The Northern NSW Connectivity Review and the draft National Water Agreement were at the top of the agenda when Cotton Australia’s General Manager Michael Murray visited the NSW Parliament last week.

During the visit, meetings were held with a range of parliamentarians and advisors, including NSW Legislative Council Members Stephen Lawrence and Cameron Murphy, Legislative Assembly members Dugald Saunders, Stephanie Cooke, Helen Dalton, and Brendan Moylan, along with Samantha McCallum, water advisor to Minister Rose Jackson.

During these meetings, Mr Murray helped familiarise Members with these documents, which present significant risks to water access rights and are expected to be a focus of parliamentary debate and decision-making in the coming months.

Mr Murray described the meetings as a valuable opportunity to update members across the political spectrum on the cotton industry in NSW and discuss the critical aspects of both documents.

"The proposed National Water Agreement goes far beyond the 'refresh' to the National Water Initiative recommended by the Productivity Commission. If all 300+ principles were adopted, effective water management in Australia would become nearly impossible.

"As for the Independent Review of Connectivity in the NSW portion of the Northern Basin, it seems to be more of a 'wishlist' for reducing water use by stealth, with many impacts neither modelled nor tested."

Mr Murray stressed the importance of NSW Parliament members having a solid understanding of these documents, ensuring water management and the irrigation industry are not jeopardised by their acceptance.