With irrigators in the region facing the prospect of more water buybacks and reduced productivity, the Farrer by-election is looming as a referendum on water reform in the Murray Darling Basin.

One Nation candidate for Farrer David Farley said irrigators in the electorate needed certainty from candidates contesting the seat.

“The teal candidate at this by-election has said she doesn’t support buybacks but she’s being backed by people who explicitly support more buybacks,” Mr Farley said. “This isn’t good enough for irrigators in Farrer, who can’t possibly have any confidence this candidate will support them.

“One Nation opposed Labor’s changes made to the Basin Plan in 2023; changes which will result in more buybacks in Farrer. Every teal and Green in Parliament supported more buybacks despite the clear evidence they directly harm irrigation communities and industries.

“My position, and One Nation’s, is crystal clear. We’ll reintroduce the cap on buybacks – the cap that teals and the Greens voted to remove. We’ll re-introduce the socio-economic test for the additional 450 GL. We’ll restore balance to the Basin Plan.

“Irrigators in Farrer have given up enough of their water. We should be exhausting all other forms of water recovery before we ask irrigators to give up any more.

“Despite what Labor, the Greens and teals believe, water is not just for environmental flows. We need to see water for what it is: a strategic resource essential for a wide range of industries and jobs – especially agriculture – and for a growing population and economy.

“We need to manage the Basin for Australia’s future. We need an investment mindset when it comes to water, not an extraction mindset. Basin water management needs to focus not on who gets the water, but on ensuring there’s enough for everyone.

“That’s my focus too. Farrer’s economy and communities rely strongly on irrigation. I want our economy and our communities to grow and thrive, not stagnate or decline. This means investing in water security, not taking it away like the teals and the Greens have done.”