FORMER Law Court of Australia president Bret Walker will be appointed to lead the Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission by Premier Jay Weatherill.
Mr Walker, who has practiced law wince 1979 and and the NSW Bar Association president from 2001 to 2003 will be recommended by the Premier to investigate allegations of non-compliance and mismanagement by upstream irrigators.
The Premier will recommend Mr Walker to the Governor, with the Royal Commission to begin its work early in the new year.
It is anticipated the Royal Commission will report by February 1, 2019, but will have the power to deliver interim reports.
Mr Weatherill said the Royal Commission was established because the government was standing up for SA.
“But in protecting South Australia’s interests, we’re also protecting the national interest,” he said.
“If evidence emerges of criminality, we will have no hesitation in pursuing the perpetrators.”