Chief executive of the National Irrigators Council Danny O’Brien says delaying release of the draft brings the Authority’s independence into question.
He says the delay is unjustified.
“My understanding, looking at the caretaker convention on the government website, is that it related to major policy decisions and this is not a major policy decision,” he said.
“It is the guide to the plan, to the draft plan in fact.
“Even the Authority has made it clear that this is a discussion paper. Governments will not be asked to make a decision on the basin plan until next year. The guide should be released as soon as possible.”
South Australian Riverland MP Tim Whetstone says the latest delay is extremely disappointing.
“I am outraged the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) are not going to release the plan until after the election and I think every irrigator and every water user should feel the same way,” he said.
“It’s not acceptable that they continue to stall the plan and one would ask just how political is the MDBA?”
The Authority has declined to comment.
First posted