The federal government is set for a showdown with the eastern states after announcing plans to pump billions of litres of extra water into the Murray-Darling Basin ecosystem.
The government next week will rush legislation into Parliament to lock up the $1.77 billion in extra funding, as its self-imposed deadline for finalising the basin plan nears.Prime Minister Julia Gillard yesterday pledged extra funding to put an additional 450 gigalitres into the system, lifting the total to be returned under the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s draft plan to 3200GL.
The announcement has appalled some farmers but delighted South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, who dropped his threat of a High Court challenge against the draft basin plan.
But the stoush over the River Murray is far from over, with Liberal governments in the basin states of Queensland, NSW and Victoria dashing hopes of a deal.
Victorian Water Minister Peter Walsh branded the announcement a “stunt” to appease SA, saying the government should be pursuing the 2750GL model agreed in July.
NSW expressed doubts about how the government would fund its promise, while Queensland vowed not to negotiate further if basin towns were left out in the cold.“Ms Gillard and (Environment Minister) Tony Burke have engaged in a fantasy trip with South Australia, promising measures that other basin states cannot and will not accept,” he said.
The coalition’s Murray-Darling Basin spokesman, Simon Birmingham from SA, cautiously welcomed the announcement but called for actual details.
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