NSW Farmers has called out a decision by NSW Minister for Water, Melinda Pavey to confine the latest round of community consultation for the state's Water Resource Plans (WRPs) to meetings with Stakeholder Advisory Panels (SAPs).
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NSW Farmers stated Minister Pavey had unexpectedly announced that she would only take the water sharing agreements back to the SAPs for comment prior to submitting to the Commonwealth for accreditation, despite promising not to rush the consultation process in December last year.
"Although there is significant time pressure for the completion of the WRPs, it is essential that the WRPs are the product of constructive community input," said NSW Farmers Water Taskforce Chair Xavier Martin.
"NSW Farmers is concerned that the WRPs and WSPs (Water Sharing Plans) are only going back for consultation with the SAPs and not the broader community.
"Issues that the SAPs and communities have continually raised through public consultations have been ignored.
"As a result communities have lost confidence that their issues and critical matters will ever be resolved."
Mrs Pavey has been conducting talks with stakeholders since Wednesday and it's expected some meetings will be carried out via Skype.
In response to NSW Farmers' concern she said that the wider community had been included, asked last year to submit comments on draft plans made public for consultation.
"WRPs and WSPs have been developed over the last two years in consultation with communities and SAPs," Mrs Pavey said.
"All draft plans were open for public consultation throughout 2019. Public information sessions were held and submissions were open for 40 days for each plan.
"All submissions were analysed and taken into account when finalising draft plans.
"These final drafts are now being shared with the SAPs in order to close the loop on consultation, provide feedback on the broader consultations and any changes made as a result of this process."
The NSW WRPs were due at the end of last year. There are currently eight surface water areas' plans outstanding.
The Stakeholder Advisory Panel meetings will include the below:
Murrumbidgee - Griffith -18 March (changed date)
Murray Lower Darling - Deniliquin - March 19 (changed date)
Barwon Darling - Bourke - 24 March
Namoi - Narrabri - 30 March
Namoi - Tamworth - 31 March
Gwydir - Moree - 1 April
Border Rivers - Goondiwindi - 2 April
Lachlan - Parkes - 7 April
Macquarie - Dubbo - 8 April
