ENVIRONMENT groups and Member for Murray Helen Dalton have welcomed a NSW parliamentary inquiry into floodplain harvesting established by the NSW Upper House on Wednesday.
“This (inquiry) will finally provide answers on the extent of illegal water take in NSW and dodgy deals done between the NSW Government and big corporate irrigators,” Mrs Dalton said.
Nature Conservation Council community water campaigner and Wentworth Shire councillor Jane MacAllister said the inquiry would examine the legality of the practice.
The inquiry comes after the disallowance by the NSW Upper House of the government’s floodplain harvesting regulations in May.
Greens MP Cate Faehrmann will chair the inquiry and Mark Banasiak of the Shooters, Fishers & Farmers party will be deputy chair.
“This inquiry is a win for the communities, farmers and First Nations peoples along the Darling-Barka River, who have been sidelined throughout this process, and will finally get an opportunity to have their voices heard,” Ms Faehrmann said.
“We cannot hope to resolve this standoff without providing all members of the community a forum to be heard equally.
“There is huge uncertainty around this form of take, including the massive increase in the volume of take and even whether floodplain harvesting has been legal up until this point.
“This inquiry will allow us to finally address, and hopefully resolve, these open questions.
“This inquiry will examine the legality of floodplain harvesting as well as the modelling underpinning the government’s claims that licensing floodplain harvesting won’t exceed the basin cap.
“Members of the committee hail from across the political spectrum. As chair I am committed to working with all members in the hope of achieving consensus recommendations as to how floodplain harvesting should be licensed and regulated,” Ms Faehrmann said.
The motion to establish the inquiry was passed with the support of the Labor Party, which backed away from supporting an inquiry in May.
