Jay Weatherill announces Royal Commission into Murray-Darling Plan following claims of upstream rorting

PREMIER Jay Weatherill will establish a royal commission, with the support of the Opposition and Greens, to investigate widespread allegations that upstream irrigators are stealing water from the Murray-Darling Basin.

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PREMIER Jay Weatherill will establish a royal commission to investigate widespread allegations that upstream irrigators are stealing water from the Murray-Darling Basin.

Five years after SA secured a historic agreement to protect the health of the nation’s longest river system, the Premier will today formally announce the commission, which will begin early next year.

The announcement comes after revelations in July that the November 2012 plan was being rorted by some upstream irrigators and leaving the health of the state’s lifeline in jeopardy.

Those revelations prompted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to order the Murray Darling Basin Authority to conduct a compliance review over fears that former agreements were being watered down and national commitments to the system were not being honoured.

The authority’s report, released on Saturday, raised concerns about interstate practices, finding that “there is a notable lack of transparency in NSW, Queensland and Victoria” and that “NSW and Queensland both have a low level of compliance resourcing”.

The report also said the authority “has not given sufficient attention to compliance, has not provided a clear statement of its compliance role, and has not dealt adequately with allegations of compliance breaches”.

The authority’s former policy director Maryanne Slattery last week said the Murray-Darling Basin Plan had ended up benefiting big irrigators.

And SA Water Minister Ian Hunter withdrew support for any changes to the $10 billion Basin Plan until its integrity had been assured.

When the Murray ran dry ... this intolerable spectre, amid widespread allegations that upstream irrigators are stealing water from the Murray-Darling Basin, has prompted Jay Weatherill to call a royal commission.

Mr Weatherill told the Sunday Mail a commissioner would be appointed soon and the commission would begin early next year.

“South Australians had fought too hard to secure the Murray Darling Basin Agreement to see our water stolen by greedy upstream irrigators,” Mr Weatherill said.

“It’s clear some irrigators in upstream states have no regard for people who live and work downstream.”

Mr Weatherill said the royal commission will:

HAVE wideranging coercive powers to investigate breaches of the agreement.

EXAMINE the adequacy of existing legislation.

EVALUATE the findings of ­reports by the Productivity Commission and the Murray Darling Basin Authority.

The Murray-Darling Basin Plan was established to ensure the whole Murray-Darling system was supposed to get the water needed to remain healthy enough to provide water, for drinking and irrigation, to an estimated four million Australians.

The agreement is intended to return 3200GL of water, or equivalent flow, to the Murray-Darling Basin system, including an additional 450GL negotiated by South Australia.

The state Liberals and Greens support the Government’s Royal Commission.

Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said the Liberals “fully support” the Royal Commission and committed a Liberal Government, if elected in March, to continuing to fund the inquiry.

“If other states have done the wrong thing... we want to see that they’re held fully accountable,” he said.

“The allegations that have been made are very serious.

“It’s important we find out what has gone on. Rorting is completely unacceptable.

“We’ve got to make sure that that water which is owed to South Australia comes down to our state.”

Federal Assistant Minister for Water Resources Anne Ruston, labelled the state-based royal commission a “political stunt” and argued it was unnecessary because other inquiries were underway.

However, she said the Federal Government would not “stand in the way” of the SA inquiry.

Mr Marshall said he spoke to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Saturday about water issues and had been “lobbying very hard” for the Federal Government to ensure the the Murray Darling Basin Plan is delivered in full and on time.

Mr Marshall urged upstream authorities to cooperate but conceded that there were “jurisdictional issues” which could hamper the SA investigation interstate if people failed to comply.

He backed pursuing any wrongdoing in the courts.

“The Premier’s right, we need to take action against people who’ve done the wrong thing,” he said.

Meanwhile, federal Greens Murray Darling Basin spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said there were “serious questions” to answer over “the independence of the Murray Darling Basin Authority”.

“As whistleblowers continue to speak up it is becoming clearer that the Murray Darling Basin Authority has become hoodwinked by the corporate and political interests of upstream states and big irrigators,” she said.

“The Federal Government has been completely absent when it comes to taking action on the widespread rorting of the Plan and theft of water from what is the most important river system in our nation.”

In July, Jay Weatherill (seen next to SA irrigator Sam Dodd) and Ian Hunter were joined by South Australian senators — Labor’s Penny Wong, the Greens’ Sarah Hanson-Young, Australian Conservatives leader Cory Bernardi and then senator Nick Xenophon — in calling for a judicial inquiry into the alleged water theft.

But this month the Murray Darling Basin Authority proposed to the Federal Government that it cut 70GL, saying environmental outcomes can be achieved with less water.

The State Government’s royal commission will be the first in SA’s history to have extensive concerns about actions in other states.

Although witnesses in other states, including irrigators accused of wrongdoing, may refuse to co-operate, the Sunday Mail understands the commission will have the support of the Federal Government.

Mr Weatherill said: “The royal commission will seek voluntary co-operation with its inquiries.

“We’re aware many people want to come forward to tell their story.

“Should the need arise, we will ensure the royal commission has sufficient authority to compel the giving of evidence.”

In July, Mr Weatherill and Mr Hunter were joined by South Australian senators — Labor’s Penny Wong, the Greens’ Sarah Hanson-Young, Australian Conservatives leader Cory Bernardi and then senator Nick Xenophon — in calling for a judicial inquiry into the alleged water theft.

“We now have widespread claims of water theft by upstream states,” Mr Weatherill said.

Since July, numerous incidents have strengthened the case for an inquiry, including:

CALLS for the then federal water minister Barnaby Joyce to be stripped of his portfolio after he was recorded telling farmers at a pub in Shepparton, Victoria, that he took control of water to stop “greenies running the show”.

Wendy Watson relaxes along the Murray River at Birks Harbour Marina, Goolwa. But the State Government is far from relaxed Picture: Bianca De Marchi

POLICE raiding a large cotton farm on the NSW-Queensland border as part of a major criminal investigation into possible fraudulent use of Commonwealth Murray-Darling Basin funds.

REVELATIONS a NSW Nationals minister was pushing Cabinet colleagues to change irrigation laws to retrospectively justify a decision by his department to give a major political donor and cotton farmer more rights over the precious Barwon-Darling River.

FARMERS and water experts raising concerns that NSW Government rule changes could be causing more water loss to the Murray-Darling system than before the Basin Plan was put in place.

CONCERNS from the NSW Ombudsman were raised in a report looking at water monitoring and compliance activities in NSW.

Mr Hunter said Australia is at a critical stage of the implementation of the Murray Darling Basin Agreement.

“For the plan to work, we must ensure South Australia is getting the water flows provided by the plan,” he said.

“Some upstream irrigators appear to be flouting the agreement to the detriment of our irrigators who have always played by the rules.”

In response to the authority’s report released on Saturday, Mr Weatherill said every South Australian was entitled to be extremely angry about mounting evidence that upstream states agreed to the Basin Plan with no intention of implementing it.

“And they’ve been free to flout the rules while the Federal Government and MDBA have turned a blind eye,” he said. “But this review has only scratched the surface.

“There are still many unanswered questions and only a rigorous, independent royal commission can get the answers.

“The River Murray scandal is an absolute disgrace, and the State Government will not rest until South Australia gets every drop of water we’re entitled to receive.”

Last month, the Australian Conservation Foundation delivered the PM a petition signed by 24,000 people — including fishers, midwives, teachers, scientists, traditional owners, pastoralists and elected representatives — to “make everyone stick to the rules in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan so that our rivers don’t dry out”.