5th May 2026
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC) is ramping up its calls for the NSW Government to prioritise environmental water after new "disturbing revelations" shows the state's environment and water department has, for years, delayed waterflow to critical wetlands, to suit farming activities.
"The fact that the NSW water department has routinely held back environmental water is outrageous." said Mel Gray, NCC's inland rivers campaigner. "It is clear the environment is an afterthought when it comes to water management in this state."
"The system was designed just to treat the rivers like irrigation channels. Retrofitting in environmental water delivery is not going well, especially when there's people who want it to fail," she said.
"By favouring farming in Gwydir wetlands, wildlife and ecosystems are being sacrificed."
Just last month turtles, birds, frogs and sheep were left to die when WaterNSW abruptly stopped environmental flows in the state's north-west.
The NCC is urging the government to completely overhaul how it manages environmental water releases and put nature first.
Quotes attributable to Mel Gray, Water Campaigner, NCC:
"The government has been delaying environmental water releases around harvest time for years in the region. What other nefarious decisions are being made behind closed doors?
"This is a significant escalation from the crisis in the Gywdir Wetlands that saw hundreds of turtles left to die.
"We really need the NSW Government to completely overhaul the way that environmental water is managed.
"This is a matter of urgency. How long can these ecosystems survive with regular interruption to animal breeding cycles?
"The environment was here first. The environment must be prioritised. That's what the law says.
"The whole system needs to be reimagined. We need to be able to deliver environmental water first as a priority - as a simple, low risk action - and then we can look at how irrigation water fits in the system after that.
"Wetlands and rivers are being denied their right to have water.
"The Traditional Owners must be involved in solving this problem. They should be a part of the decision-making and not left in the dark."
