NATIONAL support will be enlisted to have communities at the heart of Murray Darling Basin plan delivery and future water reform.
The push will be one of six motions put to the National General Assembly of Local Government in June by the Murray River Group of Councils.
Loddon Shire endorsed the proposed motions at its meeting last week.
Mayor Dan Straub, currently chair of the group, will tell the assembly that without stopping water reforms, “the damaging water purchase programs in our irrigation districts that will lead to job losses, put food production in our region at risk and will add to the cost of living crisis and instead engaging with communities and local governments to deliver a long term sustainable future for food growing and manufacturing in the basin, and to ensure improved environmental outcomes for all the basin’s valued riverine and floodplain ecosystems”.
Loddon Shire and the Murray River group have opposed the Federal Government’s buybacks of water from northern Victorian irrigators.
Cr Straub said he had met with Victorian Water Minister Gayle Tierney.
He said the State Government continued to be supportive on moves to oppose federal buybacks.
Murray River group also wants a federal commitment that communities hosting new energy generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure required for Australia’s energy transition will benefit from new investment to support job growth and in infrastructure upgrades.
It says that commitment would ensure “regional communities directly impacted by it are not left behind in the race to transition our energy grid”.
The local councillors will also pitch for national support of road maintenance and restoration funds that invests directly in Local Government “to fund the road infrastructure repair deficit road and allow local councils to catch up on the road and bridge repair backlog facing councils across the country.”
Loddon councillors also backed motions to the assembly on housing and disaster-resilient infrastructure investment.