Calls for inquiry into NSW water theft allegations

“NSW government must answer the allegations made on the Four Corners program,” he said.

“The community is stunned by the report’s claims that NSW public servants at the highest level were complicit in undermining their own water laws and subverting the intent of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

“We have been working in good faith with other governments on the Basin Plan with the aim of ensuring the long-term health of the river system for our communities and our economies.

“The Four Corners program confirms our deep suspicions about the level of commitment of NSW to comply with the Basin Plan.”

Mr Hunter questioned how much the NSW government knew about the issue and when.

“That government has questions to answer,” he said.

“Clearly we can’t trust the NSW Department of Primary Industries or the NSW government to investigate themselves.

“Therefore we demand an urgent meeting of COAG to commission a judicial inquiry. That inquiry should have terms of reference that will make recommendations about a new national regime of compliance and enforcement for the Basin Plan.

“I reiterate that it is critical to deliver the MDB Plan in full and on time, especially the 450 gigalitres of water we know is needed for the long-term health of the River Murray.

“Four Corners' revelations also underscore the need for national leadership because the upstream states cannot be trusted with the heath of the river.”

Australian Conservatives MLC Robert Brokenshire has also called on Federal Water Minister Barnaby Joyce to establish an urgent Ministerial Inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of water from the River Murray.

“These allegations are alarming and proper action needs to be taken,” he said.

“I have written to Mr Joyce calling for an urgent Ministerial Inquiry and to make the results public as irrigators, not political personalities, should be given priority in this situation.

“We need a Ministerial Inquiry as all a Parliamentary Inquiry would accomplish is a venue for political point scoring. 

“SA Irrigators have led the way when it comes to water efficiency, much of which was paid for by individual irrigators. What they need now is for the government to lead and get to the bottom of this mess.” 

The NSW government Department of Primary Industries released a statement saying it would be cross-checking allegations made by the Four Corners program regarding compliance and any issues regarding the Barwon Darling catchment and implementation of the Basin Plan.

“DPI Water refutes the claims it lost its appetite for compliance and works closely with water enforcement authorities to achieve prosecutions where adverse activities are detected and proven,” it said.

“Targeted and broad consultation with industry, communities and experts underscores the state’s approach to ensure views of all parties are captured.

“The state remains committed to the Murray Darling Basin Plan and to ensuring it is delivered in a way that balances economic, environmental and socio-economic concerns, and puts local communities front and centre.”

NSW Water Minister Niall Blair said it was wrong to suggest that a change to the water rules in NSW in 2012, somehow undermined the government’s determination to see the MDB Plan through.

“The Department established a new quality improvement process for regulation on July 1, 2016, with an independent advisory committee led by the NSW Land and Water Commissioner and the former head of the NSW Environment Protection Authority,” he said.

“The Secretary will engage these advisers in preparing a suitably robust and independent process to complete the analysis of these issues.

“Additionally, the Secretary will also seek advice from the Ombudsman to maximise the effectiveness of the investigation.

“We acknowledge the importance of every drop of water in the basin, but the fate of the MDB Plan won’t hinge on irrigators in the Barwon-Darling.

“This government is determined to address the economic, environmental and socio-economic concerns around the river system, with local communities front and centre in this balancing act.”

In Far West NSW, pastoralists are calling for a Royal Commission to be established by the federal government.

Lower Darling irrigators Rob and Katharine McBride, Tolarno Station, asked that the Royal Commission examine the actions of the NSW government in changing the irrigation rules for the Barwon-Darling catchment, to deliberately undermine the intent of the Commonwealth Water Act and the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

“In addition to a Royal Commission, we are calling for Senators to reject the proposal to reduce the recovery of environmental water from the Northern Basin as part of the MDB Plan,” they said.

“The absence of auditing of NSW government's compliance to the Barwon-Darling irrigation cap since 2011 is gross negligence by various authorities.

"$12 billion was committed to recover water to protect the river, the environment and the communities it sustains. It is wrong for environmental water paid for by taxpayers to have been used for irrigation.

“NSW government has made this happen, and auditing that should have identified this conduct has not occurred.

“The MDB Plan was supposed to give us certainty that there would be a healthy river for our future generations. But the future of the river is now more uncertain than ever.

“We can't maintain our communities and our businesses when we can’t even make sure that there will be water for our family and animals to drink.”

In 2015-16, 500km of the Darling River and the Menindee Lakes ran dry for eight months.

“This was not because of a drought,”Mr McBride said.

“It was because of over-extraction upstream. In the past 70 years, this part of the river has only gone dry three times, and never for more than three months.

“The 2015-2016 event was an environmental disaster and devastated communities.

“The future of the Darling River, and those who depend on it, is now more uncertain than ever before.”