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Murray Darling Basin Plan
Basin water conference comes to lower Murray in 2025: MDBA, Murray Bridge Council
The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) will hold its fifth annual water conference 29 and 30 July in the city of Murray Bridge in regional South Australia. MDBA Chief Executive Andrew McConville said it was the first time River Reflections would be held in this part of the southern Basin where community interests and water management challenges differed to those further upstream.
170 GL in unnecessary water recovery to win city votes
In a clearly political move to win city votes at the expense of regional Australia, the Commonwealth yesterday kicked off a second buyback tender in the southern Murray-Darling Basin in 2024-25. NSW Irrigators’ Council CEO Claire Miller said with an impending election, "this announcement is clearly intended to try to win city votes while throwing regional communities, farmers and even the environment under the bus.
Disbelief at Plibersek’s disdain for rural Australia
Community and farming groups have expressed "total disbelief" at the latest attempt by the Albanese Government to destroy regional communities. Leading the charge is Murray Regional Strategy Group, with Chair Geoff Moar saying the latest announcement of more water buybacks on the eve of a Federal election was "beyond comprehension".
Auditor General report of buybacks shows a well-paved road, but to where?: National Irrigators’ Council
The release of the Auditor General’s report of the Federal Government’s water buybacks finds the Government implemented a well-paved road of effective process but struggled to find the link between the buyback program and the intended policy objectives for the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
Barrage of lies
When South Australians were trying to turn their estuary into a freshwater dam in the 1940’s, the Mulloway natural migration was devastated. Now, Australia’s only freshwater estuary hangs like a noose around the neck of the Murray Darling Basin, consuming huge volumes of freshwater to raise an artificial lake height for yachting, and an attempt to dilute the Southern Ocean, under the fundamentally flawed Murray Darling Basin Plan.
Democracy failing regional Australia says agricultural leader
The NSW Government has been urged to show its commitment to regional NSW by backing a feasibility study into a community-supported water-saving project. Narrandera resident David Farley, who has spent time abroad developing water management strategies that support both the environment and agriculture, is calling on NSW Water Minister Rose Jackson to back a $1 million feasibility study for the Lake Coolah project.
MLDRIN v the Commonwealth – The battle over the fractured rock water plan
First Nations environmental lobbying group Murray Lower Darling River Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN) is in the Federal Court today to challenge the decision by Minister Plibersek to accredit the NSW Fractured Rock Water Resource Plan (WRP) ... “We repeatedly advised the MDBA that the Fractured Rock Water Resource Plan should not be recommended for accreditation," Brendan Kennedy, Chair, MLDRIN, Tati Tati Nation member, said.
Lazy river times
A boat, a BBQ, a swag and the mighty Murray to Murrabit were the order of the day. With a meagre 5,700 megalitres a day flowing past Barham, we set off for Murrabit.
$20.9m funding for Murray-Darling Basin water savings – Where’s the benefit?
Hugh Schuitemaker. Senior Riverland politicians have questioned the potential benefits of a multi-million dollar environmental plan to use treated wastewater – rather than Murray River water – to water public areas and “to supply some industries”. The Federal and State Governments last month announced $20.9m in funding to build infrastructure allowing local governments to substitute Murray River water with storm water, treated wastewater or other alterna-tive water sources.
NIC welcomes MDBA’s refreshed approach on constraints, calls for firm Government commitments: NIC
National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) has welcomed the refreshed approach proposed by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to relax delivery constraints in the Murray-Darling Basin to value add environmental benefits for rivers and floodplains but warns that firm commitments from Basin governments are critical to ensure the program’s momentum is not lost.
