ADELAIDE people will get the chance to have a say on the historic plan to save the River Murray.
The Murray Darling Basin Authority has announced it will hold a public meeting in the state's capital.
The meeting will be the authority's first in Adelaide in 15 months and the last chance for city-dwellers to have their say on the plan before it is finalised later this year.
The meeting is on April 3 at the Adelaide Convention Centre and was announced the day The Advertiser reported a call by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young to bring the authority to Adelaide.
A spokeswoman denied the MDBA had caved in to political pressure to hold the meeting, saying it had been in the planning for several weeks. She expected up to 1000 people would attend.
The authority's chief executive, Rhondda Dickson, chairman Craig Knowles and Federal Water Minister Tony Burke are expected to attend and will give an update on the draft plan and its next steps.
There will also be an opportunity for people attending to ask questions of the authority and Mr Burke.
"At some of the public meetings in irrigation communities I have heard some shocking comments denigrating the interests of South Australia," Mr Burke said.
"The Adelaide meeting provides a chance for the public consultation to correct that balance and there's no way I'll miss it.
"By moving to a national basin plan this year we can finally end the tug of war between the states that has always resulted in less water for SA."
Senator Hanson-Young said an Adelaide meeting was necessary for all South Australians to have a voice on the river's future.
"There are many people concerned about the future of the River Murray who couldn't make the public meetings in Renmark or Murray Bridge," she said.
"This meeting is a chance for South Australians to tell the Authority that we need 4000 GL (returned to the system) if we're to give the River Murray a fighting chance.
"I look forward to attending the meeting and joining many other South Australians to advocate for saving our mighty river, the Lower Lakes and Coorong."
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