Murray-Darling basin: NSW government changes could be causing water loss

Rules put in place before the national Murray-Darling basin plan favour larger irrigators, say experts and farmers

Farmers and water experts say New South Wales government rule changes could be causing more water loss to the Murray-Darling river system than before the national plan was put in place.

The Barwon-Darling water-sharing plan, which governs the rules in the north of NSW, was signed off by the then primary industries minister, Katrina Hodgkinson, in 2012, just before the national Murray-Darling basin plan was approved.