THE $13 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan is “off track” and needs a “course correction”, according to federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek.
Ms Plibersek has written to Murray-Darling Basin Authority chair Sir Angus Houston seeking advice on how likely it would be that the basin plan’s 2075-gigalitre water recovery targets would be achieved by the legislated June 2024 deadline.
Despite 98 per cent of the overall water recovery target already being met, there were parts of the plan, including NSW’s water resource plans, the sustainable diversion limit adjustment mechanism (SDLAM) projects, and the 450GL promised to South Australia that are well behind schedule.
“The plan is too far behind and likely requires significant change to make substantial progress,” Ms Plibersek said in the letter.
“A year from the deadline, this report will give us an honest assessment of the legacy we have received, including whether the plan can be delivered on time.”
One option for change could include extending the plan’s water recovery deadline to allow more time to complete the work.
“That option has to be on the table,” Ms Plibersek told the ABC.
Ms Plibersek expects to receive the requested report from the MDBA on July 24.
NSW and Victoria have both previously requested more time to complete SDLAM projects in their states.
After meeting of basin state ministers in October, Ms Plibersek said the Federal Government was committed to delivering the plan “but flexible about how we get there”.
The news the government was considering extending the basin plan’s deadline was welcomed by opposition water spokesperson Perin Davey, “if not 18 months late”.
“More recently, through the minister’s own consultation on how to finalise the basin plan, there have been many ideas submitted, but none that can be delivered within 12 months, so it is necessary to extend the deadlines,” Senator Davey said.
“Ideally, I would have liked the deadlines to have been extended prior to the last election, when the NSW and Victorian governments first asked, but we were dealing with a hostile Senate and Labor would not negotiate.
“Now the minister has realised there are a magnitude of reasons why the basin plan is behind schedule, not all within Federal Government control, I hope she is more open to having constructive discussions about how to enable the basin plan to be finalised to deliver the environmental objectives.”
Senator Davey rejected claims the basin plan was behind schedule because the Liberals and Nationals “sabotaged” its delivery, saying much of the implementation of the plan was dependent on states and out of Federal Government control.
“At the end of the day, the basin plan must be about environmental outcomes, not arbitrary numbers on a page,” she said.
“If the government wants to talk about how to deliver the basin plan with new ideas and new concepts that will improve our environmental resilience, my door is always open.
“I will not, however, consider plans to prioritise or allow increased buybacks that hurt basin communities and have flow-on impacts that will cost every Australian in the long run,” Senator Davey said.
South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said action was needed now on rivers, not delays.
“A delay on the 450GL is a broken election promise to every South Australian and risks breaking our Murray River,” she said.
“This water must be delivered before the next election … South Australians are sick of excuses.
“Buybacks must be used now to secure the promised water, not a concocted delay designed to hide a broken election promise. That means standing up to the big irrigators in the upstream states.”
The National Irrigators’ Council last week released its submission to the finalising the basin plan ideas consultation process.
NIC chief executive Isaac Jeffrey said one of the recommendations was for the timelines to be extended to allow the states time to complete their SDLAM projects.
“Reports that the minister has asked the MDBA about timelines, signals the minister’s pragmatic approach to finalising the plan and hopefully will lead to agreement around the ministerial council table to extend the timelines,” Mr Jeffrey said.
“Farmers have already given up over 2100GL of water. They’ve done the heavy lifting and it’s time for basin governments to deliver on their commitments, so their failures aren’t sheeted home to farmers and communities.
“If that takes a little more time, then so be it.
“It’s better to have a good plan which works, then a bad plan which destroys jobs, businesses, communities, food availability and the cost of living.”
