Cr Sali was accompanied by fellow councillor Geoff Dobson and Tallygaroopna farmer Nat Akers.
The group, trying to raise awareness about the Federal Government’s plan to take more water from Murray-Darling irrigators, snared interviews with Sky News and the ABC, and participated in a Murray-Darling Basin Plan discussion hosted by the Coalition in Parliament House.
Cr Sali had previously met with Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek on August 3.
He said stakeholders had to keep pressing their case.
“It’s not enough to do a Zoom meeting or a telephone call; you have to be face-to-face,” he said.
Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell, who met the Shepparton delegation, said the government was planning to rip up the basin plan and take more water from the regions — contradicting the original socio-economic test.
An implication for the regions is less water for food production, resulting in higher food prices.
The government is also planning to remove the cap on buybacks.
The Coalition had voted to hold a Senate inquiry into the legislation, meaning the new water law may not be enacted until November.
“The government could be in the market, taking water before Christmas,” Mr Birrell said.
Farming groups also got together in Canberra last week, attacked the public debate over the new legislation and criticised Ms Plibersek.
National Farmers’ Federation chief executive Tony Mahar said the fact the Federal Government felt the need to stretch the truth just revealed how flawed the proposal was.
“We’ve seen the most unbelievable garbage peddled in the parliament this week, and it’s adding fuel to the fire in basin communities,” Mr Mahar said.
“If this is the government’s approach they’re just going to deepen the anger and division already caused in the past fortnight.
“We want an outcome that restores bipartisanship, that brings all states back around the table, and that brings communities along. Telling porkies to sell a dud bill is a dreadful start.”
He said assertions by the government that it had consulted rural communities was a “furphy”.
“The government sought the input of irrigation and farming groups on how to complete the plan painlessly.
“Those options to complete the plan without buybacks are still gathering dust, unread on the minister’s desk.
“Then this week, we’ve been told we’ll have a tick and flick committee process, with no hearings in affected communities.
“This isn’t listening, it’s steamrolling.”
