Steph Cooke MP
Member for Cootamundra

Steph Cooke MP at the Boorowa Water Treatment Plant. Member for Cootamundra and NSW Shadow Minister for Water, Steph Cooke, has put forward a plan to address the growing backlog of regional water infrastructure projects across the state, including those in the Cootamundra electorate. Ms Cooke has proposed investing $5 billion in water infrastructure over 10 years to address water insecurity and support future housing growth in the regions through a first-of-its-kind fund.

Steph Cooke MP with Hilltops Council Staff at Boorowa's Water Treatment Plant. During Budget Estimates yesterday, NSW Minister for Water Rose Jackson confirmed that NSW is facing a multi-billion-dollar shortfall in critical water infrastructure, and that the Minns Labor Government has allocated no new funding to capital projects in communities at risk of water insecurity. Scrutiny during the hearing centred on the Safe and Secure Water Program and the scale of infrastruct

Almost a third of Crown Lands fire trails managed by the Minns Labor Government were categorised as being in ‘poor condition’ following the latest annual inspection program. Fire trails are built to provide firefighting personnel with vehicle and personnel access to reach bushfires, to act as control barriers for backburning, and to establish firebreaks to slow the spread of active fire. During Budget Estimates, the Minister for Crown Lands’ department stated that only 27

Jane Harry, Emillee Azzopardi and Rhianna Beacham with Steph Cooke MP. Australia's rice industry has celebrated its leading innovators and achievers at the 2026 Rice Industry Awards in Barham, with Amberley Pastoral Co of Yenda named SunRice Grower of the Year. Held as part of Rice Connect 2026, the awards recognise excellence, leadership and contribution across the Australian rice industry, bringing together growers, researchers, agronomists, industry partners, processors

The NSW Shadow Minister for Water, Steph Cooke, says the loss of 92 jobs at SunRice facilities in Leeton and Deniliquin is the direct consequence of years of warnings being ignored about the impact of water policy on regional communities. As one of the Murray-Darling Basin's largest employers and processors, SunRice warned policymakers as early as 2024 that the ongoing reduction in water availability, coupled with policy uncertainty, would threaten the long-term viability o

The Minns Labor Government has neglected the state’s primary funding program for town water infrastructure for the fourth consecutive year, despite NSW facing a multi-billion-dollar backlog in critical projects. The Safe and Secure Water Program was established by the former Coalition Government to support the design and construction of essential capital works projects that ensure regional communities have access to safe and reliable drinking water. Since being elected in

Sydney families and regional farmers are bracing for escalating water costs, with Sydney Water set to raise bills by 6.7 per cent and farmers across NSW facing up to 50 per cent increases over the next four years to water their crops. The increases come as households continue to grapple with rising costs of living and farmers battle mounting pressures from fuel, fertiliser, and other input costs. This week, Sydney families were told they can expect their water bills to ri

After three years of mounting legislation, regulations and compliance obligations, the Auditor-General has found the Minns Labor Government cannot demonstrate whether its water reforms are delivering meaningful benefits. The report found that the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has not adequately assessed the cumulative impact of water reforms introduced since 2017, and cannot demonstrate whether compliance and enforcement measures h

Steph Cooke MP during a visit to the Edward River Shire in March The NSW Liberals and Nationals have condemned the Minns Labor Government for pushing ahead with legislation that will erode the property rights of NSW landholders, causing further breakdown in trust with regional communities. The Water Management Amendment (Easements for Inundation) Bill 2025 is proposed NSW legislation that will create a framework for permanent easements, enabling government water authorities

The Minns Labor Government must urgently resolve a long-running asbestos contamination issue in Walgett Shire, which continues to place the health of residents at risk. More than 40,000 cubic metres of asbestos-contaminated material has been stockpiled near homes and children’s play areas in the Namoi and Gingie communities since at least 2023. The Government confirmed that the material is linked to works undertaken as part of Roads to Home program on Crown reserve land.

The Minns Labor Government failed to complete a business case for the Wilcannia Weir project before approaching the Commonwealth for funding, despite now blaming the Federal Government for the project’s collapse. Last week, NSW Water Minister Rose Jackson confirmed the long-awaited project would be shelved, citing a lack of additional Commonwealth funding. However, during Budget Estimates on Wednesday, the Minister admitted that the business case required to support the f

The Minns Labor Government has abandoned the people of Wilcannia and the broader Far West, shelving the long-awaited Wilcannia Weir replacement project. Shadow Minister for Water Steph Cooke said the decision is a betrayal of a community that has fought for more than three decades to secure a safe, reliable and drought-proof water supply. “Late on a Friday afternoon, when newsrooms in the Far West were logging off for the week, the Minister for Water quietly announced the

The Minns Labor Government must put NSW first and prevent any further Commonwealth water buybacks in the Northern Basin, following the Federal Government’s announcement that it is seeking to purchase additional entitlements. The updated Restoring Rivers Trading Strategy confirms the Commonwealth will open a voluntary Expression of Interest process targeting entitlement holders in the northern Murray-Darling Basin. However, recovery targets in the Northern Basin NSW Zone

The NSW Minns Labor Government must immediately release the valley-by-valley modelling and departmental advice underpinning their decision to lift the Menindee Lakes trigger from 195GL to 250GL of active storage. Through a co-signed omnibus amendment to multiple water sharing plans, the Minister for Water and the Minister for Environment have altered the rules governing access to overland flows in the Gwydir, Macquarie, Cudgegong and Border Rivers systems. Under the new 2

Labor Premier Chris Minns has refused to rule out signing the Commonwealth’s proposed National Water Agreement, despite mounting concern from regional communities and water users across NSW. The federal government wants states and territories to sign the new agreement, which would rewrite Australia’s overarching water policy framework. However, the details of the proposed agreement have not been publicly released, leaving farmers, irrigators and regional communities in th

The NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment & Water (DCCEEW) has rejected an urgent request for bottled drinking water from Coonamble, more than a week after the town was placed on a boil water notice. Coonamble is one of a growing number of rural and regional communities calling for state and federal investment to upgrade their aging, overstretched water infrastructure. Already under strict water restrictions, the town was issued a boil water notice on

The NSW Labor Government has spectacularly contradicted its own Premier, voting in support of a motion calling for a Commonwealth Royal Commission into water management just hours after Chris Minns told the Legislative Assembly he did not back the proposal. A Public Interest Debate was held in the NSW Parliament on a motion calling for a federal Royal Commission into water management, including the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. During Question Time earl

NSW Councils have been left high and dry by the Minns Labor Government, with no funding opportunities available to support critical town water projects. The former Liberal and Nationals Government’s $1.1 billion Safe and Secure Water Program remains fully allocated, with no new money invested in the program since Labor was elected in 2023. With the state’s primary funding avenue for town water utilities to improve water security and water quality in regional towns unavailabl

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke has been reappointed as NSW Shadow Minister for Water and Shadow Minister for Crown Lands, following yesterday’s announcement of the refreshed NSW Liberals and Nationals Shadow Ministry. Ms Cooke said the reappointment was both an honour and a responsibility at a critical time for the management of water resources and public land across New South Wales. “These portfolios sit at the centre of how our communities grow, adapt and thrive,” M

19/08/2025 Government mismanagement has forced a complete halt to environmental watering in NSW, exposing the Minns Labor Government’s...