NSW MP Helen Dalton’s son buys Murray entitlement ahead of federal buyout

MP Helen Dalton’s son and fellow family farm director snapped up NSW Murray water entitlements ahead of the federal buyout.

NSW Murray MP Helen Dalton has long called for transparency in water trading. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

NSW MP Helen Dalton’s son and fellow director in the family farm waded into the water market in January to buy 258 megalitres of Murray River general security water shares, just three weeks out from the Federal Government announcing a 10,000ML buyout from the irrigation system.

A personal ASIC search shows the only business or company associated with Campbell Dalton is the Wumbulgal Agriculture Pty Ltd in which he and his parents, Helen and Nayce are directors.

The NSW water register shows Campbell Dalton bought 258 megalitres of NSW Murray River general security water for $2800/ML on January 30, a total of $722,400, which was placed on WAL41407, which is held in his name.

On February 22 Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek announced she was buying 10,000ML out of the NSW Murray River system, where the majority of water is held as general security water shares.

The Weekly Times is not suggesting any wrongdoing by Campbell Dalton, given it was widely known late last year that the federal government would have to enter the NSW Murray system to buy entitlement to “bridge the gap” on environmental water recovery.

However, his fellow director and mother Helen Dalton has spent much of her term in parliament campaigning for greater public scrutiny of water trading and been highly critical of water market speculators.

Just last October Ms Dalton told parliament “since I was first elected in 2019 I have been fighting for the right of Australians to know who owns water” and have introduced bills to create a publicly accessible register detailing the volume of water held by all irrigators and companies, along with their directors’ names.

When asked about her son’s trading Ms Dalton said “Campbell flew the coop a long time ago and is responsible for his own investments.

“All assets I own have been declared appropriately,” she said.

Ms Dalton refused to answer questions on whether the family owned land on the NSW Murray system, where they could use the water, nor would she pass on her son’s contact details or forward a question on the purchase to him.

In 2021, The Weekly Times reported Ms Dalton accused the Duxton Water of “profiting off our sick Murray Darling Basin river system”, yet she had sold water to the ASX-listed company.