Authority Chair, the Hon Neil Andrew AO, said the compliance review was examining the legislative, policy and practical implementation of compliance in water management in the Basin.
"The review is focusing on compliance at a whole-of-Basin level, and also considering on-the-ground compliance issues at specific locations in the Basin," Mr Andrew said.
"The MDBA was asked by the Federal Government to conduct a review in light of issues raised in the ABC Four Corners program on 24 July 2017. This review complements a range of other review activities being conducted by other agencies.
"The terms of reference for the review have now been finalised by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, taking into account feedback from Basin water ministers.
"Compliance is fundamental to effective water use and management in the Basin. It's vital that all the governments and individuals involved in water management across the Basin work together to get the settings right. Everyone needs to have trust in the system."
The review will be led by Authority member, Mr George Warne, and supported by a taskforce in the MDBA.
"I am pleased Mr Warne is spearheading this review. He is highly regarded for his knowledge and expertise in water management in the Basin, and in particular he has experience in water delivery and compliance at local, regional, state and Basin scale," Mr Andrew said.
Mr Warne said the review would be supported by a panel of independent experts comprising Mr Allan Holmes, Mr Abel Immaraj and Mr Eamonn Moran QC.
"The panel members have substantial expertise and experience in water law, public policy, water measurement and compliance," Mr Warne said.
"We will work closely with the panel during the review, and be guided by their expert opinion."
The independent panel will provide a separate report on the MDBA review to Basin ministers, including on the Authority's own role in compliance and enforcement practices, and ways in which these can be improved.
The MDBA will deliver its report to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) by mid-December 2017. The independent panel's report will also be provided to COAG.
An on-line survey is available for people to use to provide the MDBA with information about compliance in their part of the Basin:
https://getinvolved.mdba.gov.au/COMP1
More on the Basin-wide compliance review is here.
For the full terms of reference and the biographical details of the independent panel see here.
Ends
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