The Northern Basin Commissioner, Mick Keelty, has released his first year report which has been welcomed by the Minister for Water Resources, Drought and Rural Finance, David Littleproud.
Mr Littleproud said he appreciated the hard work Commissioner Keelty had put into the position in the past 12 months with his report reflecting what he had seen and heard in the Basin communities.
“The report has strong messages for Federal and State water managers across the Basin on how we can better serve the people who live there,” Mr Littleproud said.
He said he would take the report to the Ministerial Council on 17 December to discuss Mr Keelty’s recommendations.
“As part of the Ministerial Council, I’ll also ask Basin governments to co-operate and give the Interim Inspector-General the authority he needs to deliver his investigation announced this week into concerns around water sharing and water allocation arrangements.
“This will let him thoroughly investigate all concerns and report back by 31 March 2020.
“This investigation is not about more water – it’s about identifying any problems and providing the evidence we need to manage these water resources more effectively.
“I look forward to working with Mr Keelty on improving transparency, accountability, compliance and community confidence across the Basin.”
In October the Government announced the creation of a new position of Inspector-General of Murray-Darling Basin Water Resources. Mr Keelty was appointed to this position pending new legislation to create the permanent position and assumed the position from 1 October.
Mr Keelty’s 135-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
