AUSTRALIA's irrigation industry leaders have called for Senator Penny Wong to be stripped of her water portfolio.

Victorian, NSW and South Australian irrigators say Federal Climate Change and Water Minister Penny Wong cannot perform her role effectively.

"She has too much on her plate and is not dealing with it (water) properly," SA Murray Irrigators chairman Tim Whetstone said.

"Tim Fisher (Senator Wong's water adviser) has made it clear to us that when climate change comes to her desk she pushes water issues to one side."

Mr Whetstone said water and climate change were "two of the three biggest issues" facing Australia.

However, a spokesman for Senator Wong dismissed Mr Whetstone's claims, arguing the SAMI chairman was standing as a Liberal candidate in the next South Australian election.

The spokesman said it was important one minister held both portfolios.

"With scientists predicting reduced water availability over much of Australia as a result of climate change, it's obvious that the two policy areas . . . are integrally connected," the spokeswoman said.

Victorian Farmers Federation water council's Richard Anderson said irrigators were sick of seeing Senator Wong's "scattergun" approach to the Murray Darling Basin strategy.

"The Federal Government should consider shifting responsibility for water into a separate ministerial portfolio or at least rural water issues," Mr Anderson said.

He said irrigators were yet to see any real investment in on-farm water savings, despite the government's commitment of $5.8 billion to a Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure program.

"The failure to spend that money is one of the reasons we're holding on to our 4 per cent cap (on water being traded out of irrigation districts) in Victoria," he said.

While the Federal Government has committed to spending "up to" $1 billion on the second stage, northern Victorian food bowl project not one cent has been allocated to the project.

National Farmers' Federation water taskforce chairman Laurie Arthur said there was frustration with Senator Wong's failure to address on-farm water savings.

"I don't believe the issues of agricultural water are being dealt with and I think its something that sits more closely with the agriculture portfolio," Mr Anderson said.

"I don't believe it (water) gets the attention it needs."