“The role of water minister is one of the few ministerial positions where, if you get it wrong, people’s lives can be ruined immediately,” Ms Dalton said.
“I have never experienced such levels of fear and anger among my constituents before.
“People have had concerns in the past, but this is different.
“Too many people believe the New South Wales Government has abandoned them when it comes to water, and I am deeply worried about where this is going to lead.
“Rose Jackson needs to start standing up for the people of rural New South Wales, or stand down as minister. It’s that simple.”
Ms Dalton says sentiments in her electorate began to swing against the NSW Government when it refused to block the buyback of 450GL of Murray-Darling Basin water by the Commonwealth Government.
“People believe it’s a case of Labor looking after Labor.
“The New South Wales Government should have blocked these buybacks just like the Victorian Government has.”
Ms Dalton said the second “betrayal” came when the NSW and Commonwealth Governments announced they were potentially going to run floods over private farms every second year.
It is being looked at now as part of the draft Landholder Negotiation Scheme.
Ms Dalton said this could wipe hundreds of millions of dollars off the value of private rural properties.
“The government floods will also impact communities by rendering some roads unusable and cutting off parts of rural communities from each other,” she said.
“Schools may be cut off. Businesses may be cut off. Hospitals may be cut off.”
“People will be kept apart and all so that the state and federal governments can send our water down to South Australia, who will then send it out to sea.
“Farm prices will be devastated when people start to realise that parts of their land will become unusable because of the bi-annual government floods.
“It’s no wonder people in rural New South Wales feel badly betrayed by our state and federal governments.
“Initially people had hoped that Rose would put her state before her party, but no-one believes she is doing that any more.
“The people of rural New South Wales won’t put up with another year of betrayal like the one we’ve just endured.”
Ms Dalton has urged the Minns Government to back her proposed inquiry into the social and economic effects of the Murray- Darling Basin Plan.
“People need to know that the New South Wales Government is going to start listening properly.
“This Inquiry, which should begin as early as January, may help people to feel that all is not lost.”
Ms Dalton also has an active petition that seeks to protect regional and remote communities from the potential impacts of Commonwealth water buybacks.
The petition needs 10,000 signatures.
Petition sheets are available at several locations around the electorate, including the Pastoral Times office and Ms Dalton’s Deniliquin electorate office, or can be signed online at www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/Pages/ePetition-details.aspx?q=brmrrxsNmdLpvOZ5DwKing.
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