Queensland Government sells out on Murray-Darling Basin plan

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud says the Palaszczuk Government has sold out Queensland communities by signing up to Federal Labor’s latest Murray-Darling Basin plan.

The Albanese Government has announced it would tear up Labor’s original policy on the additional 450 gigalitres of the Murray-Darling Basin plan and ignore the social and economic neutrality test, protecting communities from water buybacks.

Mr Littleproud said that the Palaszczuk Government callously signed up to the Albanese Government’s new water buyback plan, meaning Queensland communities were now part of another 450 gigalitres of water buybacks, while Victorian Premier Dan Andrews opted out.

Mr Littleproud said it was telling that Annastacia Palaszczuk had given into Anthony Albanese while Dan Andrews had the courage to stand up for his rural communities, blocking water buybacks.

“Queensland farmers have been laid at the altar of Federal Labor’s ideology in trying to win South Australian seats, while our Premier complicitly watched on,” Mr Littleproud said.

“The Nationals support allowing an extension of time for recovering water to the environment through infrastructure, but reverting to buybacks for the additional 450 gigalitres will hurt communities and drive up food prices.

“Australian agriculture feels it is under siege since Anthony Albanese came to government, whether it be live sheep bans, biosecurity blunders or the new fresh food taxes.

“Farmers feel under-appreciated and consumers are paying more at the checkout.”

Mr Littleproud said the last glimmer of hope was that the Senate cross bench understood this was bad policy and block it in the Senate, but that was a long shot.

Regardless, Mr Littleproud said The Nationals would not be part of a Coalition Government that did not abandon buybacks on the additional 450 gigalitres, because regional Australia’s future was at risk.