Mrs Dalton’s Upper House colleague Mark Banasiak MLC will give a notice of motion to introduce the bill when NSW Parliament resumes for a special one-off sitting.
It comes after the NSW Government successfully quashed it in the Lower House.
“The Bill will include a key amendment – it will be retrospective to capture any state MPs that may have sold their water licences or transferred entitlements to their wife or husband while the government stonewalled the legislation,” Mrs Dalton said.
“Media revelations that Chinese state-owned companies are buying up Australian water shows how we urgently need a public water register.
“It’s more likely this important bill will pass in the Upper House, where there are less National Party MPs to stall it or block it.“Unemployed Australia have to declare water ownership on their Centrelink forms. Yet foreign governments and politicians can buy as much water as they want, in secret.
“This is disgraceful and must change as soon as possible.”
In February, Mrs Dalton introduced the Water Management Amendment (Water Rights Transparency) Bill 2020 to the NSW Parliament Lower House.
The Bill was the first in Australian history that provided for a transparent water register, where members of the public could search details online on all individuals and companies (foreign and domestic) who own NSW water.
The legislation also seeks to change the pecuniary interest register for state MPs, forcing them to declare any water interests.
Currently, MPs have to declare income, land and property interests, but not water ownership.
“The NSW Nationals were extremely hostile towards my bill,” Mrs Dalton said.
“They first objected to me introducing it, reported me to the Ethics Committee, then delayed the Bill as much as they could.
“The NSW Government then suspended parliament, but the clock still ran on my bill – meaning it’s now expired.
“I’m currently working on two key amendments to the new bill – making it retrospective, so MPs have to declare any water owned during the last five years. And I’m also drafting an amendment to force MPs to declare any water that their husband or wife might own.
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak said he would work with the Opposition and fellow crossbench members to get support for the Bill so it could pass in the Upper House.
“We also urgently need a federal royal commission to uncover water corruption and expose the impact of secret trading,” Mrs Dalton said.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro called Mrs Dalton “disgusting human” (sic) on Twitter, after the she questioned why he told the people of Menindee he supported a royal commission, before voting against it in NSW Parliament after the NSW election.
“Now Mr Barilaro is staying in NSW State Parliament, I’d love to work with him to push his federal National Party colleagues to bring on a federal royal commission,” she said.
“He said he supports one, he must back his words with actions.”
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