‘Won’t stand quietly’: Govt ups fight for River Murray
The environment minister is calling for action after a bombshell report but the Greens fear they are “hollow words”.
Environment Minister Emily Bourke says SA will “not stand quietly” after a report last week revealed a 265-gigalitre annual shortfall in water promised to the River Murray.
The report from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority revealed only 13 of 39 water savings projects promised have been completed, contributing to the shortfall almost a decade after limits were introduced to restrict water being taken from the crucial waterway.
Concerns about the Murray-Darling Basin Plan have persisted for years, and a 2023 review also found it would fall short. SA’s River Murray Commissioner said at the time that it would take more than a thousand years to deliver the required water.
Bourke said today that South Australia has “rightly fought for the plan to deliver” for the state and now “expect the commitments under that plan to be honoured”.
“South Australia is at the end of the river, and we are always the first to feel it when the system falls short,” Bourke said.
“I am calling on my basin counterparts to work together to address this shortfall and ensure the water promised to the environment is delivered.”
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It comes after parliament last month passed a motion recognising that failing to deliver water to the River Murray would harm the long-term sustainability of the state.
But Greens MLC Melanie Selwood said the government was delivering “hollow words” unless there were clear consequences for falling short of the water targets.
“This shouldn’t be a fight that South Australia has to keep having every few years, and it’s too important to be a squabble between the states,” Selwood said.
“Emily Bourke needs to pick up the phone and call her federal counterpart to make sure South Australia gets the water we rely on.”
Selwood pointed to the federal government’s Water Act 2007, which includes laws relating to the Basin Plan, but Selwood said it does not include any direct legal fines or sanctions for failing to meet targets.
“Why is there no penalty if the other states don’t follow through? There’s nothing forcing them to hold up their end of the bargain,” she said.
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“Calling for cooperation is just hollow words unless there are actually consequences for failing to deliver.”
Meanwhile, SA Liberal spokesperson Nicola Centofanti is in the Riverland meeting with farmers today and hearing concerns about the current buyback scheme.
“We want to see governments exhaust practical alternatives, including properly designed water-efficiency and infrastructure projects that can deliver genuine environmental water while keeping farmers productive,” Centofanti said.
“South Australia has done the heavy lifting when it comes to water reform, and we should not be expected to shoulder the consequences of other jurisdictions failing to deliver.
“We want to see the Malinauskas Labor Government demanding greater accountability from the upstream states for the projects they committed to, including clear explanations for delays, revised delivery timelines and genuine efforts to get these projects back on track.”
Bourke has also met with farmers and stakeholders and says she is “always advocating for SA” when meeting with interstate water ministers.
SA’s current River Murray Commissioner Emma Carmody said “a deal is a deal” and the remaining 315 gigalitres must be delivered.
“South Australians remember the Millennium Drought. Communities, irrigators, fishers and Traditional Owners watched the end of the river system collapse. For the people of SA, the stress and grief of those years left lasting scars,” Carmody said.
“That crisis was the reason South Australia signed up to the Basin Plan.
“SA’s river system can’t survive on a partially implemented deal, on paper water, or on legislative workarounds.”
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