WATER and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has committed to returning 450GL of water per year to the environment and to deliver the Murray Darling Basin plan as it was “agreed” a decade ago.
In a pre-recorded speech to the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s (MDBA) River Reflections conference in Mildura on Thursday, Ms Plibersek said the Government was “future proofing” the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) by delivering on the Basin plan.
“Because of climate change, we can expect to see more water quality issues, greater salinity more fish death events,” Ms Plibersek said.
“Putting more stress on already stressed ecosystems. The MDB plan was agreed to by all basin jurisdictions a decade ago.
“Our five-point plan is a reset. We will work with basin governments and stakeholders to put the plan in place as was agreed.”
Ms Plibersek said the Federal Government would increase compliance, improve metering and monitoring and reform water markets, providing water modelling where available.
She said the Government would increase First Nation participation in water ownership, management and decision making.
Two of the “worst droughts” in recent history were the clearestevidence of the need for the plan to be delivered.
Strong and practical leadership would be needed to deliver the basin plan in full, said Murray Darling Basin Authority chair Sir Angus Houston, who told the conference climate change was “no longer knocking on the door”.
“We will also see more extreme weather events,” Sir Angus said.
“According to the CSIRO, by 2050-60 average annual streamflow could reduce by 20 to 30 per cent. This is due to less rainfall and higher evaporation and plant transpiration.
Sir Angus said central to giving rivers the best chance was to deliver on water saving projects and return “450GL in additional water efficiency measures”.
“If Basin governments cannot work together and progress the most pressing issues with the plan’s implementation, how will the nation face these new and urgent challenges?”
To deliver on the basin plan, Sir Angus said the NSW Government had to deliver water resource plans “not just because it is set out in law, but because it’s the right thing to do”.
Inspector-General Troy Grant told the conference if the NSW Government did not deliver its water sharing plans by the end of June, he would raise the prospect of the Commonwealth stepping in to allow the MDBA to prepare those plans so proper water compliance could take place.
