Inspector-general Troy Grant said the organisation’s attendance this year came at a crucial point in water compliance and enforcement across the Murray-Darling Basin.
Mr Grant said he would be all ears when it came to discussing compliance and water management issues and was looking forward to meeting the community members during the two-day event.
Mr Grant’s role was to deliver trust and transparency in the management of basin water resources, ensure accountability and engage with communities on management of resources.
“When you visit our site at Mallee Machinery Field Days, you will have a chance to tell us about what your main areas of concern are, as residents of the Murray-Darling Basin,” Mr Grant said.
“We use this information in conjunction with our annual community sentiment survey to determine how people feel about compliance and water management in the Murray-Darling Basin, and the basin plan, and act on those results.”
Mr Grant said the IGWC’s most recent survey revealed 77 per cent of the community did not realise they lived in the basin.
“It’s a large portion of the community who don’t know they live in one of the country’s largest agricultural production areas, where one third of Australia’s food supply is produced,” Mr Grant said.
The IGWC hopes to speak to hundreds of people during the field days and ask whether there were particular areas of water management and compliance that needed to be addressed.
“Half the community, that’s 50 per cent of the basin community, said governments and organisations do not work together effectively to manage water in the basin,” Mr Grant said.
“I took that very seriously, so I now lead a quarterly regulatory leaders’ forum where basin leaders are brought together to share ideas and collaborate on water management in the basin.”
Mr Grant said how the community felt about the basin plan was also of interest to the IGWC team, adding the aim of the plan was to bring the basin back to a healthier and sustainable level, while continuing to support farming and other industries.
“The survey tells us there is widespread support for the basin plan, with 46 per cent of the community supportive of it, and 33 per cent neutral or not sure,” Mr Grant said.
He said 85 per cent of respondents believed it was important to have a plan in place for the survival of the basin and its communities.
Attendees of the field days are encouraged to meet IGWC staff, complete a survey, and provide their thoughts about compliance and enforcement across the Murray-Darling Basin. The IGWC will be at site 69.
