Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

River communities understand all too well that water equates to wealth. When irrigation communities lose water, the economic impacts are profound. That's why our government maintains the position of being implacably opposed to water buybacks.

Under the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement, water does need to be recovered. But that recovery must be undertaken in a way that doesn't cruel communities. The Murray-Darling Basin Economic Development Program is a mechanism that seeks to ameliorate the economic harm occasioned on river communities impacted by water recovery under the Basin Plan. Recently, I was pleased to announce that six communities in Barker would share in $3.8 million in grants under the most recent round of this program. There is $450,000 for the Blanchetown Revitalisation Project and roughly the same amount for the Mannum Murray River and Heritage Tourism Project. There is $250,000 for the Murray River Agritourism and Food Cluster, $446,000 for Morgan Murray River Tourism Development, $450,000 for the Murray Bridge Riverfront Development, $448,000 for Wellington East, $450,000 for the riverfront project at Waikerie and the same amount for the Waikerie central business district. These programs are about diversifying our river communities and supporting their economic prosperity and growth. I look forward to seeing them built.

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