Lalor MP Joanne Ryan has called on the federal government to fund its share of Werribee South irrigation upgrades as a matter of urgency.
Ms Ryan said she was incensed to discover that federal agriculture and water resources minister David Littleproud met the Victorian Farmers Federation in Werribee South last month without making any funding announcement for the region.
“If he wants to stand in amongst our lettuces and get his boots dirty, then he needs to back that in with a commitment to our local growers, and for our very important industry,” she said.
Southern Rural Water (SRW) wants a $31.1 million upgrade to the Werribee irrigation district to pipe all channels south of the Maltby bypass and save about 5000 megalitres of water each year, which is currently lost through leaking channels.
Two thirds of the project has been funded through SRW and the state government, with works beginning mid-2017.
A SRW spokeswoman said the state government had last year been unsuccessful in receiving the rest of the funding through the federal government’s National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.
“The Victorian government has resubmitted the bid and, with SRW, is now waiting on the federal government’s decision, which is expected within the next few weeks.”
A spokesman for federal agriculture and water resources minister said: “The Coalition government has established $2.5 billion of funding to fast-track investment in critical water infrastructure to stimulate projects the state may not otherwise build.”
Responsibility for the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund sits with minister for infrastructure Michael McCormack.
A spokeswoman for Mr McCormack added: “The Werribee and Bacchus Marsh application for capital funding is currently being carefully considered as part of a competitive, merit-based expression of interest application process”.
