Political grandstanding from South Australia's Labor, Greens and Centre Alliance federal representatives risks the fragile political consensus of the Murray Darling Basin Plan and threatens to leave SA worse off.
That's according to the new Liberal MP for Sturt, James Stevens, who took a swing at his state counterparts during his maiden speech to parliament this week.
"It is absolutely appalling that there are those who are wilfully or unwittingly contributing to a faux scepticism over the plan's credibility that could only lead to their home state being dramatically worse off," Mr Stevens said.
Mr Stevens replaced outgoing MP Christopher Pyne as representative in the safe Liberal Adelaide electorate. He previously worked as chief of staff to SA Premier Steven Marshall and a general manager at Michell Wool.
He said it requires a herculean effort to maintain the "fragile consensus" between states on the landmark Basin Plan river reform - which represents SA's best chance for a healthy River Murray, Mr Stevens said.
"To support the plan is to support a healthy Murray-Darling whilst maximising sustainable farm production across the basin.
"Any distraction from that objective should be called out for what it is: mischievous attention seeking at the expense of the long-term national interest."
This week Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie and Senator Rex Patrick introduced a Bill to alter the constitutional and hand state powers over water management to the Commonwealth.
In February Senator Rex Patrick developed a Bill to ban cotton crops, which are grown across the Murray Darling Basin but not in SA.
Also in February Labor Senator Penny Wong introduced a Bill to remove the cap on direct buybacks from irrigators. Many community advocates argue buybacks damage already struggling local economies.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has led calls for a federal Royal Commission and an immediate halt to the Basin Plan.
SA politicians should be focused on co-operating with other states to ensure the Basin Plan meets goals on irrigation recovery from upstream states to boost downstream flows into SA.
"Not so, it seems, for South Australian Labor, Green and Centre Alliance politicians and the ABC's Four Corners program," Mr Stevens said.
"They have joined a coalition of forces that would seek to undermine the plan and, thus, potentially see it completely blown apart."
