OPPOSITION leader Tony Abbott doesn't care about South Australia or the lower end of the River Murray, Premier Jay Weatherill says.

Mr Abbott has reportedly told colleagues not to get involved in battles of principle, such as whether you have a subsidy here or a gigalitre there, the premier said in a statement today.

"This is Mr Abbott's code for selling out the River Murray and selling out (Holden) workers," he said.

The premier said Liberal MP Christopher Pyne has indicated he is prepared to accept a deal on the River Murray that is acceptable to NSW and Victoria rather than what the river and SA needs.

"We take just seven per cent of the waters of the river system, while 93 per cent is taken upstream," Mr Weatherill said.

The premier reiterated his promise to fight for the river every step of the way, saying the last drought that dried out the River Murray's lower lakes showed rivers died from the mouth up.

"What happened here in the last drought will happen upstream unless South Australians unite," he said.

SA had been the "moral exemplar" on the River Murray for more than 40 years, with its water restrictions and waste-reduction practices, while upstream states over-allocated water all those years, he said.