The questions flowed thick and fast: Why hasn’t water extraction from the northern basin been regulated or even monitored? Why was so much water allowed to leave the southern basin? And does the MIA have a future for irrigators?

These were some of the questions posed to Nationals Regional Water Minister Niall Blair, Labor Shadow Water Minister Chris Minns, and Greens upper house member Justin Field.

The forum was organised by NSW Farmers and drew a crowd of 200 people from across the state all crammed into one room at the Griffith Ex-Servicemen's Club.

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Most of the people The Area News spoke to left the forum feeling dissatisfied with the answers they had heard.

Although Mr Blair had characterised it as a “debate” where the “gloves are off”, many audience members felt their answers were too similar for their tastes.

Both Mr Blair and Mr Minns made promises about fighting for irrigation communities, both agreed that too much southern basin water was being drained to South Australia, and both complained about the draining of the Menindee Lakes.

Yet the responsibility always lay elsewhere; Mr Blair said much of the decisions were out of his hands despite being the water minister, and Mr Minns said he couldn't promise to reign in Federal Labor Tony Burke's proposal to lift caps on water buybacks.

Mr Field said he actively supported water buybacks, comments which earned him jeers and boos from a hostile audience.

He spoke about the threat of climate change to irrigation communities and he advocated for more environmental flows, attracting yet more boos from the crowd.

During a heated exchange Mr Blair told Mr Minns he would be prepared to boycott the Murray Darling Basin Plan if Labor wins the federal election and Tony Burke ramps up water buybacks beyond the current caps.

Mr Blair said he hoped it didn't come to that; all three of them said they wanted a fix to the MDBP or a MDBP 2.0 rather than jettisoning it.

That the plan was badly in need of fixing was not a point of contention.

All three of the politicians recognised there were problems with the status quo, and all three of them promised positive changes if they were elected or re-elected into office.

Mr Field said he wanting a Royal Commission into the MDBP on the grounds that it did not provide enough environmental flows.

Mr Minns said he wanted a commission of inquiry into the MDBP, pointing to the lack of regulation in the northern basin when it came to floodplain harvesting.

Mr Blair said regulation was hot on the government's agenda, pointing to their newly appointed independent regulator.

Mr Blair had a list of changes that were in the works, and he said the government would continue to work towards building a better future for irrigators.

But Mr Minns was dismissive of Mr Blair's promises, saying that he has already had eight years as water minister to prove his chops.

Mr Blair hit back, saying a Labor government would be worse for irrigation communities.

The mood in the room was skeptical, however, with some saying they didn't expect much change regardless of who got into power.

Others were more optimistic; they talked about the possibility for new forms of water saving technology and new markets opening up in China.

Some were simply happy to have their voices heard and their anger felt in the lead up to the state election.

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