Cotton Australia has corrected the record following inaccurate and misleading claims made about irrigators and the cotton industry during a recent ABC NSW Country Hour interview.

In the interview, River Integrity Project director Maryanne Slattery made several assertions about water management in the Northern Basin, including claims that Section 324 orders under the Water Management Act 2000 are ineffective, that large irrigators are mostly unaffected by restrictions, and that cotton and irrigators disproportionately control water resources.

In response, Cotton Australia and the NSW Irrigators’ Council sent a joint statement to the NSW Country Hour, requesting the opportunity for Cotton Australia General Manager Michael Murray to set the record straight during an interview the next day.

Mr Murray used the opportunity to clearly and calmly correct the claims made by Ms Slattery.

He explained that Section 324 orders are, by design, a blunt but highly effective tool that significantly restrict access to water across the Northern Basin. He outlined that these orders place broad embargoes on floodplain harvesting, supplementary and unregulated river licences, impacting the vast majority of irrigation access — regardless of farm size, ownership or crop type.

Importantly, Mr Murray rejected claims that large irrigators can bypass restrictions via tributaries or anabranches, confirming that Section 324 applies across the connected river systems of the Northern Basin, including the Namoi, Gwydir and Border Rivers.

Mr Murray also challenged unsourced claims about water ownership concentration and cotton’s share of irrigation water use, noting that such assertions do not reflect the regulated nature of Australia’s water framework and unfairly misrepresent growers who operate within strict rules every day.

“These kinds of claims do real damage,” Mr Murray said.

“They don’t reflect how water management actually works, and they overlook the effort growers put into complying with complex rules and farming responsibly for the long term.”

Cotton Australia recognises that water is a highly sensitive and complex issue, particularly during dry conditions. That is why it is essential that public debate is grounded in accurate information.

“We will always stand up for our growers,” Mr Murray said.

“When incorrect claims are made, it’s important that we correct them — not just for our industry, but for the regional communities that depend on it.”

You can listen back to Michael Murray's interview on the NSW Country Hour here or by visiting: NSW Country Hour - ABC listen, with the timestamp 34:31. Maryanne Slattery's interview on the NSW Country Hour can be accessed here or by visiting: NSW Country Hour - ABC listen, with the timestamp 30:03.

24 April 2026