On Thursday, Tamworth mayor Col Murray and councillor Russell Webb will be bumping shoulders with some of the nation's most high-profile politicians, including the Prime Minister.

Cr Webb said he planned on getting in the ear of any politician that looked sideways at him, to lobby for the upgrade of Dungowan Dam.

"I'll be having a fair bit to say if I get the opportunity, particularly around pushing for an upgrade to Dungowan to start as soon as it possibly can," Cr Webb said.

"We will be pushing for it very hard. It's one thing that has got to happen.

"In my humble opinion, there's no ifs or buts about it. Without another dam, it is going to be very difficult for us to grow and attract business in to the future."

On Tuesday, New England MP Barnaby Joyce expressed his frustration with the Dungowan dam "buck-passing" between the state and federal governments, calling for the decision makers from both tiers of government to "get in a room and work it out".

NSW Water Minister Melinda also acknowledged the project had faced multiple hurdles in her recent trip to Tamworth, while promising the state government would "focus on getting that to business case as soon as possible".

"I can understand that the community here is probably frustrated by the amount of talk around Dungowan Dam and its expansion," Ms Pavey said.

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Cr Webb said often these much-hyped forums became "talkfests", however he believes this one may result in some meaningful action.

"I'm very hopeful that some ideas might be taken on board," he said.

"Everything is so desperate and the situation is becoming so dire for many regional centres, that if they are ever going to act, it has got to be now.

"I'm also hoping to talk to the federal Minister for Agriculture [David Littleproud] about a drought recovery plan."

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