Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie says South Australian communities have been abandoned by state and federal governments, with less than one per cent of fresh water returned to the River Murray in a decade under the Murray Darling Basin Plan. 

The failure was revealed yesterday when the Federal Government released the 2021 State of the Environment Report.

The report had been delivered to the Morrison Government late last year but not released.

New Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says it will be 'next to impossible' to meet the target of returning 450GL of freshwater to the River Murray by 2024.

Only 2GL has been returned so far.

The target was established in 2018.

 Minister Plibersek says she was “gobsmacked” at finding how much water was still to be recovered to meet the 2024 deadline.

Ms Sharkie says both major parties promised to uphold the Murray Darling Basin Plan at the Federal Election just two months ago.

"Once again, east coast interests have been put first and South Australian communities, particularly those in my electorate of Mayo, have been abandoned," Ms Sharkie says.

"We now know what River Murray commitments are worth for state governments on the eastern seaboard - approximately 0.44 per cent of the paper they're written on."

Ms Sharkie says while she welcomes Minister Plibersek's commitment that the Federal Government would lift its game to help arrest this ongoing ecological disaster, the Lower Lakes and Coorong communities deserved answers and fast.

"The Lower Lakes and Coorong communities have been hung out to dry by the former Government. They cannot afford for the new Government to follow suit," Ms Sharkie says.

"The Labor Government needs to provide certainty to South Australia that it will deliver the full 450GL as promised at the Federal Election. We also need to know when the delivery of the full 450GL will be achieved, and how much of that water can be delivered by 2024."