The federal government is withholding millions of dollars from the New South Wales government for failing to complete water resource plans for the Murray-Darling basin. In a letter to the state’s water minister, Melinda Pavey, the federal water resources minister, David Littleproud, raised concerns the 20 plans had not been submitted. Water resource plans contain the detailed rules on water extraction in each valley. Last year the NSW government signalled it wanted a pause in the timetable for the water resource plans because of the ongoing drought. In response her office sent a media release from December last year, in which Barilaro said the state would not deliver the water resource plans because they “did not meet the expectations of our communities”.

Source: The Guardian January 27, 2020 02:27 UTC