Centre Alliance has condemned political game playing over the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, indicating the party will stand up for South Australia in the federal parliament.

The Murray-Darling Basin is the largest and most complex river system in Australia, covering one million square kilometres of south-eastern Australia.

Many years of disputes between states about water allocation led to establishment of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and, since 2012, development of the Murray-Darling Basin plan.

The plan aims to bring the Basin back to a healthier and sustainable level, while continuing to support farming and other industries.

The current drought has increased pressure on all aspects of river management, with calls from some in New South Wales to ditch the plan and remove the barrages at the Murray Mouth, turning Lake Alexandrina saline.

New South Wales is the only state that has failed to submit its water resource plans under the system, threatening to withdraw from the process until the drought has broken.

"In repeatedly threatening to leave the plan, and proposing unreasonable demands, the NSW Government is behaving like a petulant child," says Senator Rex Patrick, the Centre Alliance environmental spokesperson. 

"All the NSW Government is doing is trying to distract the public’s attention away from the root causes of the problem, including over-extraction of water, and its shameful track record of water mismanagement within their state. This is a government that allowed widespread rorting and water theft to take place.”

His colleague, Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie, says the Murray-Darling is in crisis. 

“Whilst the river is suffering from the drought, there's absolutely no question it is also suffering from systemic mismanagement and over-extraction and that has been occurring for a very long time.”

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has strongly resisted calls to suspend or abandon the plan.

“Pausing or ditching the Basin Plan wouldn't turn the taps or pumps on—and it wouldn't alleviate the pain being felt in these communities during drought,” according to Chief Executive Phillip Glyde.

“The Basin Plan is a once in a lifetime opportunity to restore the health of this great river system for the long-term benefit of Basin communities.”