Wagga City Council has taken a hard-line stance on the Murray Darling Basin Plan, with all councillors uniting to demand a national royal commission into the plan.
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The motion was put forward on Monday by Councillor Paul Funnell, who said the state government's water management was a "dog's breakfast" that deserved to be held up to scrutiny via royal commission.
"Farmers have tried desperately to survive and get this across the line to no avail - it is now time, probably overdue, for local government to step in directly," Cr Funnell said.
"The only way to sort this out and get a proper plan is to conduct a royal commission, uncover the truth as to what has and is gong on and therefore allowing the situation to be remedied."
He went on to label the government's separation of land and water assets as "tantamount to treason", since it allowed foreigners and multinational corporations to buy up all the water and jack up the prices.
The motion won the support of all councillors, especially Cr Rod Kendall who said it was "just not right" to see farmers suffering from low or zero water allocations while dams sat at such comfortably full levels.
"I've seen the stress that's gone into many of those towns and communities within the basin since their water allocation systems changed under this plan, and quite frankly it does not meet the needs of the farmer," Cr Kendall said.
"There is no doubt that the Murray Darling Basin Plan needs to be reviewed and reviewed probably, and I believe a royal commission is probably the best way to do it."
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Mayor Greg Conkey said he "totally supports" the motion, but expressed some annoyance that Cr Funnell was trying bypass the other councils in the Murray Darling Association by not consulting them first.
However he too voted in favour of a royal commission, saying that Wagga needed to take on a leadership role by taking a firm stance on the MDBP.
"This is a very important matter, and I also believe we need to play that leading role in southern NSW," Cr Conkey said.