Murray Darling Basin Plan

The Government is progressively returning 450 gigalitres of water to the environment by 2027, with voluntary purchase just one of the ways that water will be recovered. Under the Voluntary Water Purchase Program opening the week of 15 July, the Commonwealth will launch its first tender to buy up to 70 gigalitres of water entitlements from willing sellers in parts of the southern Basin.

The breeze was blowing up small waves as the unmistakable taste of salt lingered on my lips. Standing before me, a concrete wall battling the force of the Southern Ocean. All up, 7.6 kilometres of barrages were constructed by South Australia in a crude attempt to turn an estuary into freshwater lakes, with water solely supplied by the Murray River...

The Albanese Labor Government has ... launched a world-leading water ownership program for First Nations peoples in the Murray-Darling Basin, delivering on an election commitment. Under the Aboriginal Water Entitlements Program, the government has made $100 million available to buy water in the Basin, with First Nations representatives to determine how that money is spent.

Progress of research that will benefit the Basin and its communities for years to come has been shared at the third annual symposium of the Murray–Darling Water and Environment Research Program (MD-WERP). Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) Chief Executive Andrew McConville said 35 projects developing Basin-wide knowledge have been completed or are progressing via the 5-year $20 million Australian Government funded MD-WERP.

Almost 300 people will converge in Albury next week to discuss the future of water management in the Murray–Darling Basin at the 2024 River Reflections Conference on June 19 and 20. This year’s conference features a diverse range of speakers from government, First Nations and farming communities, with a program aimed at fostering collaboration in water management across the Basin.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says the Albanese Labor Government’s plan to take water from food production in the Murray Darling Basin Plan in exchange for a $300 million sugar hit is yet another slap in the face for regional communities. VFF Water Council Chair Andrew Leahy said the funding package announced by Water Minister Tanya Plibersek will go nowhere close to what will be required to support communities targeted for water buybacks.

The Albanese Government's legislation change to allow additional water buybacks shocked farming communities that rely on this precious resource ... To add insult to injury, the recent $12 million taxpayer-funded advertising campaign used fake computer-generated images of death and destruction in the basin, along with emotive language that only fuels misunderstanding through the misinformation campaign.