THE much anticipated competition watchdog's report into water trading within the Murray-Darling Basin has been pushed back a month.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) made the requested to Treasurer Josh Frydenburg, due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The interim report was due to be released this Sunday, however will now be handed over to the government on June 30.
The ACCC is investigating how to enhance markets for tradeable water rights, including options to improve their operations, transparency, regulation, competitiveness and efficiency.
The interim report, which will summarise the investigation's findings since it was launched in August 2019, is expected to be made public a few weeks after June 30, once the government has reviewed it.
The timeline for the final report remains unchanged and will be handed over to the government by the end of November.
Depending on its recommendations, it could be the catalyst for a major shake up of the way water is trade across the country, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin, where many farmers have called the current system unfair by favouring larger companies over smaller operations.
The ACCC held 10 public hearings across the basin and has received more than 120 public submissions from individuals, companies, lobby organisations and government agencies.