“Buybacks wreck communities, they cost jobs and there are better ways to achieve river health and environmental outcomes,” Mrs Scoullar said.
“Buybacks are not going to solve the problems that the water minister is hoping to achieve.
“And fixing the problems in South Australia, which they caused themselves, is going to need localised solutions (in SA).”
Mrs Scoullar praised some elements of the amendment bill currently before the Senate, but said the the minister wanted to ‘rip out’ mechanisms to protect vulnerable communities.
“We cannot change the socio-economic test that simply,” she said.
“And the 1500 megalitre cap cannot be removed.”
“And buying water from our region is not going to put water in the Darling – it’s physically impossible.
“Water can’t go upstream.
Mrs Scoullar compared the NSW Government’s contribution to the Victorian Government’s and said more could be done from Sydney.
“The Federal Government has the NSW government by the short and curlies, really, because so many of the sustainable development limit projects are not over the line and so the money is there dangling in front of the state government.
“I’d tell the premier there are better options.
“And we want to drive those solutions — they’re available.
“I’d be saying come and work with us.”
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