VICTORIA'S Government-owned Goulburn Murray Water corporation has suspended one of its most outspoken irrigator-elected water service committees.

GMW chairman Stephen Mills said the Pyramid-Boort WSC was dysfunctional and had been suspended as its members were unable to work with each other, GMW and others.

  • Should the Pyramid Boort water services committee have been sacked?
  • Have Your Say in the form below

"They have lost trust and confidence in each other as committee members and externally with GMW and others, such as people (in) DSE (Department of Sustainability and Environment)," Mr Mills said.

The Weekly Times understands the relationship between some WSC members and the GMW board has been undermined by conflicts arising from the $1 billion Northern Victorian Irrigation Renewal Project to deliver water savings to irrigators, Melbourne and the environment.

WSC members Chris Harrison and Ken Pattison are members of the Plug the Pipe group, which opposes water being diverted to Melbourne.

But Pyramid-Boort WSC chairman John Nelson said his members were only doing their job and the committee had been operating effectively.

"We have a few members who ask some difficult questions and they (GMW) don't like answering them," Mr Nelson said.

"I can't understand why they've done this. It's a bit of a shock."

But Mr Mills said the committee was so divided it was unable to give GMW effective advice.

"They were so divided as a committee you were getting lots of different views," he said.

Mr Mills said GMW repeatedly tried to improve Pyramid-Boort WSC's performance, even hiring business communications consultants Northwood Blyth to help resolve conflicts.

"They (the consultants) made recommendations we took to all our 25 consultative committees, many of who didn't understand the changes were being made because of Pyramid Boort."

Mr Mills said GMW had already called for nominations from Pyramid Boort irrigators interested in sitting on an interim customer reference group. Members will be selected by the GMW board and remain until the next round of annual WSC elections in June next year.

Victorian Farmers Federation water council chairman Richard Anderson said GMW's decision undermined democratic principles.