STATE and federal water ministers must submit a secondary plan to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) by April next year, providing a “credible and balanced pathway” on the Murray Darling Basin Plan’s implementation, as agreed in 2012.
The Basin Plan’s water saving measures were addressed at the COAG meeting in Canberra today after being elevated to the high-level forum following recent controversy over the additional 450 gigalitres in environmental water flows to be delivered to South Australia by 2024.
Tensions flared after SA Water Minister Ian Hunter unloaded verbal abuse at a recent meeting of Murray Darling Basin water ministers, earning a rebuke from SA premier Jay Weatherill.
Federal Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Barnaby Joyce defended his role in the controversy saying he wrote to Mr Hunter trying to raise a practical discussion - according to the legislation as written - about alternatives to achieving the Plan’s water recovery targets, according to neutral or improved socio-economic outcomes.
Today, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Murray Darling Basin first ministers had asked their water ministers to report to the next COAG meeting with practical solutions and projects to implement the Basin Plan in full, while addressing impacts on communities, and ensuring any project impacts were either neutral or positive in socio-economic terms.
A statement from the COAG forum said the Murray-Darling Basin was of vital economic and environmental significance to a large part of Australia and it was “critical” the Basin Plan be implemented on time and in full.
It said Murray-Darling Basin issues would be dealt with through a regular COAG side meeting of first ministers of Basin jurisdictions.
The plan to be submitted to COAG by April 2017 must provide a credible and balanced pathway to implement the Basin Plan package, agreed to in 2012, including supply measures to offset its water recovery target of 2750GLs by 2019, using the Sustainable Diversion Limits adjustment mechanism.
It must also include constraints measures to address impediments to delivering environmental water and efficiency measures to recover the additional 450GLs by 2024, consistent with the Basin Plan’s legal requirement to achieve neutral or improved socio-economic outcomes.
Speaking to media after the COAG meeting, Mr Weatherill said there was an opportunity for discussion on the Murray-Darling Basin agreement but took a jibe at the Nationals leader.
He said Mr Joyce had made “disappointing remarks” about “walking away from his commitment” to implement the Basin Plan.
“I do welcome the fact that the Prime Minister's stepped into this space and we now have an agreement to produce a series of projects which will deliver essentially the nature of the agreement which is the 3200 gigalitres or its equivalent down the river to keep it healthy,” he said.
“That will come in April, and obviously it will be the projects that determine the level of commitment to the implementation of this Plan.”
But Mr Turnbull said “really good projects” were needed to deliver the 450GLs through water efficiency measures that had either a neutral or positive socioeconomic impact on communities where the water came from.
He said COAG had now asked the states to bring forward projects to support that aim, with funding allocated to support it.
But Mr Turnbull said the “whole object” of the Basin Plan, dating back through its history when John Howard was Prime Minister and when he was water minister, was to invest in water efficiency measures - both off farm and on farm.
He said that approach would enable farmers to “produce as much or more food and fibre with less water so that it would be a win-win for farmers and the communities that they support and the environment”.
But “regrettably, the subsequent government spent a lot of money buying back water in a very untargeted and non-strategic manner”, he said.
Mr Turnbull said “We are essentially going back to the original vision, which is one that will support the farmers and the communities in Queensland, NSW and Victoria and also ensure that there is more water down the river which is important to SA”.
“And, of course, its irrigators and farming communities as well,” he said.
“Nothing to do with water is easy - but it is very clear…we all want to make it work.
“But we've got to achieve those great projects on and off farm that get that win-win.”
Colin Bettles
Has been the Canberra Bureau Chief for Fairfax Agricultural Media since 2010 - survived the hung parliament - former media manager at Western Australian Cricket Association now covering national agricultural and rural issues in federal politics.
Has been the Canberra Bureau Chief for Fairfax Agricultural Media since 2010 - survived the hung parliament - former media manager at Western Australian Cricket Association now covering national agricultural and rural issues in federal politics.
