The VFF Water Council is the peak body representing Victorian farmers on water issues. The VFF Water Council consists of a diverse and comprehensive group of VFF members from throughout Victoria who represent the various Commodity Groups. Each member plays a critical role in supporting the Council in its role as representative to water users within VFF.
The VFF Water Council's main objective is to protect the interests of water users in Victoria in achieving efficient, equitable and profitable water use through a scientific and objective analysis of the water issues and policies as well as formulating strategic policies and decisions, both on State and Federal levels.
Water Council Chairman
Richard Anderson is a mixed farmer from Bamawm and is the Chairman of the VFF Water Council for 2009/2010. Mr Anderson has chaired the VFF Water Council since 2006. He holds Degrees in Accounting and Business Administration.
Mr Anderson has successfully Chaired the Rochester/Campaspe Water Services Committee, a stakeholder group for Gouburn-Murray Water, for the past 25 years as well as chairing the Campapse Deeplead Water Supply Protection Area Consultative Committee.
Mr Anderson also serves on a number of reference committees including Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy, National Farmers Federation (NFF) Water Taskforce, Stakeholder Consultative Committee for Government Buy-Back of Water, NFF Technical Working Group and salinity reference committees as well as being involved in the Echuca and Rochester Victorian Farmers Federation branches.
Water Council Members
| Central North Region | Richard Anderson (Chair) |
| Central | Max Blackmore |
| Wimmera Mallee | Keith Fischer |
| Sunraysia | Bill McClumpha |
| Western | Basil Ryan |
| North East | Bruce Diffey |
| South West | Graeme Sutherland |
| North West Region | Andrew Leahy |
| East Gippsland | Graeme Anderson |
| Gippsland | Meg Parkinson |
| Northern | Jim McKeown |
Water Issues
Murray Darling Basin Plan
The Murray Darling Basin Authority has developed a plan that, if unchallenged, will destroy communities, industries, businesses, farms and families across rural Victoria. A government imposed ‘drought' will inflict permanent damage on Basin communities.
To read more about the VFF's fight against the Murray Darling Basin Plan click here.
Commonwealth Water for the Future Plan:
The VFF led the debate on the Water for the Future Plan (previously the National Plan for Water Security), achieving major amendments to the original plan. The VFF Water Council is proud to claim this result as a major win for agriculture.
As a means to protect the interests of Victorian farmers, the VFF was able to achieve major amendments to the original legislation and have them enshrined in new legislation (Water Bill 2007), providing farmers with a level of confidence and certainty over their water rights and entitlements.
These included:
- Current state Water Shares, as defined by the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) Agreement, will be preserved as continuously stressed by the VFF.
- A Ministerial Council comprising all MDB states will guarantee a Victorian say in the Basin planning and management, a demand always held by the VFF. The council will provide advice on the Basin plan and decide on natural resource management programs, the Living Murray Initiative and River Murray operation.
- MDB state water authorities will make available water determinations as maintained by the VFF.
- The VFF's continuous claim for a fair share of the investment in Victoria's ageing infrastructure has been partially addressed through a $1 billion commitment that will provide around 200 GL to be shared equally between farmers and the environment as well $103 million for Sunraysia modernisation. With a Commonwealth commitment to contribute funds to projects linked to achieving outcomes for water reform, the VFF would expect to see more investments coming to Victoria.
- Retention of the Victorian water plans to 2019.
The VFF continues to work with both State and Federal Governments on the implementation of the plan and other issues of interest including the risk assignment, trading rules and rolling over the investments, which includes stage two of the Food Bowl project, the Sunraysia Modernisation plan, and the on-farm modernisation.
Food Bowl Modernisation Project
The VFF is opposed to the removal of water from the Murray Darling Basin (MDB). This policy has been advocated widely, both following the announcement of the North South Pipeline, and in relation to the Goldfields Superpipe. Nothing has changed on either of these positions. A number of actions have been taken to advocate this policy. The VFF continues its work to ensure that the savings are audited before amending any of the Bulk Entitlements.
Groundwater Issues
The VFF has been involved in a number of ground water issues. However, given the increasing number of issues around groundwater management in Victoria, the VFF believes there is still a need to develop a more comprehensive framework for groundwater management. Sufficient funds should be made available to introduce a network of monitoring bores provided with necessary data loggers to monitor groundwater levels and groundwater quality. Sustainable yield of different groundwater aquifers should be determined at a State level. The VFF has proposed a way forward, with a joint committee with DSE to address these issues.
The VFF continues to work on issues of concern to our members including seasonal allocations, fees and charges and unbundling.
Sustainable Water Strategies for Northern Victoria, Western Region and Gippsland
The Victorian Government released its discussion paper and draft strategy for the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy (NRSWS), as well as the discussion paper for Gippsland region. These strategies will guide Government policy in planning to secure water supplies for households, industry, farmers and rivers over the next 50 years.
The VFF is also represented on the consultative committees established to consider community submissions to these Strategies, as well as working group established under these committees to cover areas such as carryover, reliability, the water market, length of irrigation seasons, environmental water and managing environmental assets during drought and climate change.
The VFF has completed two submissions to the Discussion Paper and Draft Strategy for the Northern Region, covering areas such as the security of water supply; the guiding principles, objectives, and decision-making process of the strategy; regional development; the water market and trading; environmental water; modernisation of the distribution system; new and alternative sources of water and other responses to water scarcity.
The VFF continues to work on the sustainable water strategies for the Western Region and Gippsland to protect the interests of our members.
