The Murray-Darling Basin Plan was established in 2012 to protect and restore Australia's largest river system by setting sustainable limits on water extraction and returning water to the environment.

The Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism (SDLAM) allowed governments to recover less water if they delivered infrastructure projects that achieved equivalent environmental benefits.

However, more than a decade later, many of these projects have failed to deliver. In October 2026, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority found that just under half of the 39 proposed projects would not be completed to the required standard by the end of 2026, leaving an estimated annual shortfall of 265 billion litres of water against the Basin Plan's recovery target.

In a joint submission, Environmental Justice Australia and the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists argue that governments must urgently address this shortfall and deliver the environmental outcomes promised under the Basin Plan.

A summary of key submissions

Recover the water owed to the environment

Governments must urgently address the 265 billion litre annual shortfall by reducing water extraction limits and recovering real water for the environment, including through voluntary water purchases. No further delays or new offset projects should be permitted.

Measure real environmental outcomes

Completing infrastructure projects does not guarantee environmental benefits. EJA and the Wentworth Group recommend reassessing projects using real-world scientific evidence to ensure they deliver genuine, measurable improvements to river and wetland health.

Restore rivers, wetlands and floodplains

Governments must accelerate work to remove barriers preventing environmental water from reaching wetlands and floodplains, alongside complementary restoration measures such as fishways and improved water quality management.

Ensure genuine consultation with communities and Traditional Owners

The submission highlights failures to properly consult communities and Traditional Owners, including in the Nyah and Vinifera projects successfully challenged by Wadi Wadi Traditional Owner Vince Kirby. Projects must have genuine community consultation and Traditional Owner consent.

Hold governments accountable

Basin states should be responsible for covering the costs of failed projects or providing the additional water needed to address the shortfall, rather than leaving communities and river ecosystems to bear the consequences.

Overall

EJA and the Wentworth Group argue that the failure of SDLAM was foreseeable. Governments must now deliver the Basin Plan in full, recover the water owed to the environment and ensure river restoration delivers real, measurable benefits.