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Print date: 23 June 2025
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  • The Basin
    The Basin
    The Murray–Darling Basin is in Australia's south-east. It is a system of interconnected rivers and lakes.
    Read more
    • Basin location
      The Murray–Darling Basin is a one million square kilometre area in the south east of Australia.
    • Catchments
      The Basin is one interconnected system of rivers made up of different catchments.
    • Landscapes
      The landscapes of the Basin are varied and extreme. There are subtropical rainforests in the north, southern alpine meadows and snowfields and western semi-arid deserts.
    • Why the Murray–Darling Basin matters
      The Basin is home to 2.4 million Australians, internationally significant wetlands, First Nations and is Australia’s food bowl.
    • Plants and wildlife
      The rivers and lakes of the Basin support unique habitats critical to waterbirds, native fish, reptiles and protected wetlands.

    Our reliance on the Basin

    Water is needed for farming, communities, industries, indigenous cultural practices, and plants and animals. These competing needs must be balanced for a sustainable future.
    Explore the Basin
  • Science and knowledge
    Science and knowledge
    We’re continually improving our understanding of the complex connections between climate, river flows, and river-related outcomes for communities, industries, and the environment.
    Read more
    • Basin Condition Monitoring Program
      Monitors and reports on economic, social, cultural and environmental conditions in the Basin.
    • Hydrometric Networks and Remote Sensing Program
      Projects to enhance the monitoring of water in the northern Basin.
    • Remote sensing and satellite imagery
      Using technology to monitor river flows and how ecosystems respond over time.
    • Murray–Darling Water and Environment Research Program
      An Australian Government initiative to strengthen scientific knowledge of the Basin with new information, innovation and tools.
    • Monitoring Northern Fish Flow
      Evaluating the use of water for the environment to protect native fish in northern Basin rivers.

    What lies beneath the water?

    For a second year, citizen scientists have collected water samples for the Great Australian Wildlife Search. This project uses environmental DNA (eDNA) to investigate what aquatic animals are living in our waterbodies.
    Read more
  • Water management
    Water management
    We work with state governments to manage water and infrastructure in the Murray–Darling Basin. Water is managed to make sure it’s safe and delivered to the people who need it. We manage water to protect our rivers for generations.
    Read more
    • River Murray operations
      We manage water operations on the River Murray on behalf of New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.
    • Basin Plan
      The Basin Plan ensures sustainable sharing of water. It is reviewed and evaluated, and we regularly report on implementation progress.
    • Basin Plan Review
      We’re preparing for the 2026 Basin Plan Review, to make sure the Basin Plan continues to respond to changing environment, community and industry needs, as we protect rivers for generations.
    • Water resource modelling
      Models help us see how different conditions and decisions about water management might affect the river system.
    • Infrastructure
      Dams, barrages and weirs regulate water flows and help deliver of water to communities, irrigators and the environment.
    • Northern Basin
      The northern Basin has a unique climate and water management arrangements.
    • Managing water quality
      Managing flows, wherever possible, can help to mitigate salinity, turbidity and dissolved oxygen.
    • Groundwater
      Groundwater is stored in fractured rocks, porous rocks and soils called aquifers, it can be connected to surface water, which includes the water in our rivers and wetlands.

    Hume Dam

    Hume Reservoir plays a vital role in water management, energy production, and flood control – while also serving as a key site for tourism and recreation.
    Learn more
  • Water use
    Water use
    Water is used for a variety of purposes within the Murray–Darling Basin. There are rules around how water is shared. Once allocated, water can be used, stored, traded or reallocated.
    Read more
    • Allocations
      Each Basin state has different rules and requirements about how water is allocated.
    • Water for First Nations
      Water is central to the cultural, social and spiritual identity of Australia's First Nations people.
    • Water for the environment
      ‘Water for the environment’ is used to improve the health of our rivers, wetlands and floodplains.
    • Water limits
      The Basin Plan sets a limit on how much water can be sustainably diverted within the Basin.
    • Water losses
      When water is managed and delivered, evaporation, seepage and other losses are taken into account.
    • Water demand and shortfalls
      Available water is shared to meet the needs of all. Shortfalls occur when water cannot be delivered as needed.
    • Trends in use
      Over two-thirds of Australia's irrigation occurs in the Murray–Darling Basin.
    • Water markets
      Trade is vital for irrigators by allowing flexibility in response to water availability.

    Water Take Report

    The MDBA publishes an annual Water Take Report which analyses the data and longer-term trends of water use based on the sustainable diversion limits (SDL) Registers of Take.
    Read the report
  • Publications and data
    Publications and data
    We publish research and technical reports, educational material and data sources about the Basin for communities, governments, industry and students.
    Read more
    • Publications
      Research and technical reports containing information for communities, governments, industry and students.
    • Maps and spatial data
      Access our maps and spatial data for the Basin. We use remote sensing and spatial data to support our programs and projects.
    • Data and dashboards
      Access our reports and data for parts of the River Murray system, and water in storage updates for catchments in the Murray–Darling Basin.
    • School resources
      We provide educational posters, maps, and more that you can download.

