Littleproud rejects Murray Darling water probe

Canberra has rejected calls for a federal royal commission into the Murray Darling Basin water system.

Diminishing water levels on the Darling River below weir 32, near Menindee. The federal government has rejected calls for a federal royal commission. Picture: AAP

The federal government has ­rejected outright calls from NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro for Scott Morrison to consider a national royal commission into the Murray-Darling Basin water system.

Mr Barilaro, who is the leader of the Nationals, made the proposal after the recent South Australian royal commission on the issue, which found massive problems in the basin plan and its ­administration.

Water has become a hot-wire issue in some rural NSW electorates where severe drought and fish kills have led to fierce divisions over how water is allocated.

“Is the federal government going to have a federal royal commission across the whole network?” Mr Barilaro asked.

“That’s something that has to be given consideration … (we have had) a South Australian royal commission and they actually had limited powers.

“Maybe there’s more to be looked at and I think the federal government needs to have a look at it and that will be up to (Agriculture Minister David) Littleproud and (special envoy for drought assistance and recovery) Barnaby (Joyce) and the Prime Minister.

“People want confidence we are doing the right things by water.”

But asked if the federal government would consider a royal commission into the Murray-Darling system along the lines proposed by Mr Barilaro, Mr Littleproud said “No”.

“We just had a royal commission and there is no point wasting taxpayers’ money on another.”

The Nationals are seriously concerned about their chances at the state election next month in some regional seats under threat from independents and minor parties.

Touring Broken Hill in the danger seat of Barwon last week, many voters appeared poised with their baseball bats over the water issue.

The Shooters Fishers and Farmers candidate Roy Butler is seen as a real chance of stealing the seat from the Nationals and, with the Berejiklian government six seats away from minority government, this seat looks critical ahead of the March 23 poll.

“I think my chances of representing the Barwon electorate are very good and they only get better the more people I speak to,” Mr Butler said.

He said water was a massive issue in the traditionally Labor-voting Broken Hill area, which makes up about a third of the population of the electorate — the largest in the state, stretching to Bourke and Coonamble.

Recent Shooters polling in the seat revealed by The Australian had the Nationals at 33 per cent, Shooters at 19 per cent and One Nation at 12 per cent in the seat with Labor on 13 per cent.

But One Nation has pulled out of the seat — with its vote largely expected to transfer to the Shooters — and Mr Barilaro has ­accused Labor and the Shooters of a preference deal.