This article first appeared in The Advertiser

SOUTH Australians react with more passion to one issue above all others - management of the River Murray.

The passion is understandable. We've been fighting issues surrounding the Murray for more than 100 years.

To understand the path forward, we need to learn from the past. Increased water extractions over decades left the Murray-Darling system critically stressed when drought-hit.

Hamstrung by a constitution giving authority to the states, John Howard declared it was time for national management of our greatest river system. He planned a radical overhaul of water infrastructure, water buybacks and a new sustainable national basin plan. Before the 2007 election, he budgeted $10 billion to deliver this plan and passed the Water Act.

Labor never previously supported national management. After all, the Labor state governments were to blame for the failure to act.

And since adopting Liberal policy as their own, Labor's implementation has seriously let down the Murray-Darling. Labor has never delivered on budgeted infrastructure spending. (Federal Water Minister) Penny Wong took months to appoint the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, delaying the much-anticipated national plan. And billions have been granted to the states, who messed the system up in the first place.

The Liberal Party started Murray-Darling reform. We remain committed to it. We want to finish the job without the delays, failures and uncertainty that have been Labor's hallmark.

The Murray-Darling needs a national plan for water use, delivered by an independent national authority, with the teeth to act. We need to see the hidden draft national plan as soon as possible.