THE National Party will this weekend determine its position on a referendum over Murray-Darling Basin control, a point of contention with its coalition partner.

The party will vote on whether to oppose a referendum to transfer state governments' powers to the commonwealth .. at its annual federal conference in Canberra.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott wants to take the issue to a referendum if the states don't cede their powers by mid-2012.

But Nationals Leader Warren Truss says his party will strongly resist the move.

He says a referendum will be years away and says he's confident Mr Abbott only sees it as a last resort.

The basin is a sensitive topic in the Nationals' supporter base ahead of the government's release of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

A draft of the plan is imminent and will likely force a re-think of how Australia's agriculture sector fits in with efforts to rescue the ailing rivers as irrigators get reduced water allocations.