Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism projects – Michmutters
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Australia

Murray-Darling Basin report card shows state targets ‘slipping behind’ as water-saving deadline nears

With just two years until water-saving deadlines of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, New South Wales is at high risk of not meeting its responsibilities.

A new report card by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) shows that as of the end of July, New South Wales had formally submitted one of 20 water resource plans required to set out how water is used across catchments.

The recently appointed chief executive of the MDBA, former oil and gas lobbyist Andrew McConville, says the “New South Wales water resource plans are firmly in the red”.

“Without accredited water resource plans and a coverage catchment, it means that New South Wales is effectively working outside the basin’s compliance framework,” he said.

South Australia, Victoria and Queensland have completed their water resource plans.

Water projects at extreme risk

The eighth MDBA report card, released today, shows there are also a number of state-managed water-saving projects intended to recover large amounts of water for the environment “slipping behind”.

“There are seven projects that remain at high risk of not being delivered,” Mr McConville said, referring to the Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism projects.

“That’s really going to require a concerted effort by the basin states to make sure that they can do everything they can to be delivered, and deliver that expected reduction in water recovery for irrigation community.”

The report card, released every six months, shows seven projects are considered at “high or extreme risk” of not being completed by June 2024.

Former Water Minister Keith Pitt had previously warned that some of these projects would not be completed on time.

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