Buybacks on the table in government overhaul of Murray Darling Basin plan
Controversial buybacks have been left on the table on the table as the federal government overhauls the Murray Darling Basin plan and pushes its deadline back three years.
NSW
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The deadline to deliver the $13bn Murray Darling River Basin plan has been pushed back by three years to 2027 as the government leaves the door open for controversial buybacks.
Federal water minister Tanya Plibersek has struck a “historic agreement” with NSW, South Australia, Queensland and the ACT to deliver the plan in full, including 450 gigalitres of water for the environment.
Victoria is not a part of the plan and Ms Plibersek said the “door was open” for the Andrews Labor government to come on board.
“Our government made a commitment to deliver the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full and that’s exactly what we are doing,” she said.
“If we don’t act now to preserve it, our Basin towns will be unprepared for drought, our native animals will face the threat of extinction, our river ecosystems will risk environmental collapse, and our food and fibre production will be insecure and unsustainable.”
The new deal will extend the deadline from 2024 to December 2027 for the recovery of 450 gigalitres of water.
States will also get more options to deliver the remaining water including water efficiency projects and voluntary water purchases.
Ms Plibersek did not commit to an answer on how much of the water would be recovered by buybacks.
“I also want to be quite careful about what I say about our water purchase program, because as soon as the government is in the market for water, there is the risk that water markets might be distorted,” she said.
“Reaching this agreement has not been easy. It took co-operation from Basin Ministers, with a shared understanding of the urgency we all face. We don’t want Australians to wake up one day with a dead river system and find out their governments could’ve stopped it.”
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