The report was handed to Federal Water Minister Keith Pitt on March 31, who said it would be released to the public once he had read it.
State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed is not hopeful anything different will come out of this report that has not come out of the 40 previous reports, inquiries and royal commissions that had failed to see much progress for farmers and irrigators.
She previously called for Mr Pitt not to delay releasing the report but she expected him to have "a good read of it" before it becomes available to the public.
“There were people that were hopeful such as (Southern Riverina Irrigators chairman) Chris Brooks and others that when they agreed to this inquiry at the time of the Convoy to Canberra in December, there would be water available to farmers, but that hope has lessened over months,” Ms Sheed said.
Northern Victorian Irrigation Communities president Dudley Bryant said his hopes had faded.
“The vibes are getting no good,” Mr Bryant said.
“I met with him in Barooga with SRI and no doubt we left him feeling like something good was going to come of it.
“But I have a feeling they are going to sweep it under the carpet with all that's happening with the coronavirus.”
Speak Up chair Shelley Scoullar agreed that hopes were fading.
“My concern is that we will miss an opportunity to deliver good outcomes for the food bowl and the nation,” she said.
“It takes years to understand how river systems work and interact with each other; certainly trying to understand the complexities in a few months is virtually impossible for anyone not involved in water.
“But the last thing we need is for Mr Keelty’s office to be getting advice from the MDBA, which has failed communities in the basin but refuses to be adaptive or accept its shortcomings.”
Mr Pitt said he was fully aware of how important this inquiry was to many communities throughout the Murray-Darling Basin and that there would be significant interest in its findings.
“The public can be assured that it will be released as soon as possible and it will not be determined by parliamentary sitting dates,” he said.
“The government’s response will be considered in the context of other relevant reviews, including the Sefton Report and ACCC inquiry.”
While Ms Sheed expected water transparency to crack a mention, Victorian Water Minister Lisa Neville said she wanted to see the report address compliance issues and floodplain harvesting in the north.
“Victoria does not support changes to the water sharing arrangements, which pre-date the basin plan, particularly if this would penalise Victoria due to our cautious allocation policy,” Ms Neville said.
