The Greens, Coalition & independents have come together to unite in the need for immediate action on the Murray Darling Basin.

Senator Rachel Siewert (Greens spokesperson on water), Greg Hunt MP (opposition Environment Minister) & Senator Nick Xenophon (Independent) joined GetUp! National Director Simon Sheik in Canberra yesterday to call for Government action on the Water Bill and save the Murray Darling.

GetUp! presented the politicians with a petition signed by almost 50,000 Australians concerned about the Murray's future.

Mr Sheikh said that independent legal advice obtained by constitutional law expert Professor John Williams from Adelaide University suggests that the Federal Government has the power to wrest control of the waterway from the states.

"Experts suggest there is a way and what's more Liberal, National, Greens and Independent politicians have shown today is that there is also the political will to rescue Australia's biggest river," Mr Sheikh said.

"Our message now to Federal Government is: throw the Murray River a lifeline, adopt our plan for one set of rules for one river and prevent the nation's food bowl from turning into a dust bowl.

"We cannot afford to let the situation of the country's most important river system to get any more direr.

"We need a Federal Government takeover to protect the future of the river's health and the livelihoods of the people who depend on it. We need Federal Government to throw the Murray River this critical lifeline now."

Rachel had this to say on the Water Bill:

"The Greens believe that limited water resources within the Murray-Darling Basin need to be retained within the Basin. We do not support any new extractions outside the Basin and believe that we need to progressively wean outsider users off the system," said Senator Siewert.

"Victoria's investments in irrigation efficiency to 'save' water for the Sugarloaf Pipeline is modernisation activity that should be undertaking anyway to address over-allocation. The solution to Melbourne's perceived water problems lie in Melbourne, not in the Murray Darling Basin."

"There is only a limited amount that can be recovered this way and all of it is urgently needed to help basin communities and threatened ecosystems deal with the impacts of climate change. Basin communities are hurting, and precious ecosystems are literally dying for a drink."

The GetUp petition reads:

Recover and release 500 gigalitres of water into the river system by the end of the year, and 4000 gigalitres overall to prevent our food bowl turning into a dust bowl.

Create an emergency Interim Basin management plan, including a focus on the Coorong and Lower Lakes. This could be done in a matter of weeks, as a precursor to establishing a truly independent authority that is not held to ransom by State governments' veto power

Establish a national freshwater reserve system to protect rivers, wetlands and estuaries of high value to the river. As a first step, urgently intervene to save the Murray River Red Gums, the river's "green lungs" suffering from State inaction.

See more photos of the event here