Govt wants urgent action to buy water

The federal government says it will take urgent action to buy water allocations from the Murray-Darling Basin to replenish the depleted river system.

Water and Climate Change Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday announced a $12.9 billion plan to secure water in rural and urban Australia over the next decade.

Climate change meant the government needed to act quickly to address the over-allocation of water in the basin, she said.

"We cannot wait to start purchasing water from the river," Senator Wong told reporters in Sydney.

"What we must do now is to prepare for a future with less rain due to climate change.

"That means investing now. It means action now and it means setting a longer-term reform agenda.

"We will invest in infrastructure projects to improve efficiency and to return water to the rivers, and we will purchase water, as we are currently doing, because we recognise the need to act urgently."

Senator Wong said purchased water would be held by a new body called the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.

She said the government would ensure $3 billion set aside to buy back water from irrigators in the basin was spent to secure water for healthy rivers.

"This is money, which will be spent on purchasing water allocation ... and we would expect that would be in a form where you could have transferable title, able to be held by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder," she said.

The government planned to purchase water from willing sellers in regional communities, she said,

"What this plan comprises is delivery of our election commitments, a focus on securing water supplies for all Australians in rural and urban Australia, a national framework for water and national leadership working in cooperation with the states," Senator Wong said.

She said the government had allocated $450 million to collect water data and would work closely with the states.

"It is correct that you can't manage what you don't measure," Senator Wong said.

"We want to work cooperatively with the states and we are doing so in developing better data on water so that we know how much water we are using, how much water we can use and what the projections are into the future."