Reports that Strathmerton house prices have fallen by 43 per cent since release of controversial Murray Darling Basin Plan
By Jess Craig
House prices in Strathmerton have reportedly been affected by the Murray Darling Basin Plan according to a RP Data report.
The report, which was featured in The Age last week, reportedly shows that house prices in Strathmerton have fallen by 43 per cent.
Member for Murray Valley Tim McCurdy said he was shocked to see the figures in theRP Data report.
‘‘Strathmerton is a progressive town with one of the largest processed cheese factories in the southern hemisphere, supplying national and international customers.
‘‘It is certainly not a dying town, it has industry, small businesses and great sporting and recreational facilities.
‘‘If this is the effect the Murray Darling Basin Plan will have on a progressive town such as Strathmerton, what hope do we have in towns which are already doing it tough?’’
National Party Senator for Victoria Brdiget McKenzie, who has visited Strathmerton in the past, said the reported dropping house prices will have a flow-on effect and impact ‘‘everyone in these towns, with and without a mortgage – from the teenager working part-time at the takeaway shop, to the hairdressing apprentice and the local school teachers.’’
‘‘The draft Basin Plan, together with the Federal Government’s botched water buyback program, represents a further blow to the long term viability of these communities,’’ she said.
‘‘These towns need certainty in order to grow and prosper into the future – a certainty not provided by the draft Basin Plan, which fails to clearly explain how economic and social factors have been incorporated into its targets.
‘‘Last year the government promised that it would scrap the Guide and deliver a triple bottom line but it has failed to demonstrate how it has achieved this.
‘‘The final Basin Plan needs to ensure these vibrant communities can continue to do what they do best – produce Australia’s food.
‘‘The towns analysed, including Strathmerton, were those the Murray Darling Basin Authority had identified as ‘likely to be especially vulnerable’ in a leaked version of the draft Basin Plan last year.
‘‘The final version removed reference to these towns.’’
Senator McKenzie said publication of RP Data’s research into Murray Darling Basin house prices has revealed some dramatic local impacts that will be felt not only by farmers, but also the towns and industries that support them.
