FARM groups have criticised the move to delay releasing the Murray Darling Basin water plan until after the federal election.
The MDB Authority announced the move, saying it was consistent with the caretaker period conventions that puts government decicision-making on hold until after the August 21 election.
"The Authority understands the significant community interest in what the Proposed Basin Plan will put forward and is keen to provide stakeholders, irrigators and Basin communities with the opportunity of finding out what the Authority is proposing," the MDBA said in a statement today.
"A meeting of the Authority made the judgement that the release date would be considered at the end of August."
The National Farmers' Federation said farmers, regional communities and environmental interests across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia would be "irate" with the decision.
“But this decision to delay public scrutiny will have all Australians asking, ‘what is the Authority or Government hiding?’," NFF president David Crombie said.
“Irrigators and regional communities are crying out for information and opportunity to have a say on their future. This opportunity is today further delayed.
“Let’s be clear on the caretaker conventions for election campaigns. This is not a major policy decision; this is about information and advice to irrigators and communities. NFF seriously questions whether the caretaker conventions apply.
“Recalibrating water use must be done sensibly and with equal consideration afforded to food production in the Basin, which accounts for 40% of all the food we grow in Australia. In good faith, farmers have supported water reform on this very basis.
“For the so-called independent Authority to cut and run from public scrutiny is outrageous.”
The NSW Farmers' Association also attacked the move as "ridiculous".
“The Association believes the MDBA must show that it is truly independent of Government and release the plain English Version of the draft Basin Plan in early August as planned,” association president Charles Armstrong said.
“The Basin Plan is the most significant Federal Policy issue affecting rural and regional communities within the Murray Darling Basin.”
“It is unconscionable that an election could extend the doubt and uncertainty of irrigators and farmers within the Murray Darling Basin," Mr Armstrong said.
“The present threats we are hearing regarding major cut backs to irrigation water have placed a black cloud over our community’s future.
“It is critical that potential impacts of the Basin Plan are known prior to the election to allow this issue to be debated during the election campaign.
“Our concern is that the focus of the Basin planning process has been solely on environmental outcomes. Farmers value the environment but we need to ensure balanced outcomes on this critical national issue."
The Basin plan will set out sustainable water diversion goals for the whole Basin, indicating how water will have to be divided between irrigators and the environment.
The NSW Irrigators' Council also slammed the delay, saying it confirmed what productive water users had known all along.
"This process is political. It’s as simple as that,” council chief executive Andrew Gregson said.
"The MDBA claims that the move is 'consistent with election caretaker period conventions'," Mr Gregson said.
"But analysis of the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions issued by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet shows no evidence of such a requirement or, indeed, consistency.
"We understand entirely that a politician would not want a Plan that will cost thousands of jobs, dislocate thousands of people, send hundreds of businesses over the edge and send the price of food skyrocketing to be released.
“That’s exactly why the MDBA have deferred the release of this Plan – they are fundamentally operating in a political environment." Mr Gregson said.
"Their decision to defer release of the Plan on grounds that are at best spurious shows that they are operating in a political fashion.
“Under no circumstances can the Basin Plan now be described as independent. This is a political document that its political masters must answer for.”
