Labor mulls pushing back 2024 deadline for River Murray’s 450GL water for the environment

Fears Labor is about to back away from a key election promise to SA has sparked angry reactions and strong warnings from two different sides.

Labor has revealed it is open to pushing back the deadline to deliver extra water to the River Murray, prompting fears it is preparing to back out of a key election promise.

The Nationals and The Greens have now each accused the government of ignoring regional communities and breaching a promise made to SA after the Enivonment Minister Tanya Plibersek revealed she was open to delaying the June 2024 deadline to deliver an extra 450GL back to the river.

Nationals water spokeswoman Perin Davey accused Ms Plibersek of misleading parliament on Thursday afternoon when she said Labor had already contracted as much water for the Murray environment than the Coalition had in 10 years.

Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek during Question Time. Picture: Gary Ramage

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young also fired a warning shot, saying any delay would be a “breach” of Labor’s election commitment and would “not go down well” in SA.

Ms Hanson-Young urged Labor to lift the cap on controversial buybacks – a government method of purchasing water entitlements from farmers and irrigators.

In the lead up to the May federal election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised to deliver the 450GL in full by June 2024. It is on top of the primary 2075GL environmental target, which has largely been met.

SA Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Ms Plibersek told parliament on Thursday she had contracted an extra 2GL towards the 450GL target since she took office and that she remained committed to the goal.

“I have contracted as much water in two months as those (in Opposition) delivered in almost a decade,” she said.

While the volume of water officially delivered remains at 2GL, the Coalition in fact contracted 23.3GL to be returned while in power. This is not including the 2106GL it delivered for the environment under a separate target.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said Ms Plibersek’s comments showed “utter disrespect and disregard to the trauma that Basin communities have endured through this plan”.

Nationals leader David Littleproud slammed Tanya Plibersek’s early handling of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“(Labor) want to reinflate and open this up for political gain in South Australia – that’s not what a good government should do,” Mr Littleproud said.

“I think this is where Tanya Plibersek really doesn’t understand water policy … and it’s time actually that (the basin plan’s architect) Tony Burke stepped in.”

Many regional communities argue buybacks would cause social harm by farms becoming less productive, leading to fewer jobs.

A water entitlement – the permanent right to receive an allocation of water – from the River Murray in South Australia recently sold for $7500/ML.

Water allocations in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin traded for an average of $77/ML last financial year.

[e-mail]