Senate inquiry would probe how river water helps nature
Senator Ross Cadell wants a probe with Royal Commission powers into the federal official who controls river water kept for nature. It would look at the effect on farms and towns in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia's biggest river system.
Official name: Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder Commission of Inquiry Bill 2026
- A new probe would look at how the federal Water Holder manages and uses its water.
- It would ask if water released for nature really helps nature. It would ask how it affects farms and Basin towns.
- The Senate would pick the members. One would be a former judge. The other would be a Basin local with farm and water know-how.
- The probe could force people to give evidence. It could have them arrested if they refuse to turn up.
Who it affects
- The federal Water Holder: Its decisions, methods and results would be looked into.
- Farmers and towns in the Murray-Darling Basin: The probe would look at how water released for nature affects their farms and local jobs and businesses.
- Federal and state water agencies: What they did could be looked at, and staff could be made to give evidence.
- Witnesses: They would be protected from threats and payback. They could get help with legal and travel costs.
Doubts over the Water Holder
The Murray-Darling Basin is Australia's biggest river system. Farms, towns and nature all depend on its water.
The federal government owns rights to a lot of water in the Basin. It uses this water to keep rivers and wetlands healthy. The official who decides how and when that water is used is called the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. In this article we call it the Water Holder. Letting that water into rivers and wetlands is called environmental watering.
Senator Ross Cadell says people have long been worried about how the Water Holder does its job. He says a probe is needed to bring back trust and openness in how the Basin is run.
Who runs the inquiry
The Senate itself would pick the members. The bill says this keeps the probe free of the government of the day.
One member must be a former judge. The other must know about farming and water rules and must live in the Murray-Darling Basin.
If a member dies or quits, someone new could take their place without starting over.
What it looks into
The probe would look at how the government's water for nature is managed and used. It would look at what that water achieves. It would focus on the role and actions of the Water Holder.
It would ask if water for nature is bringing real gains for rivers and wetlands. It would also look at how it affects what farms grow, jobs and money in the regions, and Basin towns.
It could look at what other federal and state agencies did too. That includes poor running, bad management or wrongdoing.
The states share the job of looking after Basin water. So the probe could also use powers given to it under state laws.
Powers of the inquiry
The probe would have powers like a Royal Commission. That is the strongest kind of public investigation in Australia. It could order witnesses to come and make them promise to tell the truth. It could also demand papers.
If a witness ignored an order to come, the probe could ask for them to be arrested. It could also order searches.
It could hire a lawyer to help run the hearings. It could hold hearings in private and stop evidence being published when needed.
Say a water official has emails about a choice to let out water. The probe could order the official to hand them over and answer questions about them.
Crimes linked to the inquiry
The bill would make new crimes to protect the probe. These match the crimes that apply to Royal Commissions.
It would be a crime to fail to turn up or hand over papers without a good reason. Refusing to give evidence would be a crime. So would lying to the probe and destroying papers.
So would threatening, bribing, tricking or sacking a witness. So would stopping someone giving evidence. Disrupting hearings could count as contempt, which means getting in the way of the probe.
The bill's notes do not list the punishments for these crimes.
Help for witnesses and staff
People who appear before the probe could get legal and money help. Witnesses could be paid back fair costs. That matters for people travelling from country areas.
The probe could hire legal, technical and research staff. Members, lawyers and witnesses would have legal protection for their work in the probe.
If the probe found evidence of a crime, it could pass it on to the right agencies.
The final report
The probe would report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. They are the people in charge of each house of Parliament. The report would set out what it found and any advice.
It would have to report within a set time. The Senate could give it more time. The bill's notes do not say how long that time is.
Waiting in the Senate
Senator Ross Cadell brought the bill into the Senate on 31 March 2026. The Senate debated it on 1 April 2026.
It is still before the Senate. To become law, it would need to pass both houses. Then the Governor-General would sign it. The Governor-General is the King's representative in Australia. It would start the day after that.
Its journey through Parliament
| 31 Mar 2026 | Senate: Introduced and read a first time |
| 31 Mar 2026 | Senate: Second reading moved |
| 01 Apr 2026 | Senate: Second reading debate |