Following the announcement of the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s decentralisation plans, a push has begun to have the organisation’s head office located in SA’s Riverland.
Member for Chaffey Tim Whetstone said the region was in the right location, and had the appropriate irrigation industry expertise and leadership at its fingertips to be the Authority’s hub.
The MDBA announced its decentralisation plans earlier this month, saying it would allow them to engage more directly with Basin communities.
The decentralisation process will involve establishing regional officers and investigating additional offices in the Basin, and establishing another office in the southern Basin.
When announcing the decentralisation plans, MDBA chief executive officer Phillip Glyde said the organisation would assess the merits of various locations.
Mr Whetstone said the Riverland was a suitable location for the head office as it was a reasonably central location within the Basin, with close proximity to Vic and NSW.
“It’s also an area of significance within the Basin, particularly having a number of Ramsar-listed sites (sites which contain wetlands that are important for conserving biological diversity),” he said.
“We have good expertise here. We lead by example when it comes to being pioneers of water efficiency, the environmental assets we have protected and we continue to be a part of the Commonwealth watering programs.”
Mr Whetstone said local communities would benefit from a MDBA head office through employment opportunities and being a “focal point” of the Authority.
He said the overall decentralisation of the MDBA was a positive in terms of managing the Basin and River Murray.
“It’s about having that local content in decision making,” he said.
“It’s about having local content when making both short-term and long-term strategies within the Basin.”
While Mr Whetstone said it would be up to individual Riverland towns and councils to present their cases to the MDBA, he noted a location in Berri would put the MDBA in close proximity to the NRM Natural Resources Centre and the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources office.
