MEMBER for Murray Helen Dalton says her Bill to force politicians to declare their water interests will be reintroduced in the NSW Parliament this week.
Upper House MP Mark Banasiak, also of the Shooters Fishers and Farmers party, will give notice of motion to introduce the Bill on Tuesday, Mrs Dalton said.
The Water Management Amendment (Water Rights Transparency) Bill had previously been put to the Lower House.
Mrs Dalton said an amendment would be added to retrospectively capture any state MPs who sold water licences or transferred entitlements “while the government stonewalled the legislation”.
Another amendment would force MPs to declare any water their husband or wife may own.
Mrs Dalton said media reports of Chinese state-owned enterprises buying Australian water showed the need for more transparency.
“Unemployed Australians have to declare water ownership on their Centrelink forms. Yet foreign governments and politicians can buy as much water as they want, in secret,” she said.
Mrs Dalton has been critical of The Nationals for not backing the legislation.
“They first objected to me introducing it, reported me to the Ethics Committee, then delayed the Bill as much as they could,” she said.
“The NSW Government then suspended parliament, but the clock still ran on my (Lower House) Bill — meaning it’s now expired.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday threw her support behind state Nationals leader John Barilaro after a fued emerged over preselection for the federal seat of Eden-Monaro.
“He has my full support,” Ms Berejiklian said.
