RAMJO Endorses Community Advocacy Campaign to Protect Basin Communities for Future Generations
Mayors from across the Riverina and Murray regions met at Tocumwal NSW earlier this month, to demonstrate their united stance in calling for greater awareness of the impacts of ongoing environmental water recovery on regional communities.
The Riverina and Murray Joint Organisation (RAMJO) has endorsed the development of a community-led advocacy campaign to raise public and political awareness of the impacts of water recovery and water reform on Basin communities. The decision was made at the RAMJO Board Meeting held on 7 August 2026.
The campaign, developed in partnership with the Murray Darling Association, will focus on sharing the stories of regional communities through a series of short videos highlighting the social, economic and environmental consequences of ongoing water recovery. The campaign aims to ensure the voices of Basin communities are heard and understood beyond regional Australia.
The RAMJO Board recognised that, earlier this year, significant formal submissions including technical and economic analysis had been provided to the Murray Darling Basin Authority as part of the 2026 Basin Plan Review but considered that there remained a need to better communicate the human impacts of water policy decisions on regional towns, families, businesses and industries.
A consistent message from councils across the region is that future generations deserve both healthy rivers and healthy communities includes the following key priorities:
- Ending further recovery of productive water from Basin communities and providing certainty on future water recovery measures.
- Completing existing Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism (SDLAM) projects and transparently accounting for their outcomes before considering additional recovery initiatives.
- Reviewing environmental watering practices to ensure they are delivering measurable environmental benefits and are supported by sound evidence.
- Accelerating measures to address invasive carp and other biosecurity threats impacting river health.
- Prioritising investment in secure town water supplies and critical water infrastructure across regional communities.
- Strengthening governance and oversight of water trading to protect local economies and prevent adverse impacts on Basin communities.
- Undertaking an independent review of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to ensure transparency, accountability and alignment with environmental, agricultural and community outcomes.
This campaign is about more than water. It is about protecting regional jobs, sustaining local communities, and preserving Australia’s food and fibre security and sovereignty by ensuring future generations retain the capacity to grow, process and manufacture the food and fibre on which the nation depends.
Griffith City Council
Mayor Doug Curran highlighted the importance of balancing environmental outcomes with the long-term future of productive regional communities.
“We support a healthy Basin, but not at the cost of hollowing out productive communities. Future generations deserve healthy rivers, thriving regional economies and secure food production.”
Edward River Council
Mayor Ashley Hall said communities such as Deniliquin had already experienced significant impacts from water reform and future decisions must acknowledge those cumulative effects.
“Our community and irrigation industries have already carried a substantial share of water recovery and reform. Future decisions must recognise what has already been removed, the efficiencies already achieved and the cumulative impact on communities such as Deniliquin.”
The Mayor warned that further water buybacks risk undermining the economic and social foundations of regional communities.
“Water is not simply a commodity in our region. It supports farms, food processing, transport businesses, local jobs, schools, sporting clubs and community services. When productive water leaves a district permanently, the economic activity and population it supports can leave with it.”
Leeton Shire Council
Mayor George Weston emphasised the continuing national importance of irrigation communities and Australia’s food security.
“Irrigation communities helped drought-proof Australia more than a century ago. They remain essential to our nation’s food security, export strength and future prosperity.”
The Mayor also called for greater recognition of the partnership between agricultural production and environmental stewardship.
“Stop pitting farmers against the environment. Strong communities and healthy rivers depend on each other.”
Balranald Shire Council
Mayor Louie Zaffina expressed concern about the widening gap between policy making and the realities being experienced in Basin communities.
“There is a growing gap between policy intent and the lived experience of Basin communities. Our communities deserve secure water and a strong future.”
The Mayor noted that water policy impacts extend well beyond agriculture.
“Water recovery doesn’t stop at the farm gate. It affects jobs, businesses, regional confidence and the future of our towns.”
Berrigan Shire Council
Mayor of Berrigan, Dr. Julia Cornwell McKean called for meaningful action in response to the concerns raised by Basin communities.
“Communities have spoken. The question now is whether they have been listened to. We need action, not just acknowledgement.”
Albury City
Mayor Kevin Mack highlighted that the Basin Plan affects not only agriculture but also urban communities, infrastructure and water security.
“A healthy Basin means more than river health. It also means secure drinking water, resilient infrastructure and strong regional communities.”
Federation Council
Federation Council Mayor, Cr Cheryl Cook said Federation Council is proud to stand with its many fellow RAMJO Councils in this joint effort.
“The 2026 Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review is a turning point for our region. By working through RAMJO, Federation Council is advocating for a fair revised plan that delivers genuine environmental health without compromising the long-term viability of the communities that rely on the Riverina and Murray systems.”
