Labor and the Greens have accused independent senator Nick Xenophon of "squibbing it" after he dropped demands for a better water deal for South Australia.
But the SA senator reminded both parties of negotiations over the Murray-Darling Basin Plan seven years ago when he secured a better deal for the state than Labor initially proposed.
This time around Senator Xenophon had threatened to hold up government legislation restoring the building industry watchdog until it found an extra 450 gigalitres of water to restore the health of the Murray River.
"Here we have Nick Xenophon in the most powerful position squibbing it," Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.
"It's one thing to promise you can deliver things, it's another thing to follow through with it."
In return for Senator Xenophon dropping his demand, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wrote to South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill outlining a plan to strengthen scrutiny of the basin plan.
Progress of the plan would become a standing item at every COAG meeting so that the nation's leaders were regularly monitoring and comparing progress of the plan.
The federal government would also establish a special estimates process to be held twice yearly in addition to the usual portfolio hearing, enabling Senate scrutiny of all the relevant agencies to review the progress of the river.
Senator Xenophon reminded the Greens of their failure to support his successful amendment to the original plan that garnered additional water for SA.
"What occurred yesterday ... was a commitment that the plan will be delivered on time, in full to ensure that those environmental flows would occur," he told reporters.
Senator Xenophon dismissed as "ridiculous" Labor claims he had backed down on his demands.
Labor's Senate leader Penny Wong had a message for her SA colleague.
"I know having a few more votes gives you a lot more capacity to lean on Malcolm Turnbull but don't forget where you came from," she told reporters.
"South Australians expected you to stand up for the river Murray."
Senator Xenophon said he would not be lectured.
"I don't need to remind Senator Wong about the negotiations I had with her on water in 2009 and how hard I fought," he said.
"Senator Wong needs to look in her own backyard when it comes to issues of the lack of rigour in the plan."
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