Tanya Plibersek has questioned whether Murray Darling Basin Authority can deliver the crucial Murray-Darling Basin Plan on time and may look at extending the deadline. 

The Federal Water Minister has said the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is "off track" and needs a "course correction."     

Despite 98 percent of the overall water recovery target already being met, some parts of the Plan are behind schedule. 

"There were water recovery programs wrapped in brown tape, delayed projects, and unaccredited water resource plans. A year from the deadline, I've asked for an honest assessment of the legacy we have received, including whether the Plan can be delivered on time". 

Plibersek has written to Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) chair Sir Angus Houston asking how likely the MDBA can meet the 2075 gigalitre water recovery targets by the legislated June 2024 deadline. 

She has said the plans are "too far behind and likely require significant change to make substantial progress." 

For the rivers running through the Western Plains, a part of the equation will be the accreditation of local water resource plans, which will limit how much water can be taken from the system. 

Tanya Plibersek. Source: ALP. 

Water Resource Plans for the Barwon-Darling, Namoi, and Macquarie-Castlereagh are among seven outstanding water resource plans that need approval by the MDBA. 

The state government withdrew seven water resource plans after the MDBA told them there were inadequate and should be rejected. 

All of them require more information on the floodplain harvesting network. 

The submission was already two years late, and this too has slowed progress. 

The former Coalition state government submitted the plans and has been criticised for proposing to allocate hundreds of gigalitres of floodplain harvesting entitlements to big irrigators in the northern basin. With the new Labor government making the re-submission, the allocations to floodplain harvesting are likely to fall. 

Tender process open for Water Rights 

In a statement to the Western Plains App the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said it "is currently working through the tender evaluation process for the current tender regarding strategic water rights purchasing of 44.3 gigalitres per year (GL/y), to deliver the Murray–Darling Basin Plan". 

"The indicative timeline included as part of the tender documentation stated that offers may be accepted as early as August 2023." 

Farmers Federation says there are alternatives to Water Buy Backs 

It comes as the National Farmers' Federation (NFF) have submitted its own forward range of alternative projects to deliver the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) plan.  

Chair of the NFF Water Committee Les Gordon said the Government needed to seriously consider these ideas as a priority. 

"We've collaborated with representative groups up and down the Basin to compile an array of innovative proposals that would deliver the Murray-Darling Basin Plan without resorting to buybacks." 

"These projects include precision water management technologies and innovative water storage solutions.