Barrister Richard Beasley says it is almost impossible for critical water to be delivered to South Australia

A top barrister from the Murray-Darling Royal Commission says he’d put his house on SA not getting the water it needs to save the Coorong, the Lower Lakes and the Murray Mouth.

• Buyback ‘deal’ prompts Murray-Darling Royal Commission call

A leading barrister from the Murray-Darling royal commission says he would put “his house” on SA not getting the 450 gigalitres of water it needs to save the Coorong, the Lower Lakes and the Murray Mouth.

Richard Beasley, SC, who was the senior counsel assisting the royal commission into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan says it’s “pretty much impossible” to get that water.

Under the plan, a core 2750GL is to be returned to the system to help save the environment. The commission heard from a range of scientists that amount of water was not enough. SA then successfully argued for an extra 450GL, bringing the total to 3200GL.

But Mr Beasley says a State Government deal with the other states provides them a loophole to avoid delivering the water.

Senior counsel assisting the Murray-Darling Basin royal commission Richard Beasley with commissioner Bret Walker at the Murray mouth. Picture: Leon Mead Photography

Former Commonwealth Environment Water Holder David Papps told the commission he would bet his house that it never arrives.

At a forum on the Murray-Darling, The Advertiser asked Mr Beasley if he agreed.

“I’d put my house on it too … I’d put my house, my superannuation and my chambers on it as things currently stand,” he said.

The 450GL was meant to be returned through efficiency measures that are based on “very dodgy” science, he said.

“There’s been no progress with those measures at all.

They’ve probably been a waste of billions of dollars,” he said.

But worse, he claims, is State Water Minister David Speirs’ deal with the other states that they only have to implement the measures if there is no socio-economic impact. It then becomes an almost impossible task, because the states can veto them if just one job is at risk.

Mr Beasley said Commissioner Bret Walker’s finding essentially said that Mr Speirs’ decision was “so absurd and so illogical that no sensible person could have possibly reached it”.

Mr Speirs and Premier Steven Marshall have strongly rejected that finding, arguing the deal was the only way to stop NSW and Victoria walking away from the plan. They say it was the only way to get a “pathway” to the water.

Federal Labor has pledged to undo the deal if they win office. Labor’s Tony Burke said they would guarantee delivery of the water along with a range of other measures to restore the Basin to health.

State Opposition water spokeswoman Susan Close said the “capitulation” to the eastern states showed a lack of leadership that left the Murray under threat.

The National Farmers’ Federation said Mr Speirs’ deal would ensure that “the devastating effects on rural communities from the removal of consumptive water are mitigated as much as possible”.