Warnings that Murray-Darling Basin Plan is set for failure without overhaul
FIVE billion dollars and the fate of the River Murray are at risk, the Productivity Commission warns in an ominous report.
FIVE billion dollars and the fate of the River Murray are at risk, the Productivity Commission has warned in an ominous report.
The Commission’s five-year assessment of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan draft report says urgent action is needed to turn the plan around as it warns of delays in projects and “unrealistic” deadlines.
The $13 billion plan to save the Murray was years in the making and has been beset in recent months by allegations of water theft and rorting, a lack of scientific modelling and political squabbling.
About $5 billion is yet to be spent, and the Commission says that money is at risk and its draft report is a “warning bell” to the states to pull together to deliver the historic agreement and not waste that money.
“Without immediate action, there is a significant risk of less water for irrigation, the cost to taxpayers blowing out and, in the future, communities wondering whether it was all worthwhile,” Commissioner Anne Doolan said.
In its report, the Commission said “significant progress” had been made with about a fifth of the water for irrigators now going to the environment, but that there was “still a lot of hard work ahead in key areas and success is not guaranteed”.
“Some of the timelines are unrealistic and institutional and governance arrangements are deficient,” it said.
The draft report said governments had not yet agreed on a plan to get an additional 450 gigalitres of water – water that SA fought for on top of the 2750GL originally considered.
Projects to deliver that water won’t be fully operational by the 2024 deadline, it warned, adding that the cost could be driven up.
Ms Doolan said the Commission’s job was to do an “independent check” and that in South Australia there were improved water flows over the barrages and greater fish migration.
But complex, interdependent projects meant to deliver more water or environmental outcomes equivalent to having more water in the system are “ambitious”, she said.
She called on all the governments to work together and to collaborate with all stakeholders to get the “maximum chance of success”.
“It’s important that governments actually get together and undertake proper planning,” she said.
Associate Commissioner for Water John Madden said the current plan did “not give the Commission confidence that the significant risks ahead will be well managed”.
The plan needed better monitoring, governance and funding arrangements. As part of that, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority should be split in two – a corporation and a regulator – the Commission recommended.
The National Irrigators’ Council said the report was a “wake-up call”.
Council chief executive Steve Whan said despite the challenges it was not all doom and gloom and the plan was “fundamentally on track”.
Federal Water Minister David Littleproud highlighted improvements in compliance in the wake of reports that irrigators were stealing or rorting water.
Earlier this year, Centre Alliance Senator Rex Patrick raised concerns that senators were voting on Murray-Darling legislation without all the information they needed, or proof that water recovery projects would work.
South Australian independent Senator Tim Storer called for immediate action because SA was a “prisoner of geography” and needed its fair share of water.