WATER management experts have criticised Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's plan to end Australia's ''dam phobia'' and seek out new dam sites across the country, dubbing it a ''knee-jerk reaction''.

Yesterday, Mr Abbott announced that his finance and deregulation spokesman, Andrew Robb, would lead a shadow ministerial task group to look at the role new or bigger dams could play in securing Australia's water future.

''The Queensland flood disaster makes this very timely indeed because dams can be flood-mitigation devices as well as water storages,'' Mr Abbott said. ''They can be a potential source of zero-emissions power as well as water storages. They can be a source of environmental flows in dry times as well as just water shortages.''

But Willem Vervoort, an associate professor of hydrology and catchment management at the University of Sydney, called the plan a ''rigid approach''.

''It's a misunderstanding of the natural system in Australia, which goes from big droughts to big floods … [Mr Abbott's proposal] is a bit of a knee-jerk reaction and an old-fashioned view on this kind of issue, when most of the international research shows dams to be detrimental to the environment.''