Speech to the Murray Darling Association Conference – September 2023

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Andrew McConville, Chief Executive of the Murray–Darling Basin Authority delivers a speech to the Murray Darling Association Conference in September 2023, at Murray Bridge, South Australia.

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. It’s great to be here with you all.

I would like to acknowledge that we meet today on the traditional lands of the Ngarrindjeri people, and we respect and acknowledge their connection to this land. I pay my respects to Ngarrindjeri Elders past, present, and emerging.

I also acknowledge and pay respect to the First Nations people throughout the Murray–Darling Basin, who have a deep connection to the lands and waters. And I extend my respects to all First Nations people here today. There are around 50 Nations across the Basin. Their vast knowledge of the Basin is a unique and invaluable asset, reaching back over 60,000 years. We have much to learn from them, and the MDBA strives to maintain strong and resilient partnerships with First Nations people across the Basin.

This is the second time I’ve had the privilege of speaking at the MDA Conference. My first time was just a few months into my job as head of the MDBA. Since then I’ve learned a lot and spoken to hundreds of people throughout the Basin, including many in local government. When I think about local councils in the Basin, one word comes to mind most strongly – connectivity. It was a point made strongly to me by Mayor Barry Hollman when I was in Bourke a while back.

Businesses may come and go, but you provide connectivity and continuity through thick and thin, boom and bust. You connect individuals and bring them together as vibrant communities. You connect people with the services and information they need. You connect communities with one another right across the Basin. As trusted sources of local knowledge, you connect the dots for people.

And, from my perspective working for the Australian Government, one of the most essential things you have to do well is connect abstract policies to real, lived experience. You can … and must … help us do this.

We in the MDBA rely on you to connect the dots between the Basin Plan as it’s written, and the real, on-the-ground experience as it is lived, and with deep knowledge of your communities.

You are so important to us. We need you to keep connecting with us – keep telling us how to engage with you, what you need from us, how we can be better for you. 

The upcoming Basin Plan Review which I will speak more on later – will be a key opportunity for this. If you’ve heard me speak before you might’ve heard me mention the map of the Basin I keep in my office. Each time I visit somewhere new in the Basin, I add a red dot to my map.
Last year when I spoke at this Conference I had 26 red dots – I’m now up to 71. And each dot represents a unique community, with unique views and perspectives.

When it comes to working in contested spaces, this is not my first rodeo. But in my time at the MDBA, it never ceases to amaze me: everywhere I’ve been, and everyone I’ve spoken to about the Basin Plan – they’ve all got a view and an opinion – mostly about what I need to be doing better. 

But one opinion stands out above all others … everyone agrees we need a Plan. 

Because although the Plan is not perfect, we can all agree it is better than having no plan at all. There are places in the world with similar challenges that don’t have a plan and the consequences are plain. 

Let me read to you a brief description of the Colorado River¹.

"On its 1,450-mile journey from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming to its mouth in the Gulf of California, the river’s flows are repeatedly dammed and diverted to support an astounding quantity and variety of human and nonhuman needs in 7 U.S. states and 2 countries, and for 30 Native American tribes. Both the water itself and the hydropower it generates have long supported rural communities and fueled fast-growing megacities in multiple states, both inside and outside the Basin. … The Colorado is used to irrigate 3 to 4 million acres of farmland, in addition to supporting manufacturing, a mining industry, and a recreation and tourism economy worth billions each year."

The similarities are quite striking … except … they don’t have a whole of basin plan. The Colorado is dying. If you don’t believe me, ask a farmer below Lake Mead. In 1984 the Lake held more than 24 million acre feet. By 2022 it held just 7.2 million acre feet. And they don’t have a whole of basin plan. 

But that doesn’t mean that here in the Basin it’s easy. Or that we have all the answers. We don’t.

Water resource management is a wicked problem. There is no simple or final solution, nor a clear or definitive way to test whether the problem has been solved. A defining characteristic of wicked problems is they are essentially unique. There is no end to the number of potential solutions or approaches to a wicked problem. 

This certainly rings true about the Basin Plan.

