Immediately after the ABC Four Corners program that alleged large-scale water theft and meter tampering by some irrigators, the state government asked water expert Ken Matthews to review the system. His interim report recommended establishing a natural resources regulator to police water laws and hire staff working in compliance. “I am disappointed that decisions have still not yet been taken about whether to proceed to prosecution in the several alleged cases of noncompliant irrigation activities aired in the Four Corners program,” he said. Matthews warned that community concern about water compliance shortfalls had, if anything, intensified. He warned that inter-agency boundaries, and organisational restructurings may, as has happened in the past, lead to an unsatisfactory or unworkable operational environment for compliance staff.

Source: The Guardian November 30, 2017 01:49 UTC