SA hits back at Plibersek’s grim Murray-Darling prediction

Tanya Plibersek’s grim prediction on SA’s Murray water deal ignores the most effective ways to stop eastern state waste, her SA counterpart says.

South Australia’s new water minister has rejected her federal counterpart’s claim that it is now “next to impossible” to give the River Murray its due within two years.

Federal Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek said in her first major address in the role that returning the 450GL required under the Murray Darling Basin Plan was highly unlikely, despite it being a major election pledge.

But the state’s own water minister, Susan Close, said history showed it was possible and challenged the federal government to immediately act on a new list of demands, including:

–REMOVING the cap on controversial water buybacks (purchasing entitlements from farmers to reduce the volume of water taken out of the system)

-INCREASING environmental funding

-CONVENING a ministerial council meeting, and

-INITIATING a Commonwealth basin-wide water recovery program.

State Environment and Water Minister Susan Close said it was still possible to deliver 450GL by June 2024. Picture NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier.

Since 2013, just 2GL out of a promised 450 has been returned to the river for “enhanced environmental outcomes”, despite a looming June 2024 deadline. The commitment was a condition for SA signing up to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and was in addition to the primary recovery target of 2075GL.

After releasing the damning State of the Environment Report on Tuesday, Ms Plibersek said the 450GL target was essentially doomed – further escalating her warning last week that it was “extremely difficult” to achieve.

“I think it will be … next to impossible given where we are starting from and how far behind we are,” she told the National Press Club.

“It is a serious area of reform for me and I think the states understand that is the position of the new government.”

It spells major trouble for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s major election commitment of implementing a five-point plan to reach the target in full and on time.

Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek released the State of the Environment report on Tuesday ahead of her address at the National Press Club in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“I have to confess … I didn’t know how far behind we were on meeting those environmental flows until I took on this portfolio,” Ms Plibersek said.

Her grim outlook is at odds with Ms Close, who said it was possible to achieve.

“In the early days of the Basin Plan, similar volumes were recovered within a two-year period using both buybacks and efficiency programs,” she said.

Nationals Leader David Littleproud slammed Ms Plibersek for ignoring the fact more than 2100GL had been returned to the environment under other measures separate to the 450GL target.

“The Minister’s address is completely ignorant to what has been achieved and shows a galling lack of empathy for not just the economic, but social and mental anguish Murray-Darling communities have endured to deliver this water to the environment,” Mr Littleproud said.

Ms Close said the State of the Environment Report was “further evidence we must act immediately” to save the river, as SA had “the most fragile part of the river system” as a downstream state.

The State of the Environment report, written every five years, showed the Murray-Darling Basin Plan was at record low levels in 2019 due to overuse and drought. It also found Indigenous people owned just 0.17 per cent of war access entitlements, despite making up nearly 10 per cent of the basin’s population.

Among other grim findings include 202 native plant and animal species joining the list of threatened species since the last report in 2016.

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