The Parliamentary Committee on Investment, Industry and Regional Development have travelled to Griffith and Deniliquin as part of its inquiry into the impacts of the Water Amendment (Restoring our Rivers) Act (Cth) 2023 on regional communities in NSW.
The Committee is investigating how changes to water management in the Murray-Darling Basin, introduced in 2023, have impacted the state's regional communities.
Committee Chair Roy Butler said the public hearings in Griffth and Deniliquin were an important opportunity to hear from those directly impacted by the Act.
"The Committee received a signifcant number of submissions from the Riverina and Murray areas," Mr Butler said.
"We understand these regions are vulnerable to water scarcity, and concerned about the impacts further water buybacks might have on agriculture, commerce and their communities.
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"These visits will also allow us to understand how the NSW and Australian governments can adjust their support to better help impacted areas."
The public hearing in Griffith was held on June 10 at the Griffith Leagues Club while the Deniliquin date was on Wednesday June 11 at the Town Hall.
Details of the public hearings are:
Mr Butler emphasised that these would be the first of a series of public hearings held across regional NSW this year.
"We know the impacts of the Act differ across NSW," Mr Butler said.
"We will be holding further public hearings in other parts of the state to ensure our report and recommendations reflect these experiences."
Anyone interested in the inquiry can view the hearing schedule and read the submissions on the Committee's webpage.
The hearings will also be live streamed on the NSW's Parliament's website.
People interested in learning more about the parliamentary inquiry process can also attend an in person information session being held alongside the hearings.
To learn more and register your interest, please contact: investmentindustry@parliament.nsw.gov.au
