Truck convoy descends on Parliament over water inaction

A convoy of over 100 trucks with more than 1000 angry farmers has made its presence felt outside Parliament House in Canberra.

Protestors from the northern and southern basin this week called for Water Minister David Littleproud to bring an end to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in which local communities had been devastated.

Water trading and state water sharing arrangements under the $13 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan were in the crosshairs of enraged irrigation communities who had run out of patience with the Government ahead of water recovery planned for completion in 2024 and first signed into law in 2012.

Littleproud, who has described the Murray-Darling Basin Plan as "an imperfect plan", and Environment Minister Sussan Ley met with protestors Monday.

"There is a supply issue that is very real out there and that's because it hasn't rained and water hasn't run into the rivers," he said.

"We've got to be calm, rational, use common sense, and make sure that any actions don't have an unintended consequence."

More than 2000 people attended the rally which featured 110 trucks.

Increased dam infrastructure and major amendments to the Basin Plan were demanded of senators during Question Time in the Senate with at least one protestor thrown out after calling Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie "useless".

The Convoy to Canberra group has argued available water is being denied farming communities by broken government policies.

Dubbed "the convoy to Canberra", the convoy met at Yass in New South Wales before making its way to Canberra and included all manner of vehicles from rigid body and semi-trailer trucks to utes.

Upon arrival trucks commenced a series of laps of Federation Mall ahead of a rally where accusations were levelled at senior ministers including Prime Minister Scott Morrison for distorting the price of water so that farmers could not expect to make a return on their crops with the price of a megalitre being sold for twice as what most could afford.

The convoy follows a belated government announcement to provide subsidised water to farmers in order to grow fodder for livestock.

Meanwhile, similar unrest continues in Europe as demonstrations by farmers in Paris, Berlin, Dublin and in the Netherlands last October brings attention to protectionist environmental policies made as part of European Union trade deals.