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Yes to $100m deal for irrigators
23 Jun 2004
The Victorian Water Minister has agreed to a $100 million deal with irrigators which will deliver 20 per cent of the Goulburn Murray sales pool to the environment. In return, irrigators will be granted greater ownership of the remaining 80 per cent of the one million megalitre pool as a permanently tradeable entitlement.
It's believed Mr Thwaites will announce the creation of the medium security entitlement today. But Goulburn Murray Water irrigators previously demanded $100 million in compensation for the loss of water to the environment. As a result, the State Government has agreed to: invest $50 million over five years in piping small channels; invest $30 million in irrigation dam upgrades; invest $6 million in a channel reconfiguration study; waive the 2 per cent environmental charge on the Goulburn Murray Water irrigation authority, worth about $14.4 million.
Mr Thwaites has also promised that any future claw-back in the Goulburn Murray Water system for the environment will be based on buying water from willing sellers or investing in water-saving projects.
Weekly Times, 23/6/04, page 4.
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