Murray River

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) has reassured communities the storages and weirs are well positioned to meet irrigation, community, and environmental needs this summer. MDBA Executive Director of River Management, Jacqui Hickey, said managing the system adaptively to respond to the changing conditions is key for ensuring the River Murray System operates smoothly during the peak demand period.

Helen Dalton MP, Member for Murray, says the truth about what she describes as $13 billion of wasted taxpayer money needs to be told. The independent member is referring to a new four-year study into the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) Plan reveals mixed results. The four-year study released last involved 12 scientists from Australia’s leading universities, and drew on data from 1980 to 2023.

Hugh Schuitemaker. Advocacy for South Australian irrigators in an upcoming Murray- Darling Basin Plan review will be crucial, according to a Riverland politician and regarded figure on water management issues. Former Chaffey MP Karlene Maywald was a guest speaker at the Renmark Irrigation Trust (RIT) annual general meeting, held last month at Hotel Renmark, with the topic being Our Murray River: Hindsight and Insights.

If the plan was to accelerate environmental degradation, wipe out family farms, increase costs, and dramatically reduce water availability, then the Murray-Darling Basin Authority would have achieved top marks ... While the Wentworth Group has been advocating for more water buybacks, which will no doubt aid the water trading industry returns, while doing very little to address the fundamental failings of the Basin Plan, local Independent Member for Murray, Helen Dalton, has released a 13-step plan to aid in getting the current trainwreck back on the rails.

This is why we can’t have nice things! It wasn’t the notorious Dr Seuss character, but two young gentlemen who tipped the town’s Christmas tree in the Murray River last Saturday night. The shiny beacon of Christmas joy had already delighted hundreds of people who stopped for a photo with the tremendous tree.

The 55th Massive Murray Paddle finished on Friday in Koondrook having started four days earlier in Yarrawonga on Monday, November 18. Top athletes from all over Australia, New Zealand and the USA competed, along with at risk Indigenous youth paddling in teams following the Dungalayin Mileka Team model.

Sebastian Calderon. Loxton has become the Murray River Queen's (MRQ) new home after the boat’s successful voyage from Renmark ... The Paringa Bridge crossing was one of the highlights during her trip, as cars and people gathered to see the bridge go up and give way to Donna Neale and her team steaming the MRQ.

Hugh Schuitemaker. A significant milestone in Renmark’s recovery from the 2022/23 flood event has been marked with the opening of the town’s new wharf. A large crowd of local residents, plus local and state government representatives, gathered at the Renmark riverfront last Wednesday to mark the opening of the town’s redeveloped wharf.

The Moulamein Men’s Shed is helping to keep the small village alive. The oldest town in the Riverina, members of the shed work hard to do whatever they can to keep various aspects of the town afloat ... Moulamein’s main drawcard is to fishermen and bird watchers.

The National Farmers’ Federation has raised its eyebrows at today’s announcement the Federal Government has received 1000 responses to the southern Murray-Darling Basin open tender process. NFF Water Committee Chair Malcolm Holm said the announcement by Minister for Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek raised significant questions for farmers in Australia’s food bowl.

The Albanese Labor Government’s voluntary water purchase open tender has received more than 1,000 responses across the southern Murray-Darling Basin, far exceeding the volume of water required ... About 27.5 gigalitres, or 11,000 Olympic swimming pools of water, have already been recovered – up from just two gigalitres in May 2022.

Rural water users in NSW could see their costs more than double over the next five years if IPART accepts the WaterNSW new pricing proposal. NSW Irrigators’ Council CEO Claire Miller said the pricing proposal recommends hiking water bills by 21-24 per cent every year for five years, adding up to $40,000 to a ‘typical’ farmer’s water bill by 2030.

Hugh Schuitemaker. Upgrade works taking place at infrastructure along a major local creek is set to benefit native fish species and Riverland outdoor enthusiasts. The Department of Environment and Water (DEW) recently commenced upgrade works on Bookmark Creek infrastructure.

More than 1650 gigalitres of water for the environment was provided to South Australia in the 2023-24 financial year, the largest volume since the introduction of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in November 2012. ... "All of this work highlights the importance of recovering the final 450 gigalitres of environmental water under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to ensure we deliver better outcomes for the River Murray": Susan Close.

The story of an American father and his two sons who swam Australia’s longest river, the Murray, is now available for streaming in Australia ... ‘Take Your Dream’ was made by the Helmick family ... The film features their 120-day swim down the Murray from Corryong, through Lake Hume and Lake Alexandrina, eventually ending at the mouth of the river in Goolwa, South Australia.

Mrs Dalton wants the NSW Government to take a stand against the Federal Government’s move to take productive water from regions under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan using the water buyback scheme. A petition organised by Ms Dalton needs 10,000 signatures, and Ms Dalton said she’s got just over 5000 so far ... "10,000 signatures will bring on debate in NSW parliament."

Hugh Schuitemaker. The State Government says the Riverland’s wildlife and plant species are seeing benefits of increased environmental water, however, senior local politicians have described the announcement as "misleading" ... Chaffey MP Tim Whetstone said the increased environmental flows were due to high storage volumes and the 2022-23 flood event.

Riverland-based MLC, and opposition spokesperson for regional South Australia, Nicola Centofanti, has provided the following speech she gave in Parliament regarding concerns for the listing of the Lower Murray as a threatened ecological community as part of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999…

The independent advisory body with statutory authority to review Australia’s national water reform has published scathing feedback on the Federal Governments proposed National Water Agreement, calling the approach “detrimental to the conduct of water management in Australia”. The Productivity Commission … said “…the consequences of a shift in this direction should be considered deeply by all governments and their communities.

Farmers on the Murrumbidgee River claim they have been kept in the dark about a NSW Government plan to acquire flow easements along the riverfront to accommodate environmental water releases ... The scheme would allow the government to negotiate with landholders to acquire flow easements and, if no agreement can be reached, the water minister can decide to proceed with compulsory acquisition of the flow corridors "on just terms".