PHOTO: The Castlereagh River in Coonamble, part of the Murray-Darling Basin. PHOTO: Western Plains App/ River McCrossen
The NSW government may have boosted fines for water theft, but Macquarie Marshes grazier Garry Hall says that will matter little if the regulator doesn’t have more physical presence in communities.
Water changes applied by Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) from 20 September raised maximum penalties for serious water theft offences from $750 to $7,700 for individuals and from $1,500 to $15,400 for corporations.
The government says the increase will send a message to rulebreakers, but while Mr Hall welcomes the move, he says the regulator needs to be more approachable if it wants locals to report wrongdoing…