Shadow Minister for Water, Steph Cooke, says the loss of 92 jobs at SunRice facilities in Leeton and Deniliquin is the direct consequence of years of warnings being ignored about the impact of water policy on regional communities.
As one of the Murray-Darling Basin’s largest employers and processors, SunRice warned policymakers as early as 2024 that the ongoing reduction in water availability, coupled with policy uncertainty, would threaten the long-term viability of local jobs and investment.
Two years later, with 92 positions now made redundant, those warnings have become reality, delivering a significant blow to workers, families and local economies across the Riverina and Murray regions.
Ms Cooke said every job lost in a regional community carries consequences far beyond a single workplace.
“One less job means one less person spending money in the community, and over time it means fewer families supporting local schools, sporting clubs and small businesses, placing their viability at risk,” Ms Cooke said.
“When it comes to rural communities, any jobs lost can have a sweeping effect on everyone, so to see 92 positions disappear is absolutely heartbreaking.”
“The Minns Labor Government has been warned for years that decisions made in Sydney and Canberra would have real consequences for regional communities, and sadly we’re now seeing exactly what industry predicted.”
The job losses come despite rice industry businesses applying for assistance through the $160 million NSW Sustainable Communities Program, established to help communities manage the social and economic impacts of water buybacks.
The applications sought funding to diversify operations and strengthen business resilience, enabling employers to continue supporting local workforces amid increasing water policy pressures.
Ms Cooke said those projects represented practical opportunities to protect jobs and maintain economic activity across the region.
“These employers were putting forward plans to adapt and keep employing local people.”
“Instead of backing projects that could have safeguarded regional jobs, the Government chose to fund less impactful initiatives such as painted murals while overlooking proposals that directly supported employment and economic resilience.”
Ms Cooke said the redundancies should serve as a warning about the broader consequences of continued water recovery measures without adequate protections for basin communities.
“Every gigalitre taken out of productive agriculture has a flow-on effect through processing plants, transport operators, local businesses and families.”
“If governments are serious about supporting regional Australia, they must stop treating water policy and community impacts as separate issues, and protecting rural jobs and communities must be at the centre of every decision.”
