Each year the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) welcomes high-achieving graduates to join the organisation on an 11-month Graduate Development Program.
It’s an immersive experience that provides participants with the opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills, and understanding of the work of the MDBA and the wider Australian Public Service (APS).
The 2023 cohort was made up of 4 high achievers passionate about water: Annabel Green, Shiralee Ward, Marnie Huxley and Matilda Southgate.
We recently caught up with this dynamic group to hear their collective experience of the program and to learn more about the new ongoing roles with the MDBA.
Variety in the rotations and learning experiences
Based in Griffith, New South Wales, Annabel said she loved the networking opportunities.
“During the program I got to work in 3 different teams across 3 different portfolios. I really enjoyed learning about the wide variety of work within the MDBA and meeting many new people across the agency.”
While fellow Griffith graduate Shiralee reflected on the opportunity to dive into different technical and professional roles.
“I’ve been fortunate to work across Business Services, Basin Plan Review and the Riverine Ecology areas, exposing me to a wide range of subject matter.
“I was also able to carry out a project on my own that focussed on natural resource management in the Murray–Darling Basin and go through the steps of writing the report and presenting my findings.”
The program offers many interesting opportunities. It also challenges participants and prepares them for career growth.
Shiralee shared that her biggest challenge was working in placements that were very different to her background (geography and conservation).
“While this exposure to new and unfamiliar content was daunting at times, it required me to be more vocal and pushed me to develop my understanding on the job, which has become a valuable tool. Experiencing this challenge helped me build confidence in adapting to new workloads and taking on tasks that might be unfamiliar.”
Fishways of the River Murray
As part of the program the graduates got to take charge of a project to publicly share information on the fishways of the River Murray, and the movement of fish through these fishways.
The project allowed the graduates to learn more about fishways, and how fish move and are tracked through the river system.
“As part of our project, we had the opportunity to head out on a field trip and visit a variety of fishways along the River Murray. On our field trip we visited sites spanning from Euston (NSW) to Katarapko (SA). This included visiting current working fishways, locks and weirs and talking to site managers,” Shiralee said.
The graduates learnt that when a fish swims through a fishway, a detection antenna installed at the fishway is used to scan for fish wearing passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. These tags act in a similar way to an e-tag being detected when a car drives on a toll road.
Did you know? In the Murray-Darling Basin, most species of fish are particularly mobile, with some species travelling up to 100km in a day.
Below you can learn some more about the types of fish detected during the graduate project.
Goldie the Golden Perch
Golden perch are a native species that occurs throughout the basin. Goldie is an adult-sized golden perch. Goldie was tagged with a PIT-tag in April 2023 at Lock 8 (southeast of Lake Victoria in south-western New South Wales), then travelled up the River Murray to Lock 10 (Wentworth, New South Wales) in May 2023. It is possible that Goldie was travelling upstream to find warmer water. Where and when do you predict we will spot Goldie next?
Molly the Murray Cod
Murray cod are a native species that occurs throughout the Basin. Molly the Murray cod was tagged with a PIT-tag in April 2022 near Renmark, South Australia. Molly was likely to be a mature fish when tagged. After being tagged, Molly was not seen again until August 2022 where multiple sightings were made at Lock 6 over a 19-day period. It was another 12 months before Molly was spotted again, again at Lock 6. This time, though, Molly moved upstream and was spotted at Lock 9 11 days later. It was possible that Molly was looking for warm water in the Lower Murray to spawn in. Where and when do you predict we will spot Molly next?
Everyone agreed that it was a rewarding experience. They were able to follow a project from the idea phase to completion.
To learn more about the project and fishways make sure to check out Fishways of the River Murray.
Where to next?
After such a busy year full of learning and new experiences we are pleased to share that all graduates have secured new ongoing roles in 2024:
- Annabel Green, Project Officer, Applied Science (Basin Science and Knowledge)
- Marnie Huxley, Project Officer, Decision Making Framework (Basin Plan)
- Shiralee Ward, Project Officer, Riverine Ecology (Basin Science and Knowledge)
- Matilda Southgate, Project Officer, River Murray Operations (River Management)
Check out some of our other exciting career opportunities to work with us.