Independent for Murray, Helen Dalton, fires up over latest Murray Darling Basin stoush

The known critic of water mismanagement was particularly focused on picking apart the Albanese Labor Government's agreement to deliver the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full, including 450 gigalitres of water for the environment.

Photo credit: Helen Dalton MP official Facebook page

"It's like death by a thousand cuts...adding 450 gigalitres of water or trying to push that through the system where the banks are falling in is only exacerbating environmental problems, not only will it cost us in rural communities, but it will cost the city people too," Dalton said.

"They'll have a huge increase in the cost of staple foods and they'll see that at the checkout at the supermarkets very, very soon."

Dalton was also scathing of Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for the Environment and Water, stating that Plibersek was more focused on managing Labor's media response to the government's latest direction on the Murray-Darling Basin plan than the potentially negative outcomes which could come about.

"She's [Plibersek] just taking the easy grab and the easy grab is to take it out of the dams in the south and then sign off and say, 'well I've done my job', but at what cost to the community?" Dalton said.

"She's certainly not reading the room, because most organizations have sent a very clear message to her that they are incredibly unhappy and of course she wants to open up the Water Act and take out that socio-economic neutrality test which was enshrined in that and just ignore the law...and just take that water anyway regardless of our communities."