet with the farmers straight after that.

Premier, you cannot have it both ways. Do you truly stand with our farming communities in northern Victoria or not? Supporting our local communities is not relative to your Melbourne agenda; you either support us through thick and thin or you do not support us at all. You need to make a choice. Farming families feed this state, and it is time you stood up for them every day, not just when it suits you.