A former water industry lobbyist preselected by the New South Wales National party to lead its Senate ticket in the next federal election has suggested examining Barnaby Joyce’s proposal to release more water for irrigators.
Once a lobbyist for Murray Irrigation, Perin Davey won the No 1 spot on the NSW National party’s Senate ticket earlier this month, after the longtime Nationals senator and bank campaigner John “Wacka” Williams retired and the former Nationals deputy leader Fiona Nash resigned over her dual citizenship.
Davey was part of the teleconference with NSW government water official Gavin Hanlon, when he allegedly offered documents stripped of the department logo to help irrigators lobby against the Murray-Darling basin plan.
Hanlon resigned following the revelations, which were referred to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption. The former water minister Kevin Humphries was also referred to the state watchdog. Icac makes it a practice not to comment any current investigations. Davey said she had not been interviewed by Icac and Guardian Australia does not allege any wrongdoing.
The meeting was exposed in the 2017 Four Corners episode that reported allegations that water was being harvested by some irrigators in the Barwon-Darling region of the Murray-Darling basin to the detriment of the environment and downstream communities.
Joyce, the former agriculture minister, had nominated Davey to the board of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority but, as a result of the fallout from the program, Davey asked Joyce to withdraw her nomination.
Davey, who now runs her own government relations company, said she was simply participating in a teleconference and that it was not unusual.
“I had no idea what was happening up north and allegations in that program, so I commend the NSW government for talking strong action because water theft cannot be tolerated,” she told Guardian Australia. “It’s not just thieving from the system but other irrigators.”
Davey said she was invited to participate in the teleconference that irrigators had requested.
“We were all there as stakeholders to understand what impacts government policy would have on industry that is reasonable,” she said. “In response to our requests that we got a teleconference.
“I don’t know if similar conferences haven’t been held with environmental groups. It is not unusual to have departmental briefings for stakeholders.”
Davey’s preselection for the 2019 federal election comes at a pivotal time in the water debate after Joyce, the government’s drought special envoy, called for the release of environmental water to help finish winter fodder crops.
Davey said while she was not suggesting environmental water should be handed out “holus bolus” to irrigators, there should be a commonsense approach.
“Barnaby said in crisis situation, let’s have a look at what can be done,” Davey said. “From my perspective, if we take commonsense approach and we don’t have to change any laws, it already does allow flexibility.
“I’m not saying hand it out holus bolus to irrigators. There’s commonwealth water, there’s state water, we have to look at totality of it.
“Is there any surplus there made available through Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to sell water as long as we meet environmental needs? Instead of first answer being no, make that the last answer.”
Davey said any examination needed to be a “practical look” as no government should take any action to undermine a property right.
“The commonwealth owns [water] entitlement like property owners. That right has to be sacrosanct.”
Davey, who grew up in Canberra but moved to Billabong Creek near Jerilderie, said she would keep working in her government relations business based in Deniliquin until the election.
“I am not technically a lobbyist, I provide advice,” she said. “I will have to wind up the work certainly by time election proper but in the interim I still need to feed my family. I will stepping back from some roles that I do.”
Katharine McBride of Tolarno Station at Menindee said the preselection was concerning for downstream communities.
“It’s very concerning for those of us who depend on Darling river flowing that someone who is known to have been in a conversation currently under investigation around integrity and called into question by the NSW government – it’s concerning the Nats would go ahead and put this person in No 1.”
Davey said irrigators benefited the whole state and country, contributing $3bn to agricultural production, but she would focus on regional development as a whole.
She also called on a more long-term conversation on drought and said “climate change is happening” and the focus needed to be on adaption.
Michael McCormack and his deputy, Bridget McKenzie, both welcomed Davey as a “passionate advocate” for rural and regional Australia.
