Water

This year’s projected opening allocation for South Australian River Murray water users has reinforced the importance of a healthy and flowing Basin – and ensuring parties representing River communities put local interests ahead of upstream states.

Greater Shepparton City Council is intensifying its advocacy and engagement efforts to ensure local community and industry voices are heard as part of the Murray Darling Basin Plan (MDBP) review, with public submissions closing on 1 May 2026. As part of its water advocacy program, Council is undertaking targeted engagement activities to encourage community and stakeholder participation in the review process...

Regional Cities New South Wales (RCNSW) says the Minns Government’s final Budget before the election is a defining moment to address the growing inequity facing regional communities, inequity now being accelerated by the growing national fuel crisis ... RCNSW’s 2026–27 Pre-Budget Submission highlights a widening gap between rapid regional population growth and the infrastructure needed to support it.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s (MDBA) own analysis shows further water buybacks are unlikely to deliver significant improvements in environmental objectives across the Basin and zero improvements in any Victorian river systems including the Victorian Murray.

The Nationals team met with Murray-Darling water users in Narrandera on Sunday, speaking about increasing pressures from water buybacks, fuel costs and energy costs. Key stakeholders, businesses and members of the public met with key Nationals members to have their water issues heard at a roundtable meeting.

Kimberly Grabham and Tertia Butcher. One Nation's candidate for Farrer, David Farley, firmly denied he falsely claimed to have a degree from prestigious Harvard University. In response to a question from The Riverine Grazier during his visit to Hay last week, Mr Farley said he attended Harvard University three times to deliver a course, not as a student.

Global investment in data centres is accelerating – and Australia is well-placed to lead – but this must happen on terms that benefit the community and deliver for the national interest. The Albanese Government’s National AI Plan, released in December 2025, sets out our ambition: to harness the benefits of AI while ensuring all Australian’s shares the benefits.

There's been spirited debate and productive discussion about the Murray–Darling Basin Plan Review (the Review) at the 2026 Basin Leadership Summit. Nearly 200 senior leaders from across communities, agriculture and tourism industries, environmental groups, First Nations, government and science converged in Brisbane over two days to discuss the future management of the Murray–Darling Basin.

The Albanese Government has ... tabled the annual Murray–Darling Basin First Nations water report for 2024–25. This report provides an overview of the progress made in 2024–25 by the Albanese Government to strengthen First Nations peoples’ leadership, knowledge and self determination in water management and planning decisions across the Murray–Darling Basin...

Construction has begun on the new Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme Augmentation, which will deliver more water to farmers in the northwest Tasmanian region. Increased water supply will be a key enabler for farmers in the region, allowing them to invest, diversify, expand and value add to their crops.

The Federal Government's announcement that it will consider purchasing water entitlements in the northern Murray-Darling Basin has, unsurprisingly, provoked differing responses. The announcement from Minister Watt and the responses from Nationals Senator and Shadow Minister for Water, Ross Cadell, from the Shadow Minister for Water (NSW), Steph Cooke, and from the Nature Conservation Council of NSW point to the different issues and views on this contentious topic.

The Murray River Group of Councils (MRGC) met in Melbourne last week for a dedicated strategic forum to discuss and shape its initial response to the 2026 Basin Plan Review. Mayors and CEOs from the MRGC … received a comprehensive briefing from Murray–Darling Basin Authority CEO Andrew McConville and senior executives on the MDBA’s recently released Basin Plan Review Discussion Paper.

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) met for the first time this year on 19 February in Canberra on the Lands of the Ngunnawal people with all members present.

The Victorian Minister for Planning, the Hon. Sonya Kilkenny MP, has decided that an environmental effect statement is required for the Fingerboards Critical Minerals Project and given reasons for her decision. Gippsland Critical Minerals Pty Ltd, the proponent of the Fingerboards Project, has responded to the decision. The community action group, Mine Free Glenaladale, has responded to the decision and GCM's statement.

Member for Murray Helen Dalton said 25 dead Murray Cod were left stranded in a remnant pool barely 60 metres long in Bullatale Creek. "Some were close to a metre in length - fish that would have taken decades to grow now gone," she said ... "So here is the question. What exactly is that two billion dollars a year being spent on?

Barkindji representatives travelled to the United Kingdom to share the Menindee fish kills film with international audiences and connect with cultural items. In the summer of 2018-2019, a million dead fish floated to the surface of the Baaka (Darling River) near the town of Menindee. The shocking sight was the result of a mass fish kill.

A feasibility study in 2014 looked at the cost of bringing a sewerage system to three of Kyogle’s villages — Tabulam, Wiangaree and Mallanganee. The Three Villages Water/Sewer Update report is back on the Kyogle Council agenda ... Mayor Danielle Mulholland said, “We’ve been talking about this for a long time.”

VFF Water Council Chair Andrew Leahy said the lack of acknowledgment demonstrates a clear failure to strike an appropriate balance ... VFF analysis found ... an enormous imbalance in the individual mentions of the below terms: Environment: 434 mentions; First Nations: 152 mentions; Community: 34 mentions; Agriculture: 11 mentions; Food: 7 mentions; Landholder: 5 mentions; Farmer: 3 mentions; Employment: 1 mention; Food security: 0 mentions; Manufacturing: 0 mentions

Tweed Shire Council will soon open applications for the next round of its Profitable Regenerative Farming Mentoring Program, with local farmers invited to learn more at an information session on 26 February. The peer-to-peer program pairs experienced regenerative farmers with emerging landholders to strengthen farm profitability while improving soil health, waterways  and biodiversity.