Protests Emerge Against Water Buyback Plan in the Murray-Darling

‘NO more water buybacks from farmers—there is a better way:’ echoes a call for alternative solutions to address water management concerns.

A homestead and roads can be seen near the Darling River in the Murray-Darling basin, Australia's largest catchment river system, located near the far western New South Wales town of Broken Hill in Australia, Feb. 12, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo

Workers in New South Wales (NSW) have protested against the federal government’s water buyback plan in the Murray-Darling Basin, fearing for their livelihoods and potential a rise in food prices.

The Senate is reviewing the Water Amendment (Recovering Our Rivers) Bill 2023. The proposed changes aim to include more projects, like water buybacks, to achieve the Basin Plan’s target of an extra 450 gigalitres (GL) of environmental water.