Top water bureaucrat stood down over misconduct claims

Top NSW water bureaucrat Gavin Hanlon has been stood down after claims of water theft in the ­Murray-Darling Basin.

Gavin Hanlon.

Top NSW water bureaucrat Gavin Hanlon has been stood down to face misconduct allegations after an interim report into claims of water theft in the northern ­Murray-Darling Basin found serious and systemic problems with ­irrigation water compliance, rules and enforcement.

Former National Water Commission chief Ken Matthews, ­appointed by the NSW government to investigate claims of water theft and rorting by irrigation farmers exposed by an ABC’s Four Corners program in July, yesterday concluded the current system of water licencing and enforcement in NSW was inadequate, ineffective and lacked transparency.

He said an urgent and “systemic fix is needed” and that no reform was “not an option”.

His interim report ­addressed revelations that renegade irrigators along the Barwon River around Walgett and Bourke in northern NSW had effectively ­escaped investigation by NSW Water, headed by Mr Hanlon, ­despite repeated complaints about what was occurring.

Footage aired on Four Corners of a meeting involving Mr Hanlon appeared to show him offering to help major river irrigators in their plans to circumvent the national Murray-Darling Basin Plan by providing them access to confidential government documents.

There are five separate federal and state inquiries looking at circumstances surrounding northern NSW irrigators allegedly stealing water, tampering with their water meters and taking water from ­rivers and channels earmarked for environmental flow that has been bought with taxpayer funds to ­improve river health.

The Australian Conservation Foundation said the disturbing findings underscored the need for a full national judicial investi­gation into broader concerns that the Murray-Darling Basin was not being properly protected.

ACF campaign director Paul Sinclair said the Matthews report showed those charged with restoring the rivers’ health in NSW had failed to introduce measures to ­ensure a handful of powerful irrigators could not benefit over the public good of having a healthy and flourishing river.

South Australian Water Minister Ian Hunter called on Malcolm Turnbull to take the water portfolio from Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, claiming NSW’s water woes were part of a wider national policy failure.

“That clearly means we need to have commonwealth control of this important water policy area (but) you need to divorce the two areas and make sure that water policy and compliance matters aren’t in the hands of the federal agricultural minister,’’ he said.

Mr Matthews recommended an overhaul of the NSW irrigation water system, including proposals for the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to play a greater role in the administration of water licences, instead of individual states.