Report confirms ‘almost no progress’ this year on unachievable 2024 Murray-Darling Basin Plan

The $13bn Murray-Darling Basin Plan will not be delivered on time, and progress has been slow since the Albanese government came to power, a new report has confirmed.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says the Murray-Darling Basin Plan will not be achievable by its mid-2024 deadline. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority says “almost no progress” has been made during the past year on projects needed to meet water savings targets, confirming that the mid-2024 deadline to deliver the $13bn plan is not achievable.

Tasked earlier this month by Tanya Plibersek to advise on the prospects of the decade-old ­Murray-Darling Basin Plan, the authority charged with overseeing its implementation said ­little headway had been made during her tenure as Water ­Minister.

Ms Plibersek, who has previously refused to budge on targets or deadlines, blamed the states and the Coalition for the delays, accusing the former government of a “decade of deliberate sabotage” in a bid to stop water being repurposed from irrigators to the environment.

With the June 30, 2024 deadline unattainable, Ms Plibersek said she was committed to achieving the promised water savings in full, but would now be forced into negotiating with state ministers about extending the timeframe.

“Let me be clear: the Albanese government is committed to delivering the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full, which includes the extra 450GL of water for the environment,” Ms Plibersek said.

“I’ve said that from day one and I won’t budge. But the truth is, no government can catch up on nine year’s sabotage in two years.”

Ms Plibersek said the plan, intended to return 3.2 billion litres of water a year to the country’s biggest river system, was essential to mitigate future droughts.

The MDBA, productivity commission and state governments have warned since 2018 that the mid-2024 deadline, legislated in 2012, was out of reach.

Some irrigators on Tuesday welcomed Ms Plibersek’s concession and called for the federal government to work with states to set realistic deadlines that could be achieved without further water buybacks from farmers.

Others were concerned pressure from environmentalists and the Greens would push the government into costly buybacks.

The MDBA’s assessment of the plan, commissioned by Ms Plibersek on July 4, found there had been substantial progress but concluded it would fall about 750GL short of the legislated ­target.

Without attributing blame, the MDBA said “both the commonwealth and basin states have found it difficult to meet time­frames and milestones”.

It said water constraint projects under the Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism had been particularly slow.

“In our 2023 Assurance Report, we reaffirm that a reconciliation will be needed, and advise that almost no progress has been made in the last year,” the report said.

A scheme to save extra water for the environment through efficiency measures has recovered only 3 per cent of the targeted 450GL.

NSW Irrigators’ Council acting chief executive Christine Freak said it was important that the remaining challenges did not detract from the significant water savings – more than 2100GL – already made.

She said extending the deadline would give governments a better chance to “do it right” but warned against resorting to water buybacks that would lead to reduced crops.

“There are other options to deliver the remainder of the basin plan without one more drop coming from food and fibre production,” Ms Freak said.

“It is pleasing the MDBA has taken a position that projects to deliver the remaining environmental outcomes under the plan remain worthwhile.”

In the Victorian Murray River farming community of Mildura, table grape grower Greg Milner said he was worried that the plan was not living up to its remit to balance social and economic impacts with environmental outcomes.

Mr Milner said the likelihood of the government listening to the nation’s food producers about removing too much irrigation water from communities would depend on how much Labor needed the support of the Greens.

“It depends how bloody-­minded certain politicians are and how much the major parties are dependent upon the environmental vote to stay in power,” Mr Milner said.

“At the minute, Labor needs the support of the Greens … for a lot of their legislation and their policies.”

Opposition water spokeswoman Perin Davey rejected claims that the Coalition had sabotaged the plan and said the former government had been adhering to the original agreement, legislated by Labor, to save the additional 450GL of water only if it delivered positive or ­neutral social and economic outcomes.

She said the opposition would not consider allowing increased buybacks to meet targets.

“Despite today’s announcement (that) the basin plan’s deadline will be extended, no one is any the wiser about what the Albanese government has planned for communities in the Murray-Darling Basin,” Senator Davey said.

A Victorian government spokesperson said the government had long held concerns about the 2024 deadline but would support the return of water to the environment only if it was not achieved through buybacks.

Queensland Water Minister Glenn Butcher said the state was committed to delivering its water resource plans and working with the federal government to broker “a workable timeline”.