The NSW Berejiklian Government will not be happy with this………
ABC News, 30 November 2017:
Allegations of water theft upstream in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) have prompted South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill to launch a state royal commission to identify any perpetrators.
New South Wales and Queensland were slapped with a scathing assessment of compliance with the MDB Plan on Saturday, after a review found poor levels of enforcement.
The review also found a lack of transparency surrounding the states' water management, along with Victoria's.
Mr Weatherill said the report did not go far enough and announced a royal commission.
"The review that was handed down did not go into detailed findings of who committed water theft and who behaved inappropriately in relation to the river," he said.
"There have been no specific findings in relation to individuals or groups of individuals."
When asked whether a state royal commission could force bureaucrats from interstate to give evidence, Mr Weatherill said the royal commissioner would be given the powers of compulsion.
"And they will have no choice but to come forward," he said.
"A state-based royal commission does have the capacity to analyse things that touch on other states, provided there is a connection to South Australia.”
"That's our very clear legal advice and it's our intention to pursue this royal commission's power to their fullest extent, so we can get to the bottom of this water theft."…..
Despite labelling it "just another stunt", the Federal Government said it would cooperate with SA's royal commission.
Assistant water resources minister Anne Ruston said the issues in the basin were being addressed but the Commonwealth would not stand in the way of the commission, and neither should NSW or Victoria.
"I'd like to think they'd cooperate, certainly the Commonwealth will cooperate, we haven't got anything to hide," she said.
The Australian Government’s 25 November 2017 The Murray–Darling Basin Water Compliance Review can be read here.
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