John Pettigrew will join Campaspe Shire councillor and farmer Adrian Weston, and Moama woman Rachel Kelly, on the Basin Community Consultative Committee.
Mr Pettigrew has a long history of board memberships, including with Goulburn-Murray Water, SPC and the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority.
In recent years he has been a member of the Goulburn Valley Environment Group (he is currently secretary) and has taken a keen interest in environmental issues.
Asked what he hopes to bring to the body, Mr Pettigrew said he hoped his range of experiences would be of value.
He said he would be initially getting a feel for the job and his contribution would depend on the issues as they were presented.
“I am interested in seeing how the committee operates.”
Mr Pettigrew said he would like to see more information provided publicly on what the committee discusses, through the release of the regular communique.
He expects to attend his first meeting of the 16-member body in April.
Murray-Darling Basin Authority chair Sir Angus Houston said the committee provided independent community advice to both the MDBA and the Ministerial Council on a range of water management issues within one of Australia's largest river systems.
“With implementation of the [Murray-Darling] Basin Plan through to 2027, ongoing input from the BCC will help to furthering the outcomes for healthy rivers, the environment and the communities that rely upon them,” Sir Angus said.
“The renewed membership and continuing involvement of BCC members will also aid in broad awareness and community involvement in the MDBA’s 2026 Basin Plan Review — ensuring that community aspirations and concerns are duly considered in the future framework for managing the basin.”
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