At its February 2019 meeting the Murray–Darling Basin Authority reinforced the need to ensure that critical water reforms are implemented by governments ahead of the accreditation of catchment-based water resource plans.
Developed as part of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan, water resource plans are catchment based plans that will codify state-based water management arrangements under Commonwealth law.
Since making the Basin Plan, the Authority has consistently highlighted the importance of managing the system as a whole, ensuring connected systems are managed together.
In light of recent fish deaths events this is critically important.
The Authority’s board resolved that it needed to be satisfied the draft plans would deliver on undertakings made following the Northern Basin Review before recommending them to the Commonwealth Water Minister for accreditation. This includes mechanisms to ensure water for the environment is actively managed and protected.
In addition the existing requirement for effective engagement of First Nations communities needs to be demonstrated so that cultural values are well reflected and mechanisms for the ongoing involvement of First Nations people are established.
The Authority will also require Basin states to detail the mechanisms they will use to resolve the regulation and accounting of all water diversions, including floodplain harvesting.
Water Resource Plans formalise arrangements across 33 ground and surface water areas, set limits on the amount of water that can be taken, and ensure state water management rules meet the Basin Plan objectives.
Good progress is being made by the Queensland and New South Wales governments to implement the commitments so that relevant northern Basin water resource plans include:
- rules or measures to deliver improved system-wide management through the adequate protection of low flows and environmental water, having regard to water resource connectivity
- arrangements for effective ongoing involvement of Aboriginal communities, and
- arrangements for estimating, accounting and licensing floodplain harvesting and other overland flows.
The Basin Plan requires that all water resource plans:
- demonstrate how connected water resources are managed, and
- where required, include specific rules so highly connected resources are managed together.
For these reasons the Authority has resolved that prior to making a recommendation to the Minister to accredit water resource plans the Authority will need to be satisfied that these Basin Plan commitments are met.
Last updated: 20 July 2023