Murray-Darling Basin plan on the brink after NSW says it cannot meet water savings deadline

Failure infuriates other states and may force Tanya Plibersek to impose highly controversial buybacks

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New South Wales will seek an exemption from its obligations to deliver the final stage of the Murray-Darling Basin plan, a move that could leave the environment short-changed millions of litres of water.

NSW will not meet a June 2024 deadline to deliver the last 25% of water savings of the plan, to be achieved through water-saving projects.

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