The Murray-Darling Basin Authority's (MDBA) latest "Register of Take" report reveals water diversions across the Basin were 23 per cent below the Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDLs).
NSW Irrigators' Council CEO Claire said despite consistent and chronic underuse of water well below the SDLs, the Commonwealth is misleading Australians in television ads claiming water is being overused.
"The MDBA's own data shows that for another year, water use is well within the SDLs. Much of the unused water stays in the rivers, boosting flows and helping the environment," Ms Miller said.
"Yet the Commonwealth is ignoring that gift to environment, and instead targeting large, concentrated water buyback tenders into the most vulnerable communities throughout 2024-25.
"So why is the Commonwealth determined to push forward with reckless buybacks and unnecessary rule changes when the data clearly shows SDLs are being met in all Basin States, including NSW? The answer is simply meeting a political promise to South Australia back in 2012, based on an old model long overtaken by new knowledge such as these MDBA reports on water use."
The MDBA report is dated March 2024 but was not published on the MDBA until 2 August, without any public notifications and well after the Commonwealth had already set in train its buybacks tenders. The report shows NSW Basin water use was 16.6 per cent, or 1105 GL, under the state's SDLs for 2022-23. Several NSW valleys were well under their diversion limits, including:
• Barwon-Darling water users diverted 34 per cent, or 155 GL, less than the valley's 2022-23 SDL.
• NSW Murray water users diverted 25 per cent, or 342.6 GL, less than the valley's 2022-23 SDL.
• Macquarie-Castlereagh water users diverted 27 per cent, or 231 GL, less than their 2022-23 SDL
• Gwydir valley water users diverted 26 per cent, or 214.5 GL, less than the valley's 2022-23 SDL.
Basin-wide, actual water use was 23 per cent, or 2675 GL, under the SDLs for the same period.
Since SDL accounting began on 1 July 2019, water use across the Basin has consistently remained below the SDLs, accumulating a 5076 GL credit in unused water over the past three years.
Ms Miller said the Commonwealth must stop lying to Australians that water is being overused so it can justify buying back more water from farmers that will not fix what is still making the rivers sick.
"The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing and expecting a different result, "said Ms Miller. "More than 3000 GL has already been recovered under the Basin Plan and earlier reforms. But while it has delivered localised environmental gains, our native fish and waterbirds are still struggling.
"That's because the Government refuses to invest in addressing degradation drivers like European Carp wrecking water quality and habitat. Action on these and other degradation drivers will deliver the systemic, Basin-wide step-change in river health Australians should expect from this $13 billion reform.
"The Commonwealth's decision to buy back another 450 GL of water is baffling, particularly when water use has consistently been well below the SDLs since the Basin Plan came into effect, and below the Cap before that. These buybacks will only damage the viability of communities and family farms.
"It is time for the Commonwealth to acknowledge the realities on the ground. The focus should be on measures to improve river health, rather than pursuing political targets that do more harm than good."
