Water buyback funding must deliver real benefits for the Gannawarra

Water buyback funding must deliver real benefits for the Gannawarra

Gannawarra Shire Council is calling on the Federal and Victorian Governments to ensure funding intended to support communities impacted by water buybacks is directed towards projects that deliver lasting economic and social benefits rather than being consumed by bureaucracy, studies and administrative costs.

The Sustainable Communities Fund was established to help communities adjust to the social and economic consequences of water recovery under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan; however, Council believes the Victorian Government's approach to rolling out support is failing to achieve that objective.

"Gannawarra is the community most damaged by water reform in northern Victoria. We have lived through the impacts of reduced water availability, changing agricultural production and the flow-on effects to businesses, jobs and families," Mayor Garner Smith said.

"No amount of funding will ever fully compensate communities for what has been lost, but what funding is available must be invested wisely and directly benefit the communities that have carried the burden of water recovery."

Through its own advocacy efforts and jointly as part of its membership with the Murray River Group of Councils, Gannawarra Shire Council is recommending that the Federal Government withhold the release of funding until a comprehensive program is developed that clearly identifies target communities, measurable benefits and long-term economic outcomes.

"The Federal Government should not release the funding until there is a clear plan that demonstrates how communities such as Gannawarra will benefit," Mayor Smith said.

"The purpose of the Sustainable Communities Fund is to strengthen and support communities affected by water buybacks. It should not become a program dominated by studies, reports and planning exercises that fail to deliver outcomes on the ground."

Council supports calls from the Murray River Group of Councils demanding genuine partnership with local communities and local governments to ensure investment is directed where it is needed most.

Mayor Smith said there were also serious concerns about the Victorian Government's management of the process, including the lack of involvement of elected representatives and leadership throughout the negotiation process.

"The people elected to represent communities affected by water buybacks have been consciously excluded from key discussions, while public servants and consultants have been central to the process," he said.

"I am just as concerned that ministers were absent during meetings where these important decisions were being shaped. Instead, decisions have effectively been left to bureaucrats. There is no more dangerous way to make decisions than to place them in the hands of people who pay no penalty for being wrong.

"This is a failure of leadership. Informed and engaged State Ministers would save taxpayers millions of dollars by making decisions instead of palming off the responsibility. That money can then be directed to projects that create jobs, foster economic growth and build community resilience."

Mayor Smith slammed the allocation of funding toward further studies and planning activities without a clear pathway to delivery.

"We continue to see proposals that prioritise investigations, strategies and reports without any commitment to the funding needed to actually bring those ideas to life," he said.

"Communities do not need another shelf full of reports. They need investment in infrastructure, industry development, jobs, housing, renewable energy opportunities, digital connectivity and projects that support long-term prosperity."

Council has also raised concerns regarding the $10 million the State Government will take to administer the program.

"Every dollar spent on administration is a dollar not spent supporting local communities. At a time when communities are seeking practical assistance, we should be maximising the funding available for real projects and real outcomes," Mayor Smith said.

Council believes funding should be directed to the seven northern Victorian municipalities most affected by water buybacks, allowing local communities to identify and deliver projects that reflect their unique challenges and opportunities.

"The solution is not complicated," Mayor Smith said.

"We know which communities have been affected. We know the challenges they face. The funding must be directed to those communities so they can invest in their own futures and create lasting benefits for generations to come."

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