Janine Bird, from the No Water, No Vote campaign, criticised Farrer MP and Health Minister Sussan Ley for voting for the Water Act in 2007.

She claimed it was “responsible for stripping billions of dollars from (Murray Darling) basin communities”.

“Almost 50 per cent of equity was wiped away from homes, farms and businesses almost overnight with the withdrawal of productive water,” Ms Bird said.

“Nobody has taken responsibility for this, for stealing the equity from our irrigation communities.”

In response, Ms Ley acknowledged “real social pain” in those reliant on irrigated agriculture, but she said she had supported the Murray Darling Basin Plan to lock in a cap on water buybacks.

“Not having a cap on buybacks, by having the opportunity to have targeted buybacks in any river system at any time is absolutely devastating to our farmers,” she said. 

Australian Liberty Alliance candidate Ron Pike, who was fiercely critical of the plan, argued it would “destroy every community in this electorate”.

“The allocation of water across the Murray Darling Basin this year for broadacre agriculture is zero or very close to zero,” he said. 

“Why? Because (Ms Ley’s) government has allowed green bureaucrats to flush our stored water down to the sea.”

Crowd member Mark Dixon, who linked the water issue to fracking, claimed it was “killing our water system from below”.

Meanwhile, the plebiscite on same-sex marriage was raised, but Ms Ley maintained her position of not stating where she stood on the issue. 

“My conscience is not better than the consciences of everyone else in either my electorate or Australia,” she said.

Christian Democratic Party candidate Paul Rossetto cited information on Ms Ley’s website which he said supported same-sex marriage as a reason for running. 

Mr Rossetto claimed this information was subsequently deleted but Ms Ley rejected this.

“To suggest somebody has moved something off my website is, I think, quite offensive,” she said.

Independent candidate Brian Mills brought a prop of a toy bunny rabbit and proceeded to refer to Ms Ley as “Sussan the rabbit” in his speech.

Forum host David Thurley, acting on behalf of the Murray Darling Association, interjected and said Ms Ley should be addressed by her proper name.