ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

“It’s disgusting and unacceptable,” he said.

“That water was earmarked for mines and cotton producers. The fact it was allowed to reach the Murray River is criminal. The Nationals demand an inquiry into how this was allowed to happen.”

Leader of the Nationals, Michael McCormack, is not happy with the current state of the Darling River, or Barka, as it’s known a number of forgotten and ignored communities along its banks.

Rain that fell in North West and Western New South Wales and Queensland earlier this year has made it all the way to Victoria – for the first time in over two years.

For those who live along the lower Darling River, the Darling’s revival has brought a feeling of optimism in a time when it’s most needed.

But for those who control the River from the comfort on an airconditioned office much closer to the sea, it’s nothing short of an embarrassment.

Especially for the National Party, who have donors in the form of foreign-owned mining and agricultural operations to appease.

“The most valuable commodity in the bush is water,” McCormack continued.

“And when you let it run into South Australia, you’re pretty much letting it go to waste. When water is used in mining and agriculture, it creates regional jobs. Regional jobs are the most valuable commodity in the bush. You don’t need fancy things like hospitals, well-funded schools and libraries. You just need jobs. People out in the back of Bourke don’t need the NBN because they don’t watch Netflix. They have a million stars up in the sky to entertain them. Netflix is more of an Annandale-type activity. All those South Australians do with this water we give them is sail on it. People from the far west don’t sail. You can’t look me in the eye and say schools and hospitals are better in Bronte or Mosman than say Balranald or Wentworth. You just can’t. The Nationals are committed to pork barrelling our safe seats, too. That means those communities get just as much funding as they do in the city, so take that. The square root of regional jobs is water. I know this because I’m from the far west community of Wagga Wagga. So nice, they named it twice,”

“Do me a favour and don’t ask Barnaby to comment on this, ok?”

More to come.