Member for Murray Helen Dalton has begun a new campaign, calling for a royal commission into water management across Australia.
A self-proclaimed ‘water warrior,’ Ms Dalton has hinged multiple policy and re-election campaigns around water and water management.
She has now moved to pushing other MPs to call for a royal commission into water management.
Ms Dalton said that any politicians opposing a royal commission were ‘part of the problem.’
“Politics, and politicians, continue to destroy our waterways, our rural communities and our way of life …Politicians are causing this problem. Only an Independent Royal Commission will fix it.”
“And if any politician opposes a Royal Commission into water, voters need to know, that politics is part of the problem and not part of the solution.”
Ms Dalton likened state and federal government policies, particularly in regard to the Murray-Darling Basin, to pouring petrol down a drain.
“Imagine there are 1000 cars outside a petrol station, waiting to fill up, and the owner is standing there pouring all the petrol down the drain,” she said.
“It’s absolute madness and it must stop immediately.”
It’s not quite a royal commission but the NSW state government has voted to support the expansion of powers of the Energy and Water Ombudsman for NSW – or EWON.
Customers of the state’s five statutory irrigation corporations will be able to go to EWON for assistance from July 2026, ensuring farmers and irrigators can benefit from the same protections as large-scale and corporate water consumers.
The five statutory corporations include Murrumbidgee Irrigation, Coleambally Irrigation Co-operative, Jemalong Irrigation, Murray Irrigation, and Western Murray Irrigation.
Energy and Water Ombudsman for NSW Janine Young said that it was a major step towards ensuring everybody is treated fairly.
“Expanding our jurisdiction to include irrigation complaints ensures that customers in rural NSW have access to a fair, independent dispute resolution process, reflecting our commitment to improving consumer outcomes across essential services,” she said.
“Whether customers are facing billing issues, service complaints, or concerns about water access, affordability or land access, they will be able to come to EWON for trusted and independent advice or dispute resolution to reach a fair and impartial outcome.”
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