Campaspe and Gannawarra shire councils are sounding the alarm over 2026 Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Campaspe and Gannawarra shire councils are sounding the alarm, warning that further water recovery under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan risks turning their irrigation districts into “collateral damage”.
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Campaspe Shire Mayor Daniel Mackrell and Gannawarra Shire Mayor Garner Smith have called on the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to acknowledge the work done to improve irrigation systems across both shires and take it into account in the 2026 Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review.
Both mayors said the region’s irrigation areas should not be unfairly targeted as implementation of the plan continued.
They argue the areas have already delivered significant efficiency and environmental outcomes.
Cr Smith feared the viability of the irrigation district would be “under threat” if changes were not made.
Gannawarra Shire Council’s submission to the review pushed one point in particular: Gannawarra is disproportionately impacted.
The report outlines that over half of the water within the Torrumbarry Irrigation Area was removed from the system, which “Gannawarra primarily depends” on.
Cr Smith said the MDBA had a “moral responsibility” to ensure its actions did not further jeopardise the viability of the Gannawarra community, which has high reliance on irrigation industries.
He said irrigators in the Torrumbarry and Swan Hill areas had already invested in modern infrastructure promoting water efficiency and sustainable practices.
“These communities should not be treated as collateral damage in an ongoing process that continues to shift the burden on to the southern basin,” Cr Smith said.
Both mayors also share concerns about the MDBA’s lack of explanation or quantification of where over-allocation or over-extraction is occurring and by how much.
Campaspe Shire Mayor Daniel Mackrell and Gannawarra Shire Mayor Garner Smith have jointly expressed the importance of fairness during the basin plan review.
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McPherson Media Group
“Without that clarity, it is impossible to justify why southern basin systems, which are already highly regulated and efficient, continue to bear a disproportionate share of water recovery and socio-economic impact,” Cr Mackrell said.
“Communities like ours deserve evidence‑based policy, transparency and fairness, not assumptions that place further pressure on towns, farmers and local economies that have already done their part.”
MDBA chief executive Andrew McConville told the Riv the authority was working through over 2400 submissions, with local councils featuring heavily, and “considering any evidence that has been provided”.
“We’ve heard clearly through our engagement that the socio-economic impacts of water management decisions are front of mind for basin communities, including people in Gannawarra and Campaspe,” he said.
“Many people told us that the recognition of the agriculture sector was the ‘missing chapter’ in the discussion paper, and that feedback is helping shape the final report.
“We are reviewing sustainable development limits as part of the basin plan review. Initial assessments were included in our discussion paper as a starting point for consultation, and many people have provided input on these in their submissions.”
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review Report will be presented to the Federal Government by the end of the year.
Until then, the Gannawarra and Campaspe shire mayors said they would continue to advocate for their communities.
The mayors pledged to fight for a genuinely fair approach that recognised what rural communities faced daily and ensured every part of the basin shared the responsibility equally.
