PASIN QUESTIONS ABORIGINAL WATER ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM

Member for Barker Tony Pasin MP is questioning the Federal Labor Government’s decision to spend $100 million through the Aboriginal Water Entitlements Program to purchase water entitlements for indigenous communities in the Murray Darling Basin while inland wine grape growers get nothing despite their desperate situation.

The Albanese Labor Government has made $100 million in funding available through the Aboriginal Entitlements Program as part of the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023, Legislation that past the Parliament earlier this year.

To facilitate the program, a new governance body made up of members from First Nation groups in the Basin has been created to purchase water entitlements through the funding program. 

The program has been developed in close partnership with First Nations representatives from across the Basin to ensure it supports the cultural, economic, social, and environmental needs of First Nations Peoples.  Meaning that once purchased, unlike entitlements sitting with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, these newly acquired entitlements can be offered for lease in the temporary water market, generating revenue for those indigenous communities.

“I struggle to reconcile the Albanese Labor Government’s decision to spend $100 million dollars to purchase water entitlements for the economic benefit of indigenous communities, whilst at the same time, our inland wine grape growing communities, who are desperate for support, get nothing.” Mr Pasin said.

“The current crisis being felt so sharply by wine grape growing sector in the Basin right now has been bearing down on Riverland communities like a freight train and the Albanese Labor Government has done nothing about it.

“This Government has been distracted, initially by a failed referendum, that cost Australian taxpayers close to $500 million dollars and more recently their anti-agriculture ideological agenda.“In the meantime, inflation is not being controlled, the cost of living continues to rise and primary producers, from sheep farmers to irrigators, are being hung out to dry,” Mr Pasin said.

“If Labor can throw $100 million at Aboriginal communities to buy water entitlements and create new bureaucracies to administer them, why can’t they support our inland wine grape growers to stay in business?” said Mr Pasin.