Low grocery prices depend on stopping pipeline

“If Kevin Rudd was serious about tackling the cost of groceries, he would instruct the Labor Party to abolish its plan to flush the North-East’s water down to Melbourne,” Sophie Mirabella, the Federal Member for Indi, said today.

“Rather than take real action, the Labor Party wants to set up yet another review into grocery prices – another review that seeks to fill their policy black hole,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“By taking water from our vital agriculture region, groceries will inevitably be more expensive in the future.”

“When our farms suffer, Australia suffers – and the correct response is to do what we can to increase the water in our region, not flush it down to Melbourne.”

“This comes on the back of recent Bureau of Metereology drought updates that advise of ‘long-term deficiencies’ in rainfall remain in Central Victoria, which ‘have occurred against a backdrop of multi-year rainfall deficits and record high temperatures that have severely stressed water supplies in the east and southwest of the country.’”

“Given the drought and its impact on agricultural production, consumers can only expect grocery prices to increase in the future. This will be exaggerated by Labor’s pipeline to Melbourne,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“Instead of merely ‘looking into it,’ the Minister for Water, Penny Wong, should take action and do something about grocery prices.”

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