The thing about the Basin Plan is it’s not about getting the ‘one right’ answer – because there simply isn’t one.

What we must do – and what my most important duty is as head of the MDBA – is to bring people together to find a way forward. So while I do not claim the Basin Plan is a perfect solution, when I speak to people across the Basin, there is agreement that we’re in a much better position now than we would be without it. It’s not been an easy road to get here.

And while it’s public servants and politicians who do a lot of the talking about the Basin Plan, it is never far from my mind that it’s communities like the ones you represent who have done the heavy lifting in achieving the gains made under the Plan these past 11 years.

With so many different views, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that the Basin Plan was actually born out of unprecedented consensus. Seeing the Murray–Darling system on the brink of collapse at the height of the Millennium drought prompted us as a nation to agree urgent action was needed. For the health of the river ecosystem, for the people, communities and industries that depend on it, and for the millions here and abroad who rely on the food and fibre it produces. We had to safeguard the future of a resource vital to our nation’s prosperity and way of life. We had to reduce the amount being taken from our river system.

The kind of political consensus that saw 6 governments agree to the Plan, and the enduring commitment to push forward on implementation, is just about unheard of. It speaks to just how much was at stake – but let’s not forget, the job is never done and there is still so much at stake.

It’s why implementing the Basin Plan in full remains so important.

Significant progress has been made in meeting the water recovery targets set in the Plan, but there is still more to do. The communities you represent have done the hard yards when it comes to meeting these goals. And I know that while some communities have thrived, others have done it tough. 

Water recovery has social and economic impacts on communities – both positive and negative. So I understand the prospect of further recovery has both support and opposition from communities.

The government has indicated its first objective is to minimise any negative social or economic impacts, and that community feedback will be an essential part of the process. The Minister has announced the intention to make financial support available to state governments to address social and economic impacts of water recovery.

The Minister will be providing further details on this in due course. It is important to note the proposed legislation also gives communities the additional time and flexibility they have been asking for in Basin Plan implementation. It will give state governments more time to implement the projects that they brought forward back in 2017. The more projects that are implemented, the less water recovery will be needed through mechanisms such as direct purchasing of entitlements.

It presents an opportunity to find other options for water recovery to support the implementation of the Basin Plan. Because, if we don’t, we will be ill-prepared for the future of a drier climate an increased climatic variability.

Let me be frank: We are at a critical stage of the Basin Plan’s implementation.

Much has been achieved, but we can’t take our foot off the pedal yet – particularly as we face down the prospect of a return to El Nino conditions in coming months.

As climate change exacerbates the challenges of Australia’s already variable climate, water security will become ever more important. When we talk about the importance of the Basin, there are some facts and figures you’ve probably heard before – possibly even heard today – but I’d like us to really think about them for a second.

A total of 3.6 million people – including the entire population of Adelaide – rely on water from the Basin rivers for uses like drinking, washing, sanitation, industry, farming and irrigation.

• More than 2.3 million people live in the Basin, including people from around 50 different First Nations.
• Around 40% of Australia’s agricultural produce comes from the Basin.
• Around 7% of Australia’s tourism industry value is generated from the Basin.

Put simply – water security in this country is synonymous with the health of the Basin.

Australia has one of the most variable climates in the world, subject to many extremes.

We all know life in Australia has long been characterised by ‘droughts and flooding rains’ – so much so that those iconic words have become cliché.

But what we are seeing now goes beyond Australia’s normal climate variability. Our climate has warmed by over 1 degree Celsius since 1960².

Climate change is driving more frequent and severe droughts and extreme weather events. We know the climate of the Basin is changing, and rainfall patterns are shifting. Average inflows to the River Murray for the last 20 years were just 51% of what they were over the preceding 100 years³.

Nearly half of the long-term streamflow gauges in the Basin show a declining trend since records began in 1970⁴.

Both the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO predict a future where most of Basin is likely to be hotter, drier, and subject to more frequent droughts and extreme weather events. The possibility of a 10% reduction in rainfall leading to a 30% reduction in stream inflows. 

To put in bluntly: our water security – our communities – will depend on our ability to manage our water resources through these conditions.

