Former Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder says NSW ‘actively undermined’ Murray-Darling basin plan • The Murray-Darling: when the river runs dry

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The New South Wales government has promised to protect a major release of environmental water into the Barwon-Darling system and will monitor it to ensure it is not pumped by irrigators when it is released on Tuesday.

But the renewed assurances from NSW come as the former Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder David Papps, who retired last week, issued a stinging assessment of NSW’s commitment to the Murray-Darling Basin plan.

“In my opinion, NSW has actively undermined the plan’s environmental elements. Aided and abetted by Victoria. They continue to do so,” he wrote on Twitter on Monday.

David Papps (@david_papps55) Hi Jeremy. The Basin States committed to implementing the Plan in full. Not just the bits that suit their political agenda. In my opinion, NSW has actively undermined the Plan's environmental elements. Aided and abetted by Victoria. They continue to do so. https://t.co/Jn5w0MvqaV

The issue of irrigators illegally pumping environmental water in the Barwon Darling or exploiting NSW’s lax rules to extract it during low flows was revealed by the ABC’s Four Corners almost a year ago.



It has prompted an inquiry by the NSW Independent Commission against Corruption, several independent inquiries into the administration of water policy at state and federal level, and a royal commission in South Australia.

There are also several court cases afoot including two criminal prosecutions for water theft and a civil case that has been brought by the NSW environmental defenders office.



But announcing the release of 23,800 megalitres of environmental water into the Barwon-Darling system – the equivalent of nearly 10,000 Olympic swimming pools – both state and federal authorities were keen to put the past behind them.

A spokesman for the NSW water minister, Niall Blair, said the government was gazetting a temporary water restriction that would take effect when the environmental flows reach the Barwon-Darling system at the end of the month.

This is the first time the NSW government has used its powers to issue a “public interest” order.

Murray-Darling: when the river runs dry Read more

He said that modelling indicated the flow should reach as far down the river system as Wilcannia and even the Menindee lakes.



The Darling river has stopped flowing at Wilcannia and there are multiple red and amber alerts for blue green algae, which mean the water is no longer safe for stock or humans.

“We know how important the Barwon and Darling rivers are to our most remote communities and this event will refresh those rivers after a long period of hot and dry weather,” Blair said.

He said the event would be used as a pilot to inform reforms for environmental water management. An inter-agency working group has been established to manage the event, which will be overseen by the NSW Natural Resources Access Regulator.



The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) welcomed the release of water for the environment in the northern basin.



The acting MDBA executive director, Dr Peta Derham, said the environmental release in the Barwon-Darling was a great example of how coordination of environmental watering activities and protections for environmental water are supporting positive ecological outcomes in the northern basin.

“The need for better protections for environmental water and small flows was identified in the MDBA’s northern basin review, and later reiterated in the compliance reviews undertaken by the MDBA and Ken Matthews,” she said.



The EDO NSW said it was pleased to finally see that the environment and downstream communities are being prioritised.

“To be clear, however, this has only happened because of the concerted pressure placed on governments post-Four Corners.

“It has taken court cases alleging water theft, an investigation and scathing report by Mr Ken Matthews AO, two scathing reports by the ombudsman into water management in NSW, an investigation by the ICAC and a royal commission into water management in the MDB for the NSW and commonwealth governments to take action to protect environmental water from both legal and illegal extraction.

“To suggest that this would have happened in the absence of ongoing revelations about systemic mismanagement is to misrepresent the facts.”