Introducing the River Country Biolink
As farming communities face growing pressure to meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) demands in supply chains, a new perspective emerges. Could all the natural and man-made advantages of our productive inland river delta attract not just income, but a large premium in the emerging environmental goods and services markets? This biodiverse hotspot, acting as a significant carbon sink through on-farm wetlands and an advanced gravity-fed irrigation system, might just be Australia’s prime site for carbon and biodiversity investment.
Listen to people who have ‘lived experience’ – SRI
“We know the devastation of flooding caused by holding too much water in dams. We know that due to constraints issues it is pointless recovering the massive water volumes that are being planned, because it is impossible to deliver them downstream ... governments must listen to people who are ‘on the ground’ and have a different understanding of Basin Plan implementation to those who live in cities and base their assessments on computer modelling”: Jan Beer.
Dream come true: Murray rafters raise nearly $100,000 for prostate cancer awareness
A group of men who set off on a raft affectionately known as ‘Shed down the Murray’ to raise money for prostate cancer earlier this month have now successfully completed their journey. The group stopped in at various towns along the way, including Narrandera, to rest as well as raise awareness around prostate cancer.
Malinauskas Government welcomes agreement to deliver the Murray Darling Basin Plan in full: Close
The Malinauskas Government welcomes the new agreement to deliver the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full including the 450 gigalitres of environmental flows we have long campaigned for. With the exception of Victoria, all Basin jurisdictions and the Commonwealth have agreed to deliver the plan in full including legislating for voluntary buy backs...
Queensland Government sells out on Murray-Darling Basin plan: Littleproud
Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud says the Palaszczuk Government has sold out Queensland communities by signing up to Federal Labor’s latest Murray-Darling Basin plan. The Albanese Government has announced it would tear up Labor’s original policy on the additional 450 gigalitres of the Murray-Darling Basin plan and ignore the social and economic neutrality test, protecting communities from water buybacks.
Historic deal struck to guarantee a future for the Murray-Darling Basin: Plibersek
The Albanese Labor Government has struck an historic agreement to deliver the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full, including 450 gigalitres of water for the environment. The agreement, made between the Federal, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory governments...
TCV reaching out to landholders: TCV
Transmission Company Victoria (TCV) has refined the 5km to 50km VNI West area of interest into a draft corridor for the VNI West project ... Each landholder will be appointed a landholder liaison, who will be their key contact and able to help answer questions on important issues...
Basin Plan flounders as problems mount
Southern Riverina Irrigators said Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek’s determination to deliver the Basin Plan in full shows just how out of touch with reality the minister really is ... To date, 83 per cent of water recovered has already come from the southern basin and SRI is urging NSW water minister Rose Jackson to follow Victoria’s lead and put a line through future buybacks ... Despite the devastation caused by the MDBA in the southern basin, MDBA Chief Executive Andrew McConville said most communities are in support of the plan’s implementation.
Shedders down the Murray stop in Narrandera
Pittsworth and District Men’s Shed members called at Narrandera this week as part of their adventure down the mighty Murray River. For the past year they have been building a raft, affectionately known as "Shed down the Murray," and have been towing it 1,100 kilometres down the Newell Highway to Narrandera.
Mid-year report points to challenges in Basin Plan implementation: MDBA
A report providing an update on the progress of key activities under the Basin Plan has been issued by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority. The tenth in a series, this report card reflects the progress made in first 6 months of 2023, during a period of significant flooding and flood recovery around the Murray–Darling Basin.
Common sense prevails for Basin Plan projects: VFF
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) welcomes the Albanese Government’s decision to extend the timeframe for implementing the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. VFF Water Council Chair Andrew Leahy said common sense had prevailed following Minister Tanya Plibersek’s announcement to allow efficiency projects to progress and be counted towards the Plan’s targets.
Nature Conservation Council of NSW turns on conservationists
The Nature Conservation Council (NCC) of New South Wales has blasted what it calls a “concerted misinformation campaign being spread by corporate irrigators about the proposal to purchase water for the environment.” The move has disappointed communities in the southern connected system as they fight to protect their livelihoods, environment and communities.
Authority advice on Basin Plan implementation: MDBA
The Murray–Darling Basin Authority provided advice to the Hon Tanya Plibersek, Minister for the Environment and Water that full implementation of the Basin Plan will not be possible by 30 June 2024 ... With 16 key SDLAM projects unlikely to be operable by 30 June 2024, the Authority estimates a shortfall in water recovery of between 190 and 315 gigalitres.
Murray–Darling Basin Authority communique, 25 July 2023
The Authority welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Hon Tanya Plibersek, Minister for the Environment and Water. In response to her request, the Authority provided the Minister its advice on the current state of Basin Plan implementation.
More time will allow the Basin Plan to be finished the smart way: NFF
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) welcomes Minister Plibersek’s announcement that she will seek to extend the Murray-Darling Basin Plan deadlines. NFF President Fiona Simson said the extension would buy time for smarter completion of the plan without resorting to devastating buybacks.
Children’s book resonates with all ages
The author of a book about a young girl growing up beside the Murray River during The Great Depression is coming to Corryong to talk about her work. Cathy Hope’s book ‘Murray River Girl’ is a true story about Roma, the daughter of a swagman and shearer’s cook, who lived in a makeshift tent beside the river until she was eleven years old.
New bridge is good to go
The Towong Bridge will soon be open to traffic after being closed for more than a year. Residents and landowners on both sides of the Murray River will be bouyed by news that the new Towong Bridge will be officially opened next week after being closed for more than a year.
Upstream pain begins
Sophie Baldwin. They often say things change with time but when it comes to water and the basin plan, it doesn’t seem to make much difference, especially for the Upper Goulburn River Catchment Association (UGRCA). The UGRCA has been concerned about the impacts of flooding on their properties and their towns ever since the MDBA floated their Constraints Management Strategy ... Landowner John Baynes's property is now so sodden, he has lost twenty-four 300-year-old river red gums, which have fallen over in his paddocks.
The Murray River Group of Councils welcomes Minister Plibersek’s request to extend the timeframes to deliver the Murray Darling Basin Plan
Minister Plibersek has written to Murray-Darling Basin Authority Chair, Angus Huston, requesting an honest assessment of whether the plan can be delivered by the mid-2024 deadline. “The bulk of the impact of the Murray Darling Basin Plan has been borne by our communities across northern Victoria. We welcome the Ministers call to delay the implementation of the Murray Darling Basin Plan, so our communities can be heard and listened to”, Murray River Group of Councils Chair, Cr Rob Amos said.
Lazy Labor mugged by reality as Basin Plan deadline looms: Centofanti
Just months out from the River Murray Basin Plan 2024 deadline, the Federal Labor Government has just woken up to the real prospect that, despite their election commitment, the Basin Plan might not be delivered in full and on time. It has been revealed that the Federal Water Minister, Tanya Plibersek, has written to the Murray-Darling Authority asking “whether the plan has any prospects”...
1,000 reasons to give water buybacks the flick: NFF
The National Farmers' Federation (NFF) and its member bodies have put forward a range of alternative projects to deliver the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) plan, with the potential to restore 1000GL or more without resorting to buybacks.
Basin Plan socio-economic test vanishes: VFF
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has written to Commonwealth Water Minister Tanya Plibersek this week following a key document setting out the socio-economic criteria under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan being removed from the government’s website. VFF Water Council Chair Andrew Leahy said farmers should be concerned by the Commonwealth’s moves to walk back from the socio-economic test for recovery of the 450GL up-water target.
