New Governor-General Quentin Bryce has been accused of neglecting South Australian communities as she embarks on a tour of the parched Murray-Darling basin.
Ms Bryce is today starting her first tour in the vice-regal role by spending a week touring the drought-ravaged basin, with a focus on NSW and Victoria.
Independent Senator Nick Xenophon criticised the decision to omit South Australia's Riverland irrigation district from the itinerary.
He said the Riverland, which is near the Victorian border, should be included because it was doing it tough due to over allocation of scarce water resources by upstream states.
"A number of the irrigators that I've spoken to feel that they don't understand why their region is not included," he told AAP.
"I can understand the people I've spoken to feel very disappointed that she's not there."
"My appeal to the Governor-General is to please reconsider, and visit the Riverland."
Senator Xenophon said the Riverland was one of the hardest-hit regions in the Murray-Darling.
"It's the region where people are walking off their farms, they're on the brink of a precipice."
Senator Xenophon said Ms Bryce deserved praise for taking the Murray-Darling tour, and he was pleased she would visit Adelaide and Goolwa, at the river mouth in South Australia. But he wanted her to change her itinerary.
Ms Bryce started her Murray tour in the NSW town of Bourke today.
She was due to attend a civic reception at the Back O'Bourke Exhibition Centre Cafe tonight.
Bourke Mayor Wayne O'Mally spoke of the importance of water to the district as he welcomed Ms Bryce to town.
"Bourke doesn't live without its river and its water," he told Fairfax Radio Network.
"It's our life blood."
Ms Bryce will head to Prattenville tomorrow, then Broken Hill, Menindee Lakes, the Barrier Ranges, Mildura, Red Cliffs, Wentworth, Adelaide and Goolwa.
On the second phase of her tour she is due to visit Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton, Echuca and Deniliquin.
During the trip she will visit farms to inspect water management techniques and irrigation technology.
She will see dried fruit being produced, and wine grapes and citrus crops being grown.
Comment has been sought from Ms Bryce's office in relation to Senator Xenophon's comments.