Labor and Greens reach deal on Murray Darling Basin plan for 450 gigalitres of environmental flows

The Albanese government and Greens have reached a “breakthrough” deal on legislation to amend the Murray Darling Basin plan and ensure an additional 450 gigalitres of environmental flows.

The environment and water minister, Tanya Plibersek, said in a joint press conference with the Greens environment spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young, that agreed amendments would strengthen the bill which is to be debated in the senate this week.

They include a commitment in law that an extra 450GL of environmental water for the southern basin, to bolster flows to South Australia, will be recovered by 2027.

“We know that as we go into another hot, dry spell, it is more critical than ever, that we deliver fully on the Murray Darling Basin Plan,” Plibersek said.

She said the deal would improve the transparency of the plan and introduce greater accountability for the government for on meeting water targets. It will also give the government the power to withdraw state infrastructure projects if they are found to be unviable.

The legislation extends the timeline in which water recovery targets should be reached after it became clear a 2024 deadline would be missed. It also removes a cap on buybacks that was introduced by the previous government.

An audit of the Murray Darling Basin Plan found it would fall about 750 gigalitres short of its total of 3,200GL by the deadline of June 2024.

About 315GL of the 750 is due to major water saving projects either running late or failing to materialise. The government is setting a deadline of 2026 for water associated with infrastructure projects.

Federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, and Greens environment spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young announcing the deal. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Among the amendments negotiated with the Greens, the government has agreed to publish information about the status of projects and provision of the 450GL of water for the environment.

The inspector general of water compliance will undertake an independent audit of the water allocated to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and a “long overdue” amendment will ensure the plan acknowledges and adequately outlines First Nations people’s connection, history and water needs.

The government has also committed to boosting funding for the Aboriginal Water Entitlement Program to $100m.

Hanson-Young said the deal was a breakthrough that would secure water for the environment in legislation and “ensure the river is there for the future”.

“For over a decade, South Australia has been fighting for the 450 GL of water to be in law to be guaranteed to be delivered,” she said.

“Because it’s what science says is needed to save that the lower reaches of the Murray, the Coorong and the Lower Lakes.”

To pass the bill, one more crossbench senator would need to vote in favour of the legislation.

Plibersek said she remained determined to implement the plan and with much of Australia under El Niño conditions, passage of the legislation was critical.

“We want to see the bill delivered so that we can deliver water for communities and for the environment,” she said.

“It has to happen this week.”

The opposition’s water spokesperson, senator Perin Davey, said Coalition governments had spent a decade working to ensure the rivers flow all the way down the system.

“And we know there are better ways that we can deliver the remaining basin plan,” she said.

“But this minister is taking the lazy option and resorting to buyback, the quickest, the simplest, but the most costly to communities.”

Independent ACT senator David Pocock has put forward a series of requests related to the health of the Upper Murrumbidgee River. They include upgrading water infrastructure, increasing flows and improving catchment health.

“If the government is serious about restoring the health of our rivers with this bill, they won’t balk at any of the modest, policy-focused asks I have put forward that would get outcomes for river health and communities,” he said.