NSW Government for Murray Darling Basin Plan, but against buybacks

"The NSW Government has always been clear - we support the delivery of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full," Ms Jackson said in a statement.

The NSW Government has agreed to continue to work on the plan with the Commonwealth, recognising, "we have a shared responsibility to ensure that the environmental health of our river systems is protected, while enabling our regional communities to thrive into the future," Ms Jackson said.

"To be clear, the NSW Government does not support water buybacks. Our position on this has not changed.

"We want to see the Australian Government prioritise investment in recovering water through other ways. We have been proactive in scoping these options and putting them in front of the Commonwealth for consideration."

Ms Jackson said allowing more time and more flexibility for water infrastructure projects actually minimised the risk of further water buybacks in NSW.

"This was a major motivating factor in agreeing to continue work under the Plan," Ms Jackson said.

"The extension will provide NSW with more time, more resources and a better chance of delivering the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full for the community."

NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders said the Premier needs to stand firm.

"A few weeks ago, Chris Minns told Parliament he does not want to see water buybacks used for water recovery and now we want to know if he will recommit to that stance and reveal what he will do to ensure the regions are not left high and dry by this deal," Mr Saunders said.

"Buybacks reduce the amount of water available for our farmers, which will put our basin communities in an extremely dangerous position. It is also concerning that Victoria has not signed up to the new agreement, which begs the question, will NSW be left to carry the plan on its own?"