Here's what Victorian irrigators are saying about the possibility of more buybacks

The federal government's Restoring Our Rivers Bill seeks to increase voluntary water buybacks by 450 gigalitres.

Campaspe Shire deputy mayor and former dairy farmer Tony Marwood, Echuca, said all six members of the Murray River Group of Councils (MRGC) were "massively exposed" to the possibility of losing water to buybacks.

"They are below the Barmah Choke, they have the highest-security water you can get, so this resource is really important," he said.

The MRGC is made up of Campaspe, Gannawarra, Loddon, Mildura, Moira and Swan Hill councils and Mr Marwood said a recent meeting between representatives and senior Murray-Darling Basin Authority staff was disappointing.

"These guys were really good at presenting, but bad at answering questions," he said.

He said it appeared councils would be responsible for "structural adjustment" and community assistance packages being offered to offset some of the impact of buybacks.

"That's a significant piece of work, how are we going to resource that?" he said.

"You are talking $250,000-$500,000 [per council]."

He said a Senate inquiry had recommended the government determine "appropriate eligibility parameters" for community assistance packages "by inquiring communities demonstrate how they would be impacted by water acquisition".

The Senate committee recommended assistance be directed into setting up and maintaining long-term jobs, but Mr Marwood said that was too late.

"It's a bit like, I ran you over - we have cancelled the ambulance and you have to walk to hospital," he said.

He said government purchases of specific parcels of water added to the cost pressures of remaining waterholders, because it resulted in gaps in delivery and thus pushed up costs.

"The farmer who sells his water will be fine," he said.

"It's the ones who are left behind where the work has to be done.

"It's those ancillary businesses, it's the loss of industry, it's the loss of jobs."

Tongala farmer Andrew Tyler said he still believed the region was "great for dairying, given we can grow high-quality feed".

Mr Tyler has a herd of 1150 cows on 800 hectares, with 400 hectares under irrigation.

He said farmers throughout the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District were constantly seeking greater water efficiency, for both crops and pasture.

He grows corn and white sorghum for forage.

"We are chasing starch and that's where our irrigation water goes to," he said.

"With double cropping, we can grow somewhere between 2-2.5 tonnes of feed per megalitre of water, depending on the season."

He said uncertainty over buybacks would stifle expansion.

"Whenever there is uncertainty, it's a handbrake on investment," he said.

"It takes away people's desire to grow their businesses."

Leitchville dairy farmer Bernice Lumsden said every submission to the Productivity Commission inquiry into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan said it was failing.

"Who would have thought that 103 submissions about the plan could all agree?" Ms Lumsden said.

She said when water was sold to the government, it was permanently lost to agriculture.

"I don't like the idea of the Canadian superannuation funds coming in and buying water," she said.

"But I would prefer it to the government buying water because at least the Canadians want an economic return on their valuable asset.

"They will do that by selling it back temporarily into the consumptive pool."

A Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water spokesperson said voluntary water purchases were only one part of the plan's full delivery.

The spokesperson said the government was continuing to work with Basin states and territories "and other stakeholders" on the design and delivery of water recovery programs to help deliver 450GL of water for the environment.