Enough Is Enough

Enough is enough. Water buybacks are being pushed harder, not because they work, but because admitting the Basin Plan is broken has become too inconvenient. As pressure grows on NSW communities, Chris Minns cannot stand by while billions more are poured into a model that is already failing. Huge sums have been spent buying water that cannot be physically or legally delivered to achieve environmental outcomes. Known constraints, rigid delivery rules and unresolved system flaws mean vast volumes now sit idle on paper, while Murray communities carry the real cost. This is junk policy producing junk results.

To keep the narrative alive, artificial outcomes have been baked into the system, including forcing conditions that do not reflect how the river naturally functions, such as at the Lower Lakes. Instead of fixing constraints, infrastructure, water accounting and delivery rules, the response has been to reach deeper into productive regions and pull more water out. That decision has hollowed out industries, stripped confidence from regional towns and delivered little to show for it environmentally.

This is the moment for leadership. Chris Minns must halt these destructive buybacks now. Enough damage has already been done. Fix what is broken before another litre is taken from Murray. Continuing to double down on failure is not reform — it is reckless persistence, and regional NSW should not be forced to keep paying the price.