SunRice announces job cuts in Leeton and Deniliquin

SunRice Group has announced significant job cuts across its operations in Deniliquin, Leeton, and Australian Grain Storage (AGS). Following a month of consultation with unions and staff, the company reported changes affecting 92 employees, resulting in 78 redundancies and 14 redeployments.

Leeton Mayor George Weston and local industry groups attributed the decision to dry conditions and structural changes in water availability caused by the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Specifically, they cited the federal government’s increased efforts to conduct voluntary water buybacks, which transfer water rights away from agricultural production to improve river and wetland health.

Mayor Weston noted that these buybacks have a “devastating flow-on impact” on irrigation-dependent towns, affecting various industries including rice processing, cotton ginning, citrus juicing, and winemaking, as well as local businesses and services.