Thursday, 19 June 2025

 Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (12:35): (963) My question is for the Minister for Water. The Commonwealth has acquired 13,114 megalitres of Goulburn water at a premium price of $4810 per megalitre, more than $1000 above the seasonal average. The buyback is devastating as it not only removes further water from the irrigators’ pool but also puts farmers under financial pressure during a drought, undermines the integrity of the water market and raises concerns about how the water can be delivered. Minister, at a press conference in Shepparton last week you said you had requested an absolute pause on buybacks by the Commonwealth and the public release of the Commonwealth’s socio-economic impact document. Minister, have you been successful in securing the agreement of the Commonwealth to your two requests?

 Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (12:36): I thank Ms Lovell for her question and the opportunity to talk about this. The position of the Victorian government is clear: we are absolutely opposed to buybacks. Buybacks are a significant issue for irrigators and for communities along the river. Essentially it is about an implementation that enables a very dysfunctional approach to what is considered to be just completely inappropriate. It will lead to greater inefficiencies in terms of the irrigation system, and it will also mean that the costs will be shifted to those that continue to be in the irrigation system, and of course that is why I have asked the Commonwealth to provide the work that they have done on the socio-economic impacts of the buybacks. I have also, along with the VFF, called for an immediate pause on the buybacks, because we believe together that a joint approach is the best approach, and we will continue to call for a pause on the buybacks, particularly given the issue of drought in this state. This was an issue that I canvassed yesterday in the house and I will continue to canvass, and of course I will continue to prosecute this and have the support of the drought taskforce that the Premier has established. We will be meeting again this Friday, and again we will be pursuing not just what we have dealt with in the first meeting and the second meeting but also there will be further work that will be done on Friday to add to what needs to be done to mitigate the impacts of the drought that we are facing right across this state.

 Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (12:38): Minister, given you have failed to secure those commitments, will you now stand up to the Commonwealth by leading a delegation of Goulburn irrigators and community leaders to Canberra and bang on the doors of the water minister and Prime Minister until the federal Labor government understand the devastation they are causing in Victoria with their destructive water policies?

 Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Water) (12:38): I think my position in relation to issues connected to this matter could not be clearer. They have been –

Members interjecting.

Gayle TIERNEY: My focus is on the taskforce that is attached to the drought issues that are confronting this state, and I will be joining the Premier and taskforce members again this Friday. We have got a very cooperative approach on that taskforce. The taskforce not only involves other ministers and of course the Premier chairing, but we have the VFF there, we have the CWA, we have the National Centre for Farmer Health, we have banking entities around the table, and I will continue to work heavily with the local community, including the mayor of Shepparton, who has played a very positive and active role in the taskforce, and we will together work out what we will continue to do in the area of Shepparton in particular.