Calls flow for royal commission

AUSTRALIA needs a royal commission into water management in 2026, according to Murray MP Helen Dalton, who says politicians are “destroying” the nation’s waterways and communities.

Ms Dalton urged every MP in Australia to back her demand for a royal commission into the management of water across the country.

“Without water, we have no Australia,” Ms Dalton said.

She accused political leaders at all levels of causing the crisis.

“Politics, and politicians, continues to destroy our waterways, our rural communities and our way of life,” Ms Dalton said.

“Politicians are causing this problem. Only an independent royal commission will fix it.”

Ms Dalton warned that any politician who resists scrutiny should be called out by voters.

“And if any politician opposes a royal commission into water, voters need to know, that politics is part of the problem and not part of the solution.”

She pointed to the mismanagement of the Murray-Darling Basin and the ongoing decline of the Coorong as proof that Australia’s water system was broken.

“Imagine there are 1000 cars outside a petrol station, waiting to fill up, and the owner is standing there pouring all the petrol down the drain,” Ms Dalton said.

“That’s what State and Federal Governments are doing with our water.”

She described the situation as “absolute madness” and said it must stop immediately.

Ms Dalton also hit back at claims a royal commission would be too expensive.

“Australian communities lose billions of dollars, every year, because our water is grossly mismanaged,” she said.

“An efficient, independent royal commission will stop this appalling waste, once and for all.”

Digital Editions


  • Holding on to their heritage

    Holding on to their heritage

    Purchase this photo from Pic Store: 531373 TRADITIONAL family farms, passed down from generation to generation, are becoming rarer and rarer these days. With the…

More News

  • Fuel supply critical for farms

    Fuel supply critical for farms

    CITY dwellers are being urged to swap their cars for public transport and the government to make public transport free as the fuel crisis lingers. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett…

  • Jujubes jewel

    Jujubes jewel

    Purchase this photo from Pic Store: 535568 THEY look like tiny apples, taste like a crisp pear and carry more vitamin C than an orange. And in the red dirt…

  • Independent actionable research

    Independent actionable research

    MAKING informed winter cropping decisions – based on detailed local research – is what is driving the 2026 Irrigation Farmers Network (IFN) Winter Variety Trials Research Results Discussion Day in…

  • Ricegrowers backs review

    Ricegrowers backs review

    The Ricegrowers’ Association has welcomed the start of a 12‑week consultation on the Murray–Darling Basin Plan Review. RGA president Peter Herrmann said industry would take the time to consider the…

  • Microbiome delivering maximum results

    Microbiome delivering maximum results

    STRONG roots and fibrous stems have proven hardy resistance to excessive heat, and saved a young nursery from devastating losses. Permaculturist Russell Calder did not lose a single plant through…