Citrus grower Vito Mancini is hopeful a review into the social and economic conditions in the Murray-Darling Basin will see action taken to help communities living in the Basin move forward.

The independent review into conditions in the Basin has released a progress report ahead of their April 2020 due-date, which highlights 11 key themes garnered from consultations with 29 communities throughout the Basin.

A lack of participation in decision-making, fears of water security and a lack of trust in governments, markets and agencies were some of the key themes highlighted in the progress report.

Mr Mancini highlighted the theme of a lack of participation in decision-making and said while he appreciates the panel's attempts to converse with regional communities, both the federal and state governments need to listen more to regional communities and the issues they are facing.

"In my opinion, it's the only way to move the country forward," Mr Mancini said.

"We don't see much action... it [other reports and inquiries] doesn't seem to change the words coming from [Federal Water Minister] David Littleproud.

"After almost a decade of inquiries and plans I think a lot of regional communities are feeling hopeless and I think that's exactly what's stated in that report."

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Chair of the review panel Robbie Sefton said while not all communities in the Basin saw similar situations, many had been impacted by a lack of water.

"The impact of the drought, which has accelerated the decline in water availability, is without a doubt putting communities under immense pressure," Ms Sefton said.

"Confidence among many people is low, resilience is challenged and anxiety is high.

"These communities are dealing with a myriad of issues and while many are suffering and under stress, others were keen to share the benefits they are seeing from water reform."

An online survey also ran alongside the panel's review highlighted the local economy and retention of younger members of the community as two of the biggest issues seen by communities in the Basin, with 65 per cent of respondents believing the local economy has gotten worse over the past decade.

The panel has indicated eight preliminary areas of action ahead of the final report, which includes improving the performance and communication of water policy and management.

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