OPPONENTS of the north-south pipeline have applauded moves by the State Opposition that they say have finally plugged the pipe.
A successful disallowance motion in Parliament last week will prevent water savings from the Food Bowl Modernisation Project going to the environment and Melbourne households.
Nationals leader Peter Ryan said there was a lack of “necessary rigour in auditing savings” from the food bowl project Project” and the Coalition was determined to hold the government to account over its promises to the environment, irrigators and communities in northern Victoria.
He said the disallowance motion had highlighted the “overwhelming opposition to the Government’s attempts to loot water from food producers and the environment because it has failed to plan for Melbourne’s future water needs”.
Mr Ryan said the government had intended to redirect water to Melbourne through the north-south pipeline which was promised to the Snowy and Murray rivers.
“Labor also planned ‘negotiating with the Commonwealth’ on distributing savings from the second stage of the Food Modernisation Project, which contradicts its original promise of allowing the water to be split 50/50 between farmers and the environment,” he added.
Water Minister Tim Holding, who is still pursuing the project despite the disallowance, said the move had put funding for the Food Bowl Modernisation project into jeopardy, particularly with Melbourne Water contributing $300 million to the irrigation upgrades.
"If they aren't getting any benefit from their investment they are likely to be forced to withdraw the funding," he said.
He went on to question who Opposition leader Ted Baillieu would make foot the bill - "will it be Victorian taxpayers or will he force farmers to contribute $300 million?"
Mr Holding had failed to return Stock & Land’s phone call as the paper went to print.
While the measure may be temporary, Plug the Pipe north-east spokeswoman Jan Beer said it had at least prevented water being taken down the pipe before any audit processes had occurred.
While Water Minister Tim Holding had guaranteed the 75 gigalitres of saved water would flow down the pipe to Melbourne, despite the successful disallowance motion, Ms Beer said she was unsure how this would occur.
“For so many reasons water should not go anywhere until there’s been an independent audit of any water savings which have occurred.”
With none of this yet happening and declared savings having come from prior Food Bowl modernisation work, originally intended for Living Murray initiatives and environmental flows in the Snowy and Murray Rivers, Ms Beer asked the government to “be open and transparent with what they’re doing”.
“Most of the water they’re talking about sending to Melbourne is environmental water.”
“Every year 30GL of water quality reserve is kept in Eildon, used to keep our river systems healthy; if needed, it’s sent down the river… they took 10GL this year and kept it in Eildon.
“In 2010 they’ll take a further 10GL and take it down the pipe – this is plainly environmental water.”
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