THE Murray Darling Basin Authority will only hold a handful of public meetings this time around to hear responses to its draft basin plan.
Critics say the MDBA is trying to stage-manage the public consultations to avoid the highly-charged meetings which characterised the process last time.
Three meetings have been confirmed so far: Mildura on February 10, Goondiwindi on February 14 and Swan Hill on February 22. A further meeting at Renmark is still being organised.
An MDBA spokesman said smaller meetings would also be held in Hay, Albury, Wodonga and Narrabri. Venues have not yet been announced.
The authority chose a community stadium at Buronga across the Murray River from Mildura in October 2010 to discuss the draft plan and received a hostile response from more than 2000 people.
Sunraysia Irrigators Council chairman Danny Lee said he expected a similar response on February 10. "People are going to stand up and tell them they are going to ruin the district, what else can they do?" he said.
"We understand it really is another exercise in futility but we are expecting another good turnout. They've already made their decisions without considering the ramifications in irrigation areas."
The authority's new chief executive Rhondda Dickson has already visited Mildura for an "invitation-only" discussion with industry stakeholders.
The authority released its draft basin plan on November 28 last year, kickstarting a 20-week consultation period.