Narrandera Shire Council
Mayor, Cr Neville Kshenka OAM stated the following:
“We are concerned that although the great state of NSW has almost 9 million people, less than 3 million people provide 70 percent of the wealth.
We do that by caring for the land where produce is grown and feeds the nation. We understand how to care for the land, and the environment, and how our rivers should be managed. But without water, Australia will become a net importer of food and fibre.
We have to cease the water buy-backs before it is too late.”
Hay Shire Council
Mayor, Cr Carol Oataway stated:
“We support a healthy river, but we also need a healthy economy and healthy communities. Water is the lifeblood of our agricultural economy, and when water leaves productive agriculture, the impact is felt well beyond the farm gate. It affects local businesses, employment, families, and the long-term sustainability of our towns. We need a Basin Plan that achieves genuine environmental outcomes while recognising that regional communities must also have a sustainable future.”
Murrumbidgee Council
Chair of RAMJO and Mayor of Murrumbidgee Council, Cr Ruth McRae OAM, said the 2026 Basin Plan Review presents an important opportunity to reset water policy settings and focus on practical outcomes for both communities and the environment.
“Any future Basin policy must balance environmental objectives with the long-term sustainability of regional communities, industries and food production. Basin communities deserve certainty, transparency and a genuine voice in decisions that shape their future.”
Murray River Council
Mayor, Councillor John Harvie congratulates all RAMJO councils for producing a campaign that will bring to light the true objectives of the basin plan and the real consequences of its implementation.
“The Murray Darling Basin Plan was born with good intensions but has been hijacked by environmental zealots and external water market traders who have no interest in productive use of our scarce water resources in agriculture, national food security, or the sustainability of our regional and rural communities. If anyone wants to witness these real consequences, visit the basin and see that the health of our rivers has not improved one iota in sixteen years, bank slump is worse as is the environmental damage by European carp. Visit Wakool and see a devastated community which has lost agricultural production, half of its residents, its football and netball club and its, social cohesion. Who Cares? Not federal or state governments, the MDBA board or the environmental lobby! How does that meet the objectives of the plan?”
A Shared Vision for the Future
The campaign will focus on real community stories, local industries, family businesses and the people who live and work throughout Basin communities. It will seek to demonstrate that healthy rivers, strong regional economies, food security and vibrant communities are complementary outcomes that should be pursued together.
The united message from the Riverina and Murray region is clear. As stated by Cr Ruth McRae OAM:
“This is about more than water. It is about our communities’ survival.”
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Media contacts: For further enquiries, please contact
RAMJO Chair:
Cr Ruth McRae OAM
Phone: 0428 861 767
Email: *****************************
RAMJO Water Subcommittee Chair:
Ms Jackie Kruger
Phone: +61 269 530 901
Emai;: *************************
About RAMJO:
RAMJO has been proclaimed by the NSW State Government as a Body Corporate under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1993 to provide a way for local councils, the NSW Government, the Commonwealth and Industry to work together to deliver projects and advocacy to regional communities and represent a long-term commitment to the development of a shared vision for a region.
RAMJO creates regional advantage for the twelve member councils by delivering outcomes that individual councils could not achieve alone — including collective advocacy, efficiencies, opportunities and cost savings.
The RAMJO region consists of the following member councils: Albury City Council, Balranald Shire Council, Berrigan Shire Council, Edward River Council, Federation Council, Griffith City Council, Hay Shire Council, Leeton Shire Council, Murray River Council, Murrumbidgee Council, Narrandera Shire Council and Wentworth Shire Council, and covers an area of over 94,000 square kilometres with a population of 165,600 people.
About the MDBA Plan Review:
The Murray–Darling Basin is the largest and most complex river system in Australia. It covers 1 million square kilometres of south-eastern Australia, across New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan sets the amount of water that can be taken from the Basin each year, and this plan is currently in review.
Why now?
The need for this campaign has never been more urgent. Recent announcements that 78 SunRice jobs will be lost across Deniliquin and Leeton have brought into sharp focus the real-world consequences that water recovery decisions can have on Basin communities. These losses affect not only workers and their families, but also transport operators, contractors, small businesses, retailers, sporting clubs, schools and community organisations that depend on a strong regional economy. They reinforce concerns held by many Basin communities that the cumulative effects of water buybacks are now being felt well beyond the farm gate, placing additional pressure on towns that have already contributed significantly to Basin reform.
At the same time, communities are questioning whether further water purchasing should continue while reviews of the Basin Plan, Water Act and National Water Agreement remain underway. The Prime Minister has previously acknowledged the critical contribution regional Australia makes to the national economy, and Basin communities argue that policies affecting productive water should be subject to rigorous socio-economic assessment before additional water is removed from regional industries.