MP Slams "Unjustifiable" Conditions on Basin Plan Feedback

Independent Member for Murray Helen Dalton has launched a scathing attack on the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), accusing the agency of using "censorship" and "intimidation" to stifle public feedback on its critical 2026 Plan Review.

In Short

• Modified Submissions: Helen Dalton MP claims the MDBA is requiring the public to agree to let the Authority adapt or modify their feedback before it is considered.
• Hiding the Truth: The MP alleges the Authority reserves the right to publish only selected parts of reviews, effectively hiding criticisms they find threatening.
• Call for Reform: Dalton is calling for the immediate removal of these conditions, demanding that all submissions from rural communities be published in full and without edits.

Independent Member for Murray Helen Dalton has warned residents in her electorate that she believes their voices may be silenced or modified in the upcoming Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review.

As the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) opens its 12-week public consultation period, Ms Dalton has flagged what she describes as onerous conditions that allow the agency to edit the very feedback it claims to be seeking.

"People are being told they can say what they like, as long as the Authority also likes what they say," Ms Dalton said.

"This is a shocking example of censorship from an Authority which appears terrified by the truth."

According to the MDBA’s submission guidelines, while the Authority is required under the Water Act to publish submissions, it reserves the right to redact parts of them in certain circumstances.

Additionally, the standard consent forms often include clauses allowing for the reproduction and collation of content for permitted purposes.

Ms Dalton argues these conditions are a deliberate attempt to dissuade rural critics.

"The Authority reserves the right to only publish a selected part of any review," she said.

"This means the Authority will be able to ignore and hide from the public any part of a submission that they are threatened by, which is simply not acceptable."

The MP, who has recently intensified her calls for a Federal Royal Commission into water management, described the MDBA as a "basket case" overseeing a "disastrous plan" that continues to harm regional NSW.

"The MDBA cannot handle the truth, which is why they want total control over all public submissions," Ms Dalton claimed.

"They do not want to acknowledge the anger and frustration in rural communities, so they seem to be rigging the review system in order to silence their critics."

Ms Dalton has called on the Authority to scrap the conditions and commit to publishing all submissions in their original form.

"The Authority must not be allowed to control what gets said about it," she warned. "Otherwise, the review will not be a review but simply a propaganda exercise."

The 2026 Basin Plan Review consultation remains open until 1 May 2026.