Last updated: April 2026 | Author: Angus Hughson, Big Ditch Dam Building Company
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Big Ditch Dam Building Company has been constructing and repairing farm dams across New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria for over 35 years. Every farm dam built to the right standards — correct clay, proper compaction, adequate spillway — can provide 50–100+ years of reliable water storage.
Taxpayers have funded as many as 30 huge dams on land owned by private interests and big agriculture firms.
These brand-new dams have been built on private property, with money coming from the Commonwealth’s $4 billion water efficiency program.
Two of the dam projects cost taxpayers nearly $30 million.
The dam projects were subject to very limited public consultation and also privately-commissioned environmental evaluations.
Over $200 million has been spent on these dam projects.
If any other industry lost taxpayer money on ecologically and socially destructive projects such as this, there would be a national uproar” Maryanne Slattery stated. Ms Slattery is a previous Murray-Darling Basin Authority director
She said politicians were incorrect in claiming no new dams have actually been built since the 2013 election.
The fact is – political leaders won’t talk about these dams because they do nothing for drought-stricken neighbourhoods or battling farmers
Greens water spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young claimed business irrigators were duping the taxpayer.
It’s outrageous that these dams are being publicly funded, because they steal water from downstream customers. They are for the exclusive use of industry, and yet no public details on these dams exists” she stated
Minister for Water Resources David Littleproud said the claims were false.
“The dams are part of an efficiency program,” he stated. “The water saved by this program is currently held by the Commonwealth as water for the advantage of the environment and communities if needed. These programs are also audited by the Commonwealth”
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