Goulburn-Murray Water has a new leader, and there are already calls for job cuts and reforms.

John Calleja is the rural water authority's new managing director, promoted after four years as chief financial officer.

The Member for Murray, Liberal MP Sharman Stone, has continued her long-running criticism of GMW, now aimed at the new boss.

She wants Mr Calleja to slash overheads, pay down debt and improve its financial sustainability.

“I would at least halve the workforce in the first instance,” Dr Stone told the ABC.

“We've got nearly 800 employees, they are having as we speak a 3 per cent pay rise every year under their current EBA [enterprise bargaining agreement], before that I understand it was 4 per cent per year, now that's cumulative, that is absolutely incredible.

“So I hope John is going to address the extraordinary overheads that affect Goulburn Murray Water, particularly in the size of their workforce when less than a third of that number can do the job across the border much more effectively and efficiently and with their customers' greater approval.”

Dr Stone called on the new managing director to look at how $1 billion in federal funding was being used for the so-called ‘food bowl modernisation project’.

She said Mr Calleja would have to deal with the farmers left without viable water on a case-by-case basis.