Government likely to have bought 'ghost water' in $78m deal

Exclusive: Agency that manages Australia's environmental water did not want to buy unreliable entitlements

" $78m government spent on Darling water buyback nearly double its valuation

The federal government is likely to have bought "ghost water" for environmental flows into the Darling when it paid $78m in June for water entitlements in the Lower Darling - more than twice the sum recommended by its own official valuation.

The water rights associated with the property, Tandou near Broken Hill, have become increasingly unreliable owing to upstream extractions.