Sir Samuel McCaughey covering his eyes in shame as government's destroys the incredible success story of the M.I.A

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Sir Samuel McCaughey covering his eyes in shame as government's destroys the incredible success story of the M.I.A

Over a century ago, Sir Samuel McCaughey invested his own fortune to carve canals through the plains of the Riverina, proving irrigation could transform our region into one of the world’s great food bowls. His vision at North Yanco laid the foundation for the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area — a triumph of foresight, engineering, and belief in the potential of Murray communities. McCaughey fought to secure water as the lifeblood of our future, and his success inspired government to build Burrinjuck Dam. He understood what every farmer knows: without water, our region withers.

Yet today, McCaughey would hang his head in shame. A Royal Commission has found that the Murray-Darling Basin Authority acted unlawfully — ignoring science, concealing truths, and placing politics above people. Instead of protecting the river system, mismanagement has left communities strangled, farms uncertain, and the environment gasping. The legacy of prosperity McCaughey built is being dismantled by secrecy and incompetence. If our founding fathers could see this betrayal of their vision, they would be appalled. The people of Murray deserve better — honest management of our water, and a system that safeguards our future, not squanders it.