Bendigo has once again been totally ignored by the Murray Darling Basin Authority in the “public consultation phase” of the Basin Plan which is scheduled to conclude on April 16. Why is the Basin Authority holding no public meeting here? Bendigo is the largest Victorian population centre in the Murray-Darling Basin and is totally reliant on the Basin for its drinking water. The decision to exclude Bendigo from the ridiculously short list of public meetings demonstrates the continuing and contemptuous arrogance of the Basin Authority. The details of the public meetings can be found at www.mdba.gov.au/have-your-say/updates-and-eventsI wonder if any local parliamentarians, environment groups or agricultural organisations have picked up on this exclusion of Bendigo?The Basin Plan has the potential to be a disastrous shutdown of Australia’s food production capacity.It is no wonder that the Basin Authority wants to fly under the radar and avoid public scrutiny of its methods.Chris Poynton,Bendigo