Govt delays vote on Murray-Darling inquiry

The Turnbull government has delayed a parliamentary vote calling for a judicial inquiry into allegations of water theft from the Murray-Darling Basin.

The coalition used its numbers in the lower house on Thursday to stop an attempt by Labor to immediately deal with a motion put forward by a group of South Australian senators and approved by the Senate a day earlier.

Labor argued there was an urgency to address the serious allegations, fearing the issue will never be debated if not brought forward.