CENTRE Alliance Senator Rex Patrick will vote against a National Party proposal to force the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) to release water for consumptive use during times of drought.
Senator Patrick, of South Australia, said the proposal was poorly thought-out.
“I can tell you right now Centre Alliance won’t be supporting that Bill,” the South Australian senator said.
“I doubt that Labor will support that Bill.
“I will use any pressure I can to stop that from happening.
“Perin Davey is just misguided in putting that forward.”
Senator Davey, of NSW, will lodge the private senator’s Bill when Federal Parliament resumes in February.
It has the backing of Member for Mallee Anne Webster, who said it would help address concerns farmers in the southern Murray-Darling Basin had raised about not being able to access water flowing past them.
“It is not about NSW or Victoria or South Australia, it is about our communities,” Dr Webster said when the proposal was unveiled last year.
Ms Davey said the Bill would allow the CEWH to use income provided by releasing water on to the market on environmental projects or to “purchase allocation in a better season when it can be used for better impact”.
Changes would need to be made to the Commonwealth Water Act for the Bill to pass, while critics have also claimed it would undermine the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Senator Patrick, who is one of two Centre Alliance senators in parliament, said the Bill was an example of The Nationals pandering to “large irrigators”.
“The National Party seem to be backing large irrigators,” Mr Patrick said.
“I have nothing against irrigators.
“I do have something against irrigators who simply don’t want to have any water flow past their properties because they feel that others use it in a less efficient way than them.”
Senator Patrick is the deputy chair of Senate Select Committee on the Multi-jurisdictional Management and Execution of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
