G'day everyone! It's Andrew and this month for River Reach we are coming to you from Renmark, where we are down here on the 15th MDBA listening tour, it's a privilege to be here with Sir Angus and we're out listening to a whole range of stakeholders across the community.
We started yesterday and we visited the Sugar Shack Environmental site, which was absolutely amazing to see the wetlands in really good health. We visited the Katarapko floodplain management site where we saw how construction of infrastructure environmental works has played a really crucial role in ensuring the health of the floodplain.
We visited Pike River for a Cultural visit to understand in the more than 40,000 years of history for First Nations in this part of the world.
And we've also had the privilege to see some of our environmental efficiency projects on some date farms and some citrus farms. And these visits are really important to help us connect with the community and understand what's on your mind and how we at the MDBA can continue to work with you, to try and make sure that the health of the basin is forefront for everyone.
After we leave Renmark tomorrow, we're going to be heading across to Victoria, to Swan Hill, to Lake Boga, to hear from our Victorian communities about what's on their mind and how the Basin Plan is working to help them achieve better outcomes.
In the last month or so, of course, the Water Amendment Restoring our Rivers Bill has been introduced to Parliament by the Minister for Water, Tanya Plibersek, and that Bill's the result of negotiations between the states. It's come from an agreement between Queensland New South Wales, the ACT, South Australia and the Commonwealth, and it's looking at making changes to the Water Act, extending timelines for SDLAM projects, extending timelines for the environmental water.
Our role as the MDBA will be to obviously work with the states, should that in, that legislation pass through parliament either this year or into next year.
And finally, over the last month or so, it's been really great. The Engagement team's been out with schools across the Basin, and that's really fabulous. Our guys love getting out with the kids, it's talking to future generations about how we can create rivers for generations. And the kids really love hearing about the Basin. We love hearing from the kids about what they see as the future of their Basin and how we can help and how governments, and kids can work together to make sure that the Basin is in the best possible health.
If you do want to get involved and give your kids the opportunity to hear from our regional engagement officers about the Basin Plan and about the Basin, please reach out, get in touch, and we'll do everything we can to accommodate you. So that's it for this month.
I hope you enjoy this edition of River Reach and I'll look forward to seeing you again next month.