‘Most concerning’: NSW fails to deliver water resource plans

More than a month after a June 30 deadline, NSW is on track to deliver just seven out of 20 water resource plans.

A scathing report card on the Murray Darling Basin Plan has revealed the NSW Government is on track to complete just seven out of 20 water resource plans, more than a month after its final deadline.

The six monthly Murray Darling Basin Plan report card, released by the Murray Darling Basin Authority on Thursday, found NSW’s progress to complete its water resource plans had moved from “at risk of delay” to “high risk”.

NSW has formally submitted three of the 20 water resource plans to the MDBA and provided four water resource plans for review.

MDBA chief executive Andrew McConville labelled the NSW Government’s failure to deliver the WRPs the “most concerning” sign of the slow progress of the Basin Plan, which was supposed to be delivered in 2024.

Water compliance inspector-general Troy Grant publicly set a firm June 30 deadline for NSW to deliver all 20 water resource plans.

Without the WRPs, it was difficult for authorities to monitor compliance with water laws in NSW, he said.

“Without accredited water resource plans for each NSW catchment, it essentially means that NSW is working outside the compliance framework of the basin. All other states have submitted their water resource plans,” Mr McConville said.

Earlier this year, water compliance inspector-general Troy Grant publicly set a firm June 30 deadline for NSW to deliver all 20 WRPs, and said if it did not “it is reasonable that the Commonwealth step in”.

Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek told The Weekly Times in July that she would not rule out Commonwealth intervention.

She now said she was confident the NSW Government would deliver on the WRPs.

“I’ve had constructive conversations with NSW Water Minister Kevin Anderson. He has assured me the 20 plans are coming as fast as possible,” she said.

Water consultancy Slattery & Johnson director Maryanne Slattery told The Weekly Times she was “surprised” there was little mention of NSW licensing flood-plain harvesting in the MDBA report card.

“Flood-plain harvesting is fundamental to the NSW water resource plans. And it’s one of the reasons why the water resource plans are late.

“For the MDBA to not even acknowledge that is really quite concerning.

“If flood-plain harvesting comes through the water resource plans as expected, many people in NSW are going to see this as a failure of the Basin Plan,” Ms Slattery said.

Mr McConville said NSW had made good progress toward measuring and metering flood-plain harvesting.

“We are very supportive of the action that NSW have taken in that respect,” he said.