Event: Technical workshop – Improving the coherence of water and biodiversity policies, from cities to basins; water diversity and biodiversity policies, from cities to basin
Monday 7 October 2024, Bordeaux France
Thank you. Distinguished colleagues – good afternoon to you all. I welcome this opportunity to share the Australian experience of water policy reform.
How we have brought the rivers of the Murray–Darling Basin from the threshold of historical overextraction and the compounding pressures of the millennium drought. And how through collaboration, our communities, First Nations people, industries and governments continue to seek improvements – to better integrate policy for the health of our rivers, environment, communities, and industries.
The Basin is very special part of my country. It is the largest and most complex river system in Australia. I lead the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, the federal agency leading water management in the Basin. The Basin spans more than one million square kilometres – roughly twice the size of France! Like many river basins, the Murray–Darling Basin crosses several borders.
In our case, 5 of our 8 states and territories. It is also Australia’s largest area for agricultural production, producing more than $US20 billion worth of food and fibre every year.
These rivers and lakes support a unique habitat and rich biodiversity – critical to the survival of more than 120 waterbird species and 50 native fish species, and it includes 16 protected wetlands. Australia is the driest inhabited continent. When faced with prolonged drought and competing demands for water in the late 1990s/early 2000s we saw the decline of wetlands and river health in the Basin.
Good governance and collaboration were critical to put the Basin back on a sustainable footing and arrest the decline of biodiversity.
The Murray–Darling Basin Plan established in 2012 was our essential course correction. Introduction of the Basin Plan was heavily contested. It put a cap on water use and sought to make water available for the environment. Enshrined in national law, it is an agreement between state and federal governments to manage the Basin’s water with consideration of the Nation’s social, economic, cultural, and environmental outcomes.
The Plan establishes the responsibilities of government, agencies and stakeholders. It also provides for transparent and accountable decision-making that integrates water, environmental and agricultural policy considerations across multiple levels of government.
It sounds simple enough. Yet the system is complex – both geographically and politically. The last 12 years of Basin Plan management and practiced collaboration have built on over 100 years of often challenging relationships. The path for stakeholders to seek local action and answers is difficult to tread. Not only are multiple agencies involved in water management, there are also many political, economic and environmental drivers at play. We have a thousand stakeholders with diverse perspectives on water sharing priorities.
We agree we want a healthy and sustainable basin for future generations to enjoy. ‘How’ is where the challenge lies. A combination of national leadership, state management and local action seeks to improve the coherence of water and biodiversity policies for the Basin.
We see this in federal legislation like the Basin Plan and in Australia’s Strategy for Nature that move us beyond pure protection-based approaches, to embed nature positive thinking in economic, regulatory, and social systems. Connecting Australians with nature, improving the way we care for country, and building and sharing knowledge are vital.
A key part of our work is connecting with community – providing genuine opportunities for all stakeholders to be heard and where possible, bringing the variety of views together in shared commitment to act. There are more than 1,000 different groups we actively engage through community forums, committees, peaks groups, industry round tables, tours and regional engagement networks. It’s a very broad, very deep well of knowledge.
For First Nations people that knowledge covers tens of thousands of years of cultural connection, caring for river and country. There is much for us to learn as policy makers and at the MDBA we seek to respectfully partner with the more than 50 First Nations of the Basin.
I spend half my time out in community, listening to and exchanging knowledge. Each time I come back I add more sticky dots to a map of the Basin pinned to my wall. Each one a new location I’ve visited – each dot representing hundreds of conversations with people from every walk of life. All with unique values and beliefs on how best to manage water. And each one important to deliver rivers for generations.
Because that’s where our success lies. It’s the relationships, trust and understanding that we build with people, policy makers, industry and government that support outcomes when the journey is one of compromise and trade-offs.
The progress gained through 12 years of implementing the Basin Plan have been hard won. We have recovered more than 2,100 gigalitres of water to bring consumptive use within a sustainable range. Agricultural innovation means our farmers are using less water, more efficiently to grow Australia’s high-quality food and fibre. And we have returned many rivers and wetlands, including Ramsar-listed sites along the Murray River to ‘good condition’.
Our Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder now holds approximately 2,900 gigalitres of water entitlements and is using this to help native birds, fish and frogs to feed and breed. To reconnect rivers to their floodplains and restart river flows in dry times.
In fact, during the last drought, environmental water ensured the mouth of the Murray River remained open. All the while, the gross value of irrigated agriculture has increased.
None of this could have been achieved without the leadership and participation of our many diverse communities, industries, levels of government and stakeholders across the Murray–Darling Basin.
In Australia we have learnt from each other. The opportunity then to share and learn for other countries through collaborations like this Assembly are vital to ensure we’re in step with – if not leading! – world’s best practice in water and biodiversity management.
We are proud to share our achievements, we’re eager to learn from others, and we want to build enduring relationships with members of the global water family.
Event: Water management and the Basin Plan in the Murray–Darling Basin – an Australian case study
Wednesday 9 October 2024, Bordeaux France
Andrew McConville, you are the Chief Executive of the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) in Australia. Australia is the driest inhabited continent. What tools has Australian adopted to manage this issue?
Thank you, Mr Antonio for your question. You are quite right in that Australia is a very dry continent. It is very important in considering this that we also recognise that the Murray–Darling Basin is not just an ecological asset. It is the lifeblood of communities – more than 2.3 million people live in the Basin and it supplies drinking water to over 3 million people – more than 10% of our entire population.
It produces 40% of Australia’s food and fibre. It is home to 50 First Nations and its’ ecosystems span one-seventh of Australia, four states and one territory. So, managing the Basin effectively is vital for Australia as we navigate the impacts of climate change, historical over-allocation, and increasing demand.
