Friday, 21/09/2012
Water Act which would allow the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to change how much water should go to the environment under the Basin Plan.
If the change is passed in Parliament, the Basin Authority could alter the Sustainable Diversion Limit without approval from the water minister.
Louise Burge, from Southern Riverina Irrigators, supports an adjustment mechanism but has a problem with the Basin Authority being in control of it.
"We're not against the the adjustment mechanism itself, it's just the question of who oversees the adjustment process," she said.
"It's most important in natural resource management policies to bring together people and all layers of government together.
"This could take it in the other direction."
The Federal Government's Water Act amendments have been referred to the House of Representatives Regional Australia committee, chaired by NSW independent MP Tony Windsor.
Contrary to comments made on the ABC by the Liberal Member for Murray, Sharman Stone, the commitee has not rejected that referral. In fact, it has no power to do so.
The committee has not yet made any decisions about how it will proceed with the inquiry.
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