Push to return 130GL of water to Murray-Darling Basin sparks backlash


Thu 13 Nov 2025
ABC News.

The Murray River is part of the Murray-Darling Basin, the interconnected system of rivers and lakes that stretches across eastern and southern Australia.   

In short:
An extra 130 gigalitres of water will be purchased by government, in an unexpected announcement by Environment Minister Murray Watt.

The senator says a plan to recover 450 gigalitres of water is running behind.

What's next?
Regional communities are warning further buybacks will be "devastating" to local economies.


More water rights in the Murray-Darling Basin will be purchased from farmers and irrigators in a renewed push by the federal government to return 450 gigalitres of water to the environment.   

Environment Minister Murray Watt announced the government will purchase an extra 130GL of water — roughly equivalent to 52,000 Olympic swimming pools — through voluntary buybacks in the southern basin.

He made the unexpected announcement at a summit about the basin in Adelaide on Wednesday, telling the crowd, "we're further behind than we should be" in implementing the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

"Water recovery effectively stalled under the previous Coalition government, equating to a decade of missed progress and opportunities," he said.   

He also flagged that the government is closely considering purchasing water from the northern part of the basin for the first time.

"Recent advice from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority highlights the potential benefits of pursuing water recovery in the northern basin to contribute towards the 450 gigalitre target.

"While this is not an adopted policy of our government right now, I will work closely with my department in considering this advice."

Murray Watt doorstop
Murray Watt says the basin's environment remains significantly challenged.

Senator Watt, who has previously held the Agriculture portfolio, told the summit he has always supported returning an extra 450GL of water to the environment as a means of ensuring the river system's long-term viability.

"It doesn't have to be a binary choice between the environment or industry — we need to find ways to support both," he said.

Buybacks take regional communities by surprise
The latest announcement took the agriculture sector and regional councils by surprise, coming on top of 170GL of voluntary buybacks announced in the last 18 months.

In Shepparton, a major food bowl in central Victoria, the mayor, Shane Sali, said further buybacks in the region pose "a serious threat to the future of agriculture, horticulture, and food security across the entire region".

"The flow-on effects from further buybacks would be devastating for regional and rural communities."

The southern basin encompasses parts of South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT that form the catchment of the Murray River, while the northern basin encompasses the Darling River's catchment area in NSW and Queensland.

The shadow minister for water, Nationals senator Ross Caddell, said regional communities were being "hung out to dry".

"Here we have it again, the city folk of the Labor Party worrying about the latte sippers of Balmain and Milsons Point before the people of Balranald and Mildura," Senator Caddell said.

"You only have to look at the way Labor has prioritised environmental flows over agriculture when it comes to water buybacks to realise they are completely out of touch."

Murray-Darling remains 'significantly challenged'
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan was established in 2012 with bipartisan support, setting out how water should be shared between the environment, farmers and community.

Changes to the Plan in 2018 included returning an extra 450GL of water to the environment, but halted voluntary purchases of water rights over concerns about social and economic impacts on regional communities.

Plibersek brokers new Murray-Darling Basin deal without Victoria

Water Minister Tanya Plibersek says the government has brokered a deal to rewrite the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, but leaves Victoria out of the new agreement.

After falling well behind schedule and at risk of failing to meet the legislated timeline for returning water to the environment, the Albanese government struck a new deal in 2023 with all basin states — except Victoria — allowing them to resume and extending the deadline for meeting the 450 gigalitre target.

The additional water purchased announced would account for 300GL of the 450GL target.

"The basin's environment remains significantly challenged, due to over-allocation of water, climate change, habitat loss, invasive species and pollution," Senator Watt said.

"Sure, I could stick my head in the sand and pretend that nothing needed to change. But all that would do is condemn the basin to environmental decline, that would gradually strangle the industries and communities that rely on that environment for their livelihoods."

The basin plan is due for a major review in 2026, raising the prospect of major changes to the sustainable diversion limits, how climate change is accounted for, and the involvement of First Nations communities.

I remember when the Libers would fix (or pretend to fix) the Murray - Every election campaign.

One time they didn't even spend the money.