IF everything went to plan and all deadlines were met, the original objectives of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan would have been completed five days ago.

The plan, to restore rivers in the Murray-Darling Basin catchment to healthy levels, was forged in 2012 by the Gillard government, with a deadline of June 30 2024.

It was, and continues to be, a delicate balancing act of managing the basin's res...