Company allowed to keep water for extra year after Darling buyback
by Anne Davies from Environment | The Guardian on (#394EK)
Commonwealth did not value extra 22GL of water, which was then transferred to other NSW properties owned by the company
The agribusiness company Webster was allowed to retain 22 gigalitres of water entitlements, purchased by the commonwealth for environmental flows, for an extra year so that it could grow another cotton crop - but the water was transferred within weeks to other properties owned by the company.
The $78m purchase of water from the property Tandou, on the lower Darling near Menindee Lakes in far-western New South Wales, has come under intense scrutiny in the Senate after reporting by the Guardian on the sale. The water transfers raise further questions about whether the deal was good value for taxpayers.