Murray–Darling Basin historical flows
Flows in the Murray–Darling Basin are highly variable. Flow data collected over 100 years show that while the average inflows might be 33,000 GL, the dry years are often much lower than this, interspersed with years of substantial flooding.
You should notice there are more years with below average inflows than above average. Over time, this variability in inflows, coupled with a booming agricultural industry and changing climate, led to widespread degradation of the natural environment and declining health of the rivers in the Basin.
Murray mouth
The tipping point was the severe millennium drought which lasted almost 10 years and resulted in significant environmental issues such as acidification of soils, salinity, algal blooms and the closing of the Murray mouth at the bottom of the system.
Experts in the room would know that the death of any river system starts at the mouth of the river where it meets the sea. To address these issues, there was a need to coordinate management across jurisdictions and rebalance water use, returning water to the environment.
Basin Plan
Central to this effort is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, established in 2012. This plan serves not just as a policy document, but as a critical roadmap for sustainable water management in our region. It sets clear objectives, establishes long-term limits on water extraction, and prioritizes the recovery of water for the environment.
The Plan sets the amount of water that can be taken from the Basin each year, while leaving enough for our rivers, lakes and wetlands, and the plants and animals that depend on them.
The Plan is implemented by the MDBA on behalf of the states and territory governments to ensure water is shared fairly and sustainably, aiming to avoid scarcity and protect the environment. States retain responsibility for water management. The MDBA is if you like, the water accountant.
Sustainable diversion limits
Sustainable diversion limits (SDL) are how much water, on average, can be used in the Basin by towns, communities, industry and farmers, while keeping the rivers and environment healthy. These limits are vital in ensuring that water extraction does not exceed what the environment can sustain.
The limits consider many factors, including historical water usage, ecological requirements, and the reliability of water supply for communities and agriculture. Sustainable diversion limits are in place for both surface water, and groundwater and it is the MDBA that established these limits.
The Basin Plan does allow for the limits to be adjusted to account for improved knowledge or more efficient water management.
Types of water in SDL
Three types of water are accounted for when considering sustainable diversion limits.
Consumptive water – used for drinking, farming, irrigation, etc. This type of water is the focus of SDLs in limiting long-term consumptive use.
Held environmental water – Prior to the Basin Plan this water did not exist. Water has been purchased or recovered through efficiency projects to become held environmental water. The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder now owns this water and uses it to achieve environmental outcomes.
The final is river water – that stays in the system for conveyance, or it is lost through evaporation and seepage.
Catchments
Water limits and the recovery needed to achieve them are specific to different parts of the system. The areas that these sustainable diversion limits apply to, are known as SDL resource units.
Water recovery targets – the achievement of which is a requirement of the states - are aligned to SDL resource units and are in place for 29 surface water areas, and 80 groundwater areas.
Each of these water resource units forms the basis of state water planning.
Water resource plans
Water resource plans are therefore another tool we have adopted to sustainably manage water. The plans are developed by the states and tailored to the characteristics of the 33 catchments within the Basin.
They detail how water will be allocated among various users, including agricultural, industrial, and environmental needs, while ensuring water take does not exceed the limits of what is sustainable.
Plans are developed by the states, submitted to the MDBA and then on our recommendation, accredited by the Federal Water Minister. Through these plans, we can ensure water management is not only scientifically robust but also socially equitable.
River operations
But our role isn’t just monitoring and measuring.
The MDBA also directs the states in the operation of water infrastructure such as dams and weirs to control the flow of water and maintain water levels in rivers and reservoirs in the Southern connected basin.
We direct water where and when it’s needed, based on market demands and environmental conditions.
This infrastructure also helps to regulate water distribution and storage, ensuring water is available during dry periods.
Implementation progress
We have been relatively successful. 98% of the surface water target has been recovered, for the use of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. 29 of the 33 Water Resource Plans are complete and good environmental outcomes are being delivered. But, we are not done.
Other key water recovery measures that must be driven by the states and the Commonwealth – such as infrastructure projects and water efficiency projects – will not be complete within the timeframes first envisaged by the Basin Plan.
Water policy, is as we all know, very difficult.
The Plan’s development and implementation has been highly contested and while there is now no disagreement on the need for a plan and it is broadly accepted, how the Plan’s outcomes are achieved remains hotly contested.
Environmental outcomes
As mentioned, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder owns the water recovered from consumptive use and uses that water to achieve environmental outcomes.
The CEWO is the largest owner of water in the Murray–Darling Basin.
In the last year alone, approximately 1800 gigalitres of water has been returned to the environment.
While environmental water is still a new concept and we have work to do to ensure water is being used efficiently, we are seeing some fantastic environmental outcomes.
Outcomes include successful large-scale bird breeding events for the Straw-necked Ibis and the Australian White Ibis, we are seeing Golden perch spawning and migrating, and the mimicking of ecological cues is helping to support successful platypus breeding.
Rivers for generations
In a system of severe droughts and floods, 6 different governments and many competing industries it is amazing that everyone could actually come together and bring the Murray–Darling system back from the brink of severe degradation.
Tools such as the Basin Plan, sustainable diversion limits, Water Resource Plans, coordinated River Operations and a Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder are just some of the tools we have used to support a healthier and more sustainable Basin.
At the MDBA this is the core of our purpose. While it isn’t perfect and remains very contentious, a healthy Basin for all Australians is crucial. To ensure rivers, for generations.
Thank you.
Contact the MDBA Media office at media@mdba.gov.au or 02 6279 0141
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