New report says buybacks ‘by far’ most cost-effective method to recover water while confirming plan won’t be completed ‘on budget’
A river under stress: state and federal governments need to do more to protect the Murray-Darling Basin and the communities and ecosystems that rely on it, says a new report.A river under stress: state and federal governments need to do more to protect the Murray-Darling Basin and the communities and ecosystems that rely on it, says a new report.
The review was also critical of the previous coalition governments. The decision to switch from open tenders to “limited” ones was “a slower way to recover large volumes of water”, with “weak transparency” for amounts paid between 2016 and 2019. “This is a fantastic signal to governments and communities that voluntary water purchase is a necessary and feasible tool to help meet the targets of the Murray-Darling basin plan,” Plibersek said.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup The failure of governments to meet water recovery targets meant delivery costs “will be considerably higher than first estimated”, with rising water and construction costs over the past 15 years, the commission said.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Water Minister's Controversial Push for Murray-Darling Basin Plan Endorsed by Productivity CommissionWater Minister Tanya Plibersek's push to revitalize the Murray-Darling Basin Plan has been endorsed by the Productivity Commission, despite criticism from farmers. The plan, aimed at restoring water to the over-taxed river system, has made little progress in the past five years and cost overruns could reach billions of dollars. The looming water shortfall poses a major environmental risk.
Read more »
Water wars ramp up ahead of hot summer for Murray-Darling BasinA scathing Productivity Commission review has backed Tanya Plibersek’s push to take control of the environmental plan, but farmers are putting up a fight.
Read more »
Water wars ramp up ahead of hot summer for Murray-Darling BasinA scathing Productivity Commission review has backed Tanya Plibersek’s push to take control of the environmental plan, but farmers are putting up a fight.
Read more »
Emissions of Beetaloo Basin gas projects ‘significantly underestimated’ by government, analysis findsClimate Analytics says onshore emissions of proposed fracking understated by up to 84% in ‘a rosy picture that simply doesn’t reflect reality’
Read more »
Cameron Murray Equals Ron Coote's Try-Scoring Record for KangaroosCameron Murray has equaled Ron Coote's Australian try-scoring record for the Kangaroos by scoring in six consecutive Test matches. Coote, a league legend, achieved this feat in the 1968 World Cup and continued against New Zealand in 1969. Murray's chance seemed unlikely until the last seconds of the game when he received an impressive pass from Nicho Hynes and charged over the tryline.
Read more »
Queensland fires: conditions to deteriorate on Tuesday as authorities confirm 46 homes destroyedMore than 80 fires are burning across Queensland, with extreme fire conditions forecast for Darling Downs region
Read more »