Coalition divided over water policy in wake of damning Barwon-Darling report

NSW Nationals and Liberals at odds over findings that over-extraction of water had sent the lower Darling into drought

A major split is emerging between the Nationals and the Liberals over water policy as the New South Wales government grapples with an overhaul of the Barwon-Darling water rules that will restrict extractions by the cotton industry.

The NSW minister for water, Melinda Pavey, has launched an extraordinary attack on the independent Natural Resources Commission, disputing its scientific findings that over-extraction in the Barwon-Darling has pushed the Darling into hydrological drought three years early.