South Australian Premier Mike Rann says he has reached an in-principle agreement with Queensland and New South Wales for about 400 gigalitres of additional water from Queensland floods.

A similar volume of water has already been secured for the drought-affected Murray from New South Wales floods in January.

Mr Rann says water from Queensland is now flowing through the river system and should reach South Australia within six weeks.

“Basically there’s in-principle agreements already. Look, people want us to benefit, they want the river to benefit and I think there’s been a terrific spirit of cooperation between Queensland and us and New South Wales and us, so there’s still work being done because the volume of water is just massive,” he said.

“Our allocation is likely to be around 400 billion litres of extra water across the border from Queensland floodwaters. Now that extra 400 billion litres is on top of the 408 billion litres that’s currently on its way down to the lower lakes [at the Murray mouth]“.

Redmond sceptical

Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond says the Premier has claimed credit for the water deal but she believes South Australia would have received the flows regardless.

“It is simply a con by Mike Rann trying to convince the people of this state, four days out from an election, that he has such wonderful negotiating skills that he’s been able to secure water which we say he hasn’t done,” she said.

“So I’m calling on him to produce that water and produce a copy of the agreement so that we can see it.”

Opposition water spokesman Mitch Williams is of the same view.

“The water that we will get will be the water that New South Wales physically cannot keep,” he said.

“Mike Rann knows that there’s at least 400 gigalitres more than they can possibly keep that will come to South Australia and he’s made this outrageous claim that he actually negotiated.”

Water Security Minister Karlene Maywald says the cynics should stop deriding the Government for announcing more flows for the Murray in the final days of the election campaign.

“I think that everyone in South Australia should be batting us in on this because that’s what we need to do,” she said.

“Instead of fighting and squabbling amongst ourselves in this state, trying to muddy the water, trying to make the rules all this particular Government’s fault, when in actual fact the rules are something we’ve inherited over many, many, many, many, many decades and that do not serve South Australia well.”

Mr Rann says it is extra water for SA and anyone suggesting otherwise is wrong.

“New South Wales did not have to give up one single drop of water to us. But it’s about negotiating, it’s about doing the hard yards, it’s about actually going out there and doing deals which are about benefiting our state,” he said.

Barry Philp from the New South Wales Water Corporation says floodwaters are yet to reach the Menindee Lakes storage from Queensland.

He says that when another 60 gigalitres reach the Lakes, New South Wales will lose immediate control.

“Once we get to a trigger point with 640 gigalitres we come under Murray-Darling Basin Association Authority control and they work to supply South Australia with their entitlements,” he said.

“We’re about 580 GL at the moment and so that’s another 60 GL on top of what’s already there.”