Bourke cotton farmers to challenge water laws they are accused of breaching
by Anne Davies from Environment | The Guardian on (#48W5F)
Trial of Peter and Jane Harris, accused of illegal pumping from Barwon-Darling river, set to become a test of NSW regime
A landmark trial of prominent Bourke cotton farmers accused of illegal pumping from the Barwon-Darling when the river was low is set to become a test of the robustness of New South Wales's water laws.
Michael Elliott SC foreshadowed in the NSW Land and Environment Court today that the defendants, Peter and Jane Harris, would challenge every aspect of the state's water laws they are accused of breaching, including the accuracy of the government's water gauges and administrative procedures followed.
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