OPPOSITION investment and trade spokesperson and Member for Chaffey Tim Whetstone was delighted after learning of Neil Andrew's appointment as the new chair of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, particularly given his ties to the Riverland.
"I have heard there is scepticism about him being from SA, and of course there will be some finger-pointing between the states, but that's just typical parochialism," he said.
"In my time working alongside Neil, I have seen his ability to lead. Craig Knowles should be congratulated for the job he did - he was a great community communicator, and so is Mr Andrew.
"He has strong views but he also has the ability to engage, shown by his time as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
"To be chair of the MDBA you need political nouse; politics is vital in achieving an outcome, and he's got that in his past experience."
Mr Whetstone said he looked forward to working with Mr Andrew on implementing the Basin Plan by 2019.
"The overall picture is that we have to remain in the game, and efficiencies will be the name of that game," he said.
"At the moment, irrigators should be value-adding to their properties by putting in better water infrastructure for water efficiency gains to remain competitive on the world stage, just like we are doing on water reform."