Dalton Demands Royal Commission into "Appalling" Water Management

In Short

• The Demand: Independent MP Helen Dalton is calling for a Federal Royal Commission with the power to force politicians to testify under oath regarding water mismanagement.
• The Analogy: Dalton likens current government water policies to a petrol station owner "pouring fuel down the drain" while customers wait in line.
• Regional Impact: The call highlights systemic failures affecting Hay, Balranald, Carrathool, and Central Darling, where "billions of dollars" are allegedly lost annually.

Independent Member for Murray, Helen Dalton, has intensified her campaign for a federal Royal Commission into Australian water management, warning that political interference is pushing rural communities to the brink.

The call for a top-level inquiry comes as local government areas across the Western Riverina and Far West—including Hay, Balranald, Carrathool, and Central Darling—continue to grapple with the economic and environmental fallout of Murray-Darling Basin Plan (MDBP) policies.

A System in "Madness"

Ms. Dalton argues that the current management of the nation's waterways is failing both the environment and the regional towns that rely on them.

She pointed to the decline of the Coorong and the general mismanagement of the Basin as evidence of a systemic breakdown.

“Without water, we have no Australia,” Ms. Dalton said. “Politics, and politicians, continues to destroy our waterways, our rural communities and our way of life.”

Using a stark analogy to describe current water drainage and environmental flow policies, Ms. Dalton likened the situation to a fuel crisis.

“Imagine there are 1000 cars outside a petrol station, waiting to fill up, and the owner is standing there pouring all the petrol down the drain,” she said.

“That’s what State and Federal Governments are doing with our water. It’s absolute madness and it must stop immediately.”

Local Impact: Hay to Central Darling

For residents in the Central Darling and Balranald shires, where water security has been a decades-long battle, the call for an Independent Royal Commission touches on a sensitive nerve.

Communities along the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan rivers in Hay and Carrathool have frequently raised concerns regarding transparency and the "waste" of productive water.

Ms. Dalton contends that only a Royal Commission has the teeth required to expose the root causes of these regional frustrations.

“Only an Independent Royal Commission, that can force politicians to give evidence under oath, will be able to end this waste and corruption,” she said.

Addressing the Cost

Critics of the proposal often cite the significant taxpayer expense associated with Royal Commissions. However, Ms. Dalton argues that the cost of inaction is far higher for regional NSW.

“Australian communities lose billions of dollars, every year, because our water is grossly mismanaged,” she said. “An efficient, independent Royal Commission will stop this appalling waste, once and for all.”

A Challenge to Lawmakers

The Member for Murray is now urging constituents across the back country to put the pressure on their representatives, regardless of their political stripe.

“Politicians are causing this problem. Only an Independent Royal Commission will fix it.

"And if any politician opposes a Royal Commission into water, voters need to know, that politics is part of the problem and not part of the solution,” Ms. Dalton said.

“I would encourage every voter in Australia to ask their politician, ‘Do you support a Royal Commission into Australian water, or are you part of the problem?’”