Labor seeks deadline delay on Murray Darling Basin plan water

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is seeking to extend the Murray Darling Basin Plan past its 2024 deadline.

Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is seeking to extend the Murray-Darling Basin Plan past its 2024 deadline in a bid to deliver on its election commitment to return 450 gigalitres of environmental water to the basin.

Ms Plibersek has taken the first step needed to delay the plan by seeking formal advice from ­Murray-Darling Basin Authority chair Angus Houston on whether the plan will be delivered on time amid concern it will be “extremely difficult” to achieve within its legislated timeframe.

The move, likely to spark a backlash from the Greens and Nat­ionals, could allow Labor to formally legislate the final 450GL of environmental water it has committed to deliver.

The delay comes as Labor faces scrutiny from the Greens over its economic credentials, with environment spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young attacking Ms ­Plibersek for approving three coalmines in the past two months.

Ms Plibersek has approved one mine, an extension to a mine and an exploratory licence.

With Labor’s overhauled environmental laws set to be released this year, Senator Hanson-Young urged the government to adopt a climate trigger to “stop new coal and gas in its tracks”.

In a letter seen by The Australian, Ms Plibersek expressed concern the plan was significantly behind with just over two years remaining to implement it.

These include 450GL of environmental water, substantial diversion limit adjustment mechanism projects and water resources plans with state governments.

“Despite the progress we have made over the last year, it is clear that with one year to go delivering the basin plan within the legislated timeframes will be extremely difficult,” the Environment Minister wrote.

“The plan is too far behind and likely requires significant change to make substantial progress.”

Ms Plibersek pointed to a report released in August last year that found only a fraction of the promised 450GL – 2.5GL – had been returned to the Murray-­Darling Basin.

The independent review into the water for the environment special account revealed that the water would not be delivered through efficiency or constraint measures, prompting Ms Plibersek to flag water buybacks.

Major water savings targets were legislated in 2013 under the $13bn Murray-Darling Basin Plan, including a promise made to South Australia that 450GL of water would be returned by 2024 as a precondition for the state signing up.

The plan was legislated in 2013 with bipartisan support.

The commonwealth committed nearly $2bn across a 10-year period to deliver the water, with most of that money going to increase efficiency savings measures across the basin.

The plan to return water to the environment has long been opposed by irrigators, who say that draining more water from ­regional communities would have drastic socio-economic consequences.

The Nationals last year pushed unsuccessfully to scrap the 450GL commitment, while the Greens have been calling on Labor to remove a moratorium on water buybacks, which were capped under the Coalition.

MDBA chief executive Andrew McConville told the National Press Club last year that water-savings deadlines in the Murray-Darling Basin were unlikely to be met, with huge shortfalls in ­keeping 650GL of water for consumption.

While no decision has been taken yet on whether buybacks would be needed to achieve the 450GL target, the federal government has re-started buybacks to achieve other key targets under the plan.

Ms Plibersek in February revealed Labor would purchase water in six catchment areas across Queensland and NSW.