Fiona Simson, president of the State’s peak farmers body, said the stakeholders group set up by the new government was shown a draft document in July and made comments at that time.

“It was sent back and it still hasn’t come out – we assume when it does there will be public consultation, if the government’s strategic regional land use policy is to be robust, this is the key document that will underpin it,” Mrs Simson said.

Acknowledging that the Murray-Darling Basin draft plan released this week threw responsibility for how water was used squarely back on to State governments, Ms Simson said the aquifer interference legislation would be critical.

“This will set some parameters about mining activities and water licensing overseen by a body like the Office of Water as opposed to a ministerial department,” she said.

The Murray-Darling Basin Auth-ority (MDBA) does not have responsibility for determining what water resources are used for – whether agricultural or mining, with the plan noting that State governments are responsible for approval and regulation of water use for mining activities.

But water use by mining, including coal seam gas (CSG), will need to be within limits specified by the plan, including groundwater leakage.

A spokeswoman for Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodg-kinson said all water taken for mining in NSW required a licence and this would continue under the Basin Plan, and the aquifer interference legislation was now at an advanced stage and would be released for public comment shortly.

The Greens are seeking to introduce a bill to Federal Parliament to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to give the government the power to consider the impact on water resources when assessing mining and CSG applications by adding a new “matter of national environmental significance” to the legislation.