The National Water Grid will "take petty politics out of water", Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said.

"It will deliver strategic planning and project management for water infrastructure across the nation," Mr McCormack said.

"It will bring together the world's best scientists, water experts and local stakeholder engagement to harvest and harness our most critical asset for future generations - ensuring that science, not politics - drives future decision making on water policy and infrastructure.

"Establishing an independent statutory authority will ensure the future of Australia's water supply will be based on data - not on self-interest."

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New England MP and former Water Minister Barnaby Joyce supports the National Water Grid, but believes its purpose is redundant.

"A lot of the things it plans to do have already been done," Mr Joyce said.

"The problem is not researching water infrastructure, the problem is building it. There are dam designs that have been sitting around for decades.

"We're not designing dams on the moon, we have the information, we've just got to start."

Mr Joyce said the real issue was the amount of red tape holding up dams.

"People talk about years of paperwork before a bulldozer blade hits the ground, that's the real impediment," he said.

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