Perin Davey (NSW, National Party, Shadow Minister for Water) Share this | Hansard source

We should be getting used to this government failing to live up to its promises, and none more so than on water. In October, following the Ministerial Council meeting of Murray Darling ministers, we were told the government would prepare a water recovery strategy for consultation by Christmas. Now that webpage has disappeared and no such consultation paper was produced. Then, a mere 48 hours before for the next Ministerial Council meeting, the government dropped all pretence of consultation and announced open-tender buybacks, under transparency, in six catchment areas, including my own. And then they said that they would consult on the framework and how those open-tender buybacks would be conducted.

Well, consultation! Just 48 hours prior to information sessions being held, a handful—only a handful—of stakeholders in my hometown of Deniliquin, where there would be much interest in understanding how this process is going to take place, received email invitations inviting them to register for the information sessions. But you can't register if you weren't the recipient of that email, so a business owner, who might have other things on in 48 hours time, cannot nominate a delegate to attend on their behalf. The sessions have not been publicly advertised on the departmental website, and there's been zero contact with stakeholders. Where is the transparency? Where is the openness?