The Minns Labor Government has abandoned the people of Wilcannia and the broader Far West, shelving the long-awaited Wilcannia Weir replacement project.
Shadow Minister for Water, Steph Cooke, said the decision is a betrayal of a community that has fought for more than three decades to secure a safe, reliable, and drought-proof water supply.
“Late on a Friday afternoon, when newsrooms in the Far West were logging off for the week, the Minister for Water quietly announced the Wilcannia Weir project will no longer be going ahead,” Ms Cooke said.
“Let’s call this what it is. A broken promise and a failure of leadership.
“The former Nationals Government made substantial progress on the Wilcannia Weir replacement because we understood exactly what it meant for drought resilience, local jobs, economic confidence and long-term certainty for this community.
“This project had real momentum right up until the current government came into office in 2023, and under Labor, that momentum has stalled, unravelled and now been stopped altogether.”
The NSW Government has blamed the Commonwealth for failing to commit additional funding and cited rising cost estimates as justification for pausing the project.
But Ms Cooke said securing funding and delivering essential infrastructure is the responsibility of the NSW Government; not an excuse to abandon regional communities.
“Instead of fighting for Wilcannia, this Government has folded,” Ms Cooke said.
“They’ve spent three years trying to rewrite plans that the people of Wilcannia were consulted on and overwhelmingly supported.
“What we’ve seen over the past three years is the very definition of bureaucracy gone mad. Endless reviews, redesigns and delays, and now the community is the one paying the price.
“It is the Minns Government’s indecision, dithering and mismanagement that has made this project more difficult and more expensive to deliver.”
While the Minister points to other water initiatives in the region, Ms Cooke said smaller projects cannot substitute for the long-term security the weir was designed to provide.
“Emergency bores, back-up pumps and leak detection are stop-gap measures. They are not permanent water security, drought resilient, and importantly, they are not what this community was promised,” Ms Cooke said.
“Wilcannia deserves the same right to secure, reliable water as every other community in NSW.
“I am calling on the Minns Government to urgently recommit to this project and provide a clear pathway forward because Wilcannia cannot afford more delays.”
Federal Nationals MP for Parkes, Jamie Chaffey, said the Minns Government’s announcement is another blow for the remote community.
“This is not something off a wish list. This is certainty of a NSW town’s water supply, their lifeline for the future, and a very important link to their cultural past,” Mr Chaffey said.
“This is an absolute disgrace and yet another example of Labor governments letting down the regional people who are just as much part of our nation as residents of Sydney or Melbourne. It is just kicking the can down the road for successive governments to deal with and, in the meantime, Wilcannia suffers.
“I will continue to call out the Federal Government and the NSW Government and urge them to work with the Wilcannia community to get this project off hold and back on track. I’m also committed to doing what I can to make sure a future Coalition Government will look at what funding is available to get this project finally built for the people of Wilcannia.”
