One of the largest irrigation entitlement holders on the Lachlan, Jemalong Irrigation Limited (JIL), has joined a move by Lachlan Valley Water (LVW) to refuse to pay the 09/10 fixed water charges.
The measure by JIL follows a decision at the recent Lachlan Valley Water Annual General Meeting where up to 80 irrigators present refused to pay the charges this year.
JIL’s decision to follow suit adds weight to the move and will see around 100 more irrigators join the cause.
The move will build pressure on State Labor and follows last week’s pledge by the Opposition to waive the fixed charges for irrigators who have endured more than two years without allocation.
Ted Morgan is the chairman of Jemalong Irrigation Limited.
“The decision to back Lachlan Valley Water is consistent with JIL’s and LVW’s long standing position (for the past seven years), that the Government should recognise the disastrous situation in the Lachlan River and waive these fixed charges,” he said when asked why his organisation is refusing to pay the fees.
Lachlan Valley irrigators are in an extraordinary situation with almost no allocation for the past seven years, except for a brief respite in 2005/06.
The fight to waive the charges during the current drought has been ongoing for a number of years and numerous organisations including the NSW Farmers, Forbes Shire Council, the Nationals and more have lobbied for such an outcome.
Mr Morgan said the circumstances confronting irrigators warranted the waiving of the fees and his organisation’s course of action.
“Clearly the situation is beyond exceptional and it’s beyond all definition of where a Government should be giving help to the community.” Mr Morgan said Jemalong Irrigation Limited was not asking the Government to do anything it hadn’t done itself. He said for three and a half of the last five years his organisation has managed to waive the fees it levies on irrigators.
“We’re not calling on the State Government to do anything we haven’t shown leadership in and done ourselves with our customers,” he said. Mr Morgan said the waiving of the fees, which are levied against water entitlements for the maintenance of water delivery infrastructure, would be a small impost on the State Budget.
“But the Government just refuses to show any sign of sympathy or ability to help,” he said.
Payments from JIL members would be expected to run to approximately $300,000 and Mr Morgan said there was strong support from within his organisation.
“We’ve had a lot of support over the years to take this path. People are at their wit’s end with this drought,” he said.
He said the call was not for State Water nor Department of Water and Energy (DWE) to miss out on their income but for the Government to step in and make a payment from the NSW Treasury to State Water and DWE, thereby providing relief to irrigators.
“This is a very small amount of money (approx $2.5million) out of the State expenses which total billions of dollars. It is the kind of minimal help required and expected of Government in times such as this drought we are in,” he said.
Dennis Moxey is the Chairman of Lachlan Valley Water.
“Jemalong Irrigation is the largest single license holder in the Lachlan Valley and it adds a great deal of weight to what we’re trying to achieve,” he said.
Mr Moxey said Lachlan Valley Water was waiting to hear if the Government will respond to Lachlan Valley Water’s boycott of the fees.
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