But, fortunately – unlike many other countries facing the same threats to water security – we have the Basin Plan.

It lays the foundation for sustainable water use. It ensures that critical human water needs are met first. It will support water quality and river health during challenging conditions. It gives us the flexibility to adapt and respond as conditions change. It helps us deliver water to where it is most needed in the Basin. It recognises that water for farming, residents, infrastructure, manufacturing, and energy are all requirements of sustainable towns and thriving regional communities. Most importantly, it seeks to ensure that the river system is there for future generations.

It’s a delicate balancing act, but the Plan gives us the framework we need to meet the challenge head on. Over the first decade of its implementation, the Basin Plan has been tested in extreme conditions, including through some of the hottest and driest years on record.

We already know the Plan is working to help build the resilience of the system and cushion the impacts of a warming climate during extremely dry periods, as the 2020 Evaluation of the Basin Plan found. Emergency releases of water for the environment have helped strengthen connectivity, flushed stagnant water, and provided refuge for birds and animals.

Despite lower rainfall and declining water availability, the value of irrigated agriculture in the Basin has increased. Many farm businesses are innovating and adapting successfully to do more with less water.

There is no doubt that we are in a better position because of the Plan, but its full benefits won’t be realised overnight. While the early signs are positive, as with all wicked problems, there is no ‘end point’. With this kind of problem, stopping is in fact going backwards. We must continually monitor, gather new information, and improve.

The Basin Plan doesn’t stop and the task doesn’t end.

We are now gearing up for one of the key opportunities to do just that—the Basin Plan Review, which will be completed in 2026. We have released a roadmap to the Review outlining key milestones.

It will be an opportunity for all of us to review the Basin Plan’s settings. What’s working? What isn’t? What should be changed? In particular, we want to talk to you about 4 priority areas. I put to you 4 questions:

1. How can the Basin Plan be improved to respond to climate change?
2. How do we get the best outcomes for all social, cultural, environmental and economic values?
3. How can the Basin Plan be improved to recognise First Nation’s values in water management and enhance their involvement?
   And lastly
4. How could the Basin Plan framework be simplified?

It is of course ultimately governments who own the Plan – it’s our job to advise them on the best course of action. We want to build on the strengths of the Plan, but also make improvements where they’re needed. We are not waiting till the end to talk to you, as we work to gather knowledge and evidence to inform the Review. We will be providing updates every 6 months, and providing multiple opportunities for you to be involved.

I know some of you are probably sick of hearing about more reform, more changes. But this kind of review is central to the proper functioning of the Basin Plan – it is adaptive water management in action. And it has been there all along – the requirement to undertake a review in 2026. It’s our new normal.

And we can’t do it without you. No one knows your community, your part of the river, your wetland, your industries like you do. You and your communities have a key role to play in shaping the future of the Basin Plan. 

The MDBA will continue to strengthen connections with Basin communities, to capture and reflect the wealth of knowledge held there – and use it to inform the Basin Plan.

I look forward to working with you on the Review – and the implementation of the Basin Plan more broadly. As I keep talking with people across the Basin, and keep adding those dots to my map, it is clear everyone wants healthy, sustainable rivers. But why?

For the vast majority of people I talk to, it’s not something they want for themselves, for their personal benefit. It’s something they want for their community. For their Country. For their children. For their children’s children.

That’s why I believe our purpose at the MDBA can be articulated with just 3 words: Rivers, for generations.

In serving this purpose, I believe the MDBA must be in community, be courageous, and bring energy.

We must continue to listen – and to show you that what you tell us shapes our work. We must have the courage to make hard decisions, and to hear tough feedback about how we’re doing. We must be transparent and accountable, and work together with mutual respect. Ongoing collaboration and engagement remains at the heart of the Basin Plan. I will continue to talk with you and get out into your communities. Because collaboration starts with conversation.

Endnotes

1. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2efeafc8613440dba5b56cb83cd790ba 
2. CSIRO State of the Climate 2020 full report, page 4
3. 2020 Basin Plan Evaluation full report, page 21
4. CSIRO State of the Climate 2022 full report, page 9