Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton has condemned the passing of amendments to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan today in the Senate as a dark day for Australia.

After furious campaigning from the Coalition and concerned community members and stakeholders to prevent the cementing of water buybacks back into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, the Parliament has now passed this into legislation.

“People with no skin in the game have today sacrificed the communities of the Murray-Darling Basin at the altar of political expediency,” Mr Coulton said.

“While Minister Plibersek and Senator Wong have a laugh and celebrate the return of water buybacks, they fail to realise the devastation they will wreak on Australian agriculture, and individual communities along the rivers.

“The idea that using water buybacks to return an extra 450 gigalitres to the river systems will prevent drought and solve all environmental problems is a myth.

“Taking water from the North of New South Wales and sending it downstream does not prevent drought and will not create a utopia, because rivers rely on rain and Australia is a land of drought and flooding rain – especially in the Northern Basin.

“What this legislation will not do is act as an environmental cure-all. What it will absolutely do is remove agricultural production, jobs and productivity from areas which are almost entirely reliant on the agriculture industry.

“Australia will pay for this ideological foolishness at the checkout, and in losses of Australian-made produce.”