Murray-Darling Basin promise walk-back signalled

Tanya Plibersek has signalled Labor may need to extend a 2024 deadline for delivering 450 gigalitres of environmental water back to the Murray-Darling Basin, labelling it “challenging”.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on Thursday. Picture: Getty Images

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has signalled Labor may need to extend a 2024 deadline for delivering 450 gigalitres of environmental water back to the Murray-Darling Basin, labelling it “challenging”.

The comments have prompted accusations Labor may be walking back from an election promise made by Anthony Albanese while campaigning in South Australia when he committed to restoring water to the river system.

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

On Sky News on Thursday, Ms Plibersek said it was going to be very difficult to get there on time. She accused the ­Coalition of abandoning the targets while in office, saying it had managed to return only 2GL in almost a decade in government.

“I’m looking at the moment at whether we can meet that target date of 2024 for that (extra) 450GL of water that’s supposed to be released to the environment,” Ms Plibersek said.

“I’m looking at every option; every option is on the table to get to that target.

“But can I say in almost a decade the previous government returned 2GL for environmental uses for SA in particular, so in almost 10 years the previous government got two out of the 450 that they promised.”

“We’ve got a 2024 deadline to get the other 448GL. It’s challenging; I’m not going to pretend it’s not, it’s challenging.”

SA Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said any delays in the plan would be a “breach” of Labor’s election commitment, as she called on the Albanese government to lift the moratorium on water buybacks imposed by former Nationals leader Bar­naby Joyce.

“There are tools available to the minister right now to start returning large volumes of water efficiently and cost-effectively to the environment,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“The minister should immediately lift the moratorium on voluntary water buybacks, senselessly imposed by Barnaby Joyce, and give farmers who want to an opportunity to sell their water to return it to the ­environment. Any suggestion of delaying the water promised to South Australians will not go down well in the lower reaches of the Murray.”

Ms Plibersek said she had been working collaboratively with South Australian Environment Minister Susan Close about how they could together reach the target.