Steph Cooke MP
Member for Cootamundra

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...

18/08/2025 Shadow Minister for Water, Steph Cooke, has expressed grave concern over the reappearance of highly toxic PFAS-contaminated...

27 June 2025 The Minns Labor Government’s third budget has provided no new funding for the NSW Safe and Secure Water Program in a move...

27 June 2025 The 2025–26 NSW Budget has highlighted the Minns Labor Government’s continued failure to invest in the critical water...

7 February 2025   Shadow Minister for Water, Steph Cooke, has slammed the Government’s inaction in response to the unfolding PFAS crisis...

9 December 2024 The Minns Labor Government’s neglect of the Safe and Secure Water Program has left regional and rural communities...

Shadow Minister for Water, Steph Cooke, has highlighted a smelly concern in one of Sydney’s newest sporting precincts, at a Shadow...

9 September 2024 NSW Shadow Minister for Water, Steph Cooke, has expressed shock and deep concern following an admission by the NSW Water...

28 August 2024 Published: The Daily Telegraph - Pg 13 - OPINION - 28 August 2024

Thursday, 15 August 2024   Under questioning in both houses of the NSW Parliament, the Premier and Minister for the Environment could not...

NSW Shadow Water Minister Steph Cooke said it is only a matter of time before Federal Government water buybacks start to impact household...