New South Australian Liberal Leader David Speirs’ claim that the 450 gigalitres promised to South Australia under the Murray Darling Basin Plan is ‘getting there’ did not even hold up for a day with the Morrison-Joyce Government contradicting his claims.

In a stunning piece of historical revisionism, Mr Spiers also told ABC radio that the non-existent water saving infrastructure projects he claimed were delivering the 450 GLs were a result of him muscling up to upstream states.

“The projects that are delivering water towards that four hundred and fifty gigalitres, that water’s coming down the river. Those projects are coming on board for one reason, because I was able to keep other states at the table,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nationals Deputy Leader David Littleproud was telling Sky News South Australia would not receive its legal entitlement. “This extra 450 gigalitres that the Labor Party put in. It's dead,” Mr Littleproud said.

Just two of the 450GL promised has been delivered to South Australia under the Plan. The Plan has been under sustained attack by Barnaby Joyce and Nationals including last year’s failed attempt to change the legislation allocating water to our State.

Mr Speirs was heavily criticised by the Royal Commission into the River Murray for “capitulating to the interests of the current Commonwealth Government, and those of Victoria and New South Wales” and accused him of breaching the Ministerial Code of Conduct.

Commissioner Brett Walker said Mr Spiers’ conduct was “antipathetic to the interests of South Australia, and the South Australian environment.”

Prior to the state election, South Australian Labor committed to a raft of measures aimed at improving the health of the River including:

• acting on every recommendation of the Murray-Darling Royal Commission.
• appointing a Commissioner for the River Murray in SA
• ensuring that the Australian government takes responsibility for the delivery of the 450GL for South Australia
• removing the Nationals cap on voluntary water sales by willing sellers to achieve environmental flows in the Plan

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Attributable to Minister for Climate, Environment and Water Susan Close

Liberal Leader David Speirs has again shown how little insight he actually has into the issues affecting our State’s most important natural resource.

It is little wonder we have only had two of the 450GL delivered given the previous Mr Speirs’ capitulation to the Nationals and upstream states.

Only Labor will stand up for the River Murray and ensure the 450GL promised to South Australia is delivered in full.