Water ministers have failed to reach agreement about how hundreds of gigalitres of water promised for the environment will be recovered across the Murray-Darling Basin.
At a ministerial council meeting in Sydney on Friday, New South Wales and Victoria called for a two-year extension to deliver water-saving projects, while South Australia argued for more voluntary buybacks to recover water for the environment.
The ministers could not agree on a path forward instead asked basin officials to provide more information ahead of the next water minister's council, which is expected to be held midway through this year.
The $13-billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan, legislated in 2012, sets out how water is to be shared between farmers, communities and the environment.
For years, governments have been warned about cost blow outs and delays to recovering water for the environment.
Despite more than 2,100GL being returned to the rivers since the plan was legislated, hundreds of gigalitres more is yet to be recovered, including more than 300GL promised through state-run projects and almost 450GL from efficiency projects.
In 2018 a water ministers' council agreed to set a strict criteria by which the 450GL could be recovered, but SA said it no longer supported that agreement.
The federal government says it is committed to delivering what was promised.
A communique released after Friday's meeting said the ministers had "discussed a range of options to progress delivery".
"They noted that the Commonwealth reiterated its determination to deliver the 450GL per year of additional environmental water," it said.
"Ministers noted it is the Commonwealth's position that delivering the Basin Plan will include the purchase of water so that all targets can be delivered, consistent with an approach of all options on the table."
'No time to delay'
Earlier this week, federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek announced a new open tender would commence in March to purchase almost 50GL of water from irrigators in NSW and southern Queensland.
The National Farmers' Federation said it was blindsided by the tender announcement, but conservation groups welcomed the move and lobbied for the buyback program to be extended as a way to recover the 450GL.
Following the meeting Ms Plibersek said ministers had "no time to delay".
"My hope is that over the coming weeks and months, with a bit of cooperation, compromise, and common sense, we can all agree on a way forward," she said.
As NSW prepares for the state election next month, Water Minister Kevin Anderson says he has proposed "new pathways" for water recovery only to have them dismissed by other ministers at the meeting.
"NSW's position has not changed," he said.
"We oppose buybacks and need more time and funding to deliver the environmental outcomes intended under the plan.
"Ahead of today's meeting, NSW was assured all options were on the table and buybacks would a last resort, but today federal Labor offered no options apart from buying back water from communities."
Position 'unchanged'
Victorian Water Minister Harriet Shing said she told the meeting by extending the June 2024 deadline for state-run projects until 2026 more favourable outcomes could be achieved across the basin.
"Our long standing position remains unchanged, we oppose buybacks," Ms Shing said.
Earlier this week, the Commonwealth announced a new open tender would commence in March to purchase almost 50GL of water from irrigators in NSW and southern Queensland.
The water from the tender would go towards what is known as the Bridging the Gap target.
SA Water Minister Susan Close says buybacks must be an option to recover the 450GL, which is also due by June 2024.
"We recognise [the need for] a number of strategies, one of which is voluntary buybacks," she said.