    Constraints Relaxation Implementation Roadmap

    The Roadmap has been developed to assist the Commonwealth and Basin states to identify, develop, and implement measures to relax constraints and provide a pathway for a common approach across river systems and jurisdictions.
    Read the guide
  • About us
    About us
    We work with Basin states, industries and communities to manage the Murray–Darling Basin’s water resources in the national interest.
    Read more
    • Who we are
      We are an independent expertise-based statutory agency, established under the Water Act 2007.
    • What we do
      We are responsible for planning the Basin's water resources, with all planning decisions made in the interest of the Basin as a whole.
    • What we've heard
      Read our latest briefings to the community and key stakeholder groups and what we've heard.
    • Who we work with
      Our partners and stakeholders include people living in the Basin, First Nations, state and local governments and advisory committees.
    • People and jobs
      We offer exciting work opportunities at the forefront of water resource management.
    • Governance and committees
      A large number of governments, authorities and agencies are involved in managing water.
    • Accountability and reporting
      We are committed to good and transparent governance. Here you will find information about our planning, reporting and other documentation about our business.
    • Contact us
      Find out how to get in touch, and where our 7 office locations are around the Basin.

    Science in the Basin

    Science is at the core of what we do. We use the best available science and knowledge support policy and inform decisions.
    Learn more
  • News and events
    News and events
    For all things MDBA news, information and communication, visit our Newsroom for latest news, media releases, communiques and more.
    Read more
    • Newsroom
      Stay up to date with the latest news, media releases, communiques and Basin stories.
    • Subscribe
      Sign up to receive emails with our monthly newsletters, regular flow advice alerts, River Murray weekly reports, media releases or communiques.
    • Conferences
      Find out about our annual regional water conference.
    • Symposiums
      Annual symposiums focussing on new science to shape water policy decisions and sharing research results.
    • Social media
      Connect with us on our social media channels. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
    • Webinars
      Learn more about water management and river operations by joining our webinars.​

    2025 River Reflections

    The conference will be held on 29 to 30 July in the bustling rural city of Murray Bridge, South Australia – the heart of the Murraylands.
    Find out more
 

The Basin

  • The Basin
    • Basin location
    • Why the Murray–Darling Basin matters
      • Our reliance on the Basin for water
      • The Darling (Baaka) River’s contribution to the Murray
    • Catchments
      • Northern Basin catchments
        • Barwon–Darling
        • Border Rivers
        • Condamine–Balonne
        • Gwydir
        • Macquarie–Castlereagh
        • Moonie
        • Namoi
        • Paroo
        • Warrego
      • Southern Basin catchments
        • Campaspe
        • Goulburn–Broken
        • Kiewa
        • Lachlan
        • Loddon–Avoca
        • Lower Darling
        • Mitta Mitta
        • Central Murray
        • Lower Murray
        • Upper Murray
        • Murrumbidgee
        • Ovens
        • Wimmera
      • Who does what in the catchments
    • Landscapes
      • How the Basin was formed
      • Bioregions
      • Rivers, wetlands and floodplains
      • Safe recreation
      • Significant environmental sites
        • Barmah–Millewa Forest icon site
        • Gunbower Forest icon site
        • Koondrook–Perricoota Forest icon site
        • Hattah Lakes icon site
        • Lindsay–Wallpolla–Mulcra Islands icon site
        • Chowilla Floodplain icon site
        • Lower Lakes, Coorong and Murray Mouth icon site
        • River Murray icon site
    • Plants and wildlife
      • Animals
      • Birds
        • Priorities for birds
      • Fish
        • Priorities for fish
        • Our native fish recovery strategy
        • Fish migration
      • Plants
        • Native vegetation
      • Reptiles

Climate and river health

  • Science and knowledge
    • Basin Condition Monitoring Program
      • Cultural projects
      • Economic projects
      • Environmental projects
      • Hydrological projects
      • Social projects
      • Social and Economic Conditions report
    • Hydrometric Networks and Remote Sensing Program
    • Remote sensing and satellite imagery
    • Murray–Darling Water and Environment Research Program
      • Climate adaptation
      • Environmental outcomes
      • Hydrology
      • Social, economic and cultural outcomes
      • Peer-reviewed journal articles
      • Reports and documents
    • Monitoring Northern Fish Flow

Water management

  • Water management
    • River Murray operations
      • Managing water
      • Delivering water
      • Annual Operating Outlook
      • Barmah–Millewa Reach
      • Water Delivery Optimisation Program
        • Barmah–Millewa Reach sediment investigations
        • The Barmah–Millewa Feasibility Study
    • Basin Plan
      • Key elements of the Basin Plan
        • Prerequisite policy measures
      • Basin Plan history and timeline
      • Basin Plan Evaluations
        • 2025 Basin Plan Evaluation
        • 2020 Basin Plan Evaluation
        • 2017 Basin Plan Evaluation
      • Monitoring
      • Relaxing constraints
      • Sustainable diversion limit adjustment mechanism
        • Roles and responsibilities
        • Sustainable diversion limit adjustment projects
        • Reconciliation
      • Water resource plans
        • Developing water resource plans
        • List of state water resource plans
        • Common challenges across water resource plans
      • Risks to shared water resources
      • Basin Plan Annual Reports
      • Basin Plan Report Cards
    • Basin Plan Review
      • Early Insights Paper
      • Basin Plan Review engagement
        • Feedback form
      • Reporting on Basin Plan Review progress
        • December 2024 progress update
        • June 2024 progress update
        • December 2023 progress update
      • Roadmap to Basin Plan Review
    • Water resource modelling
      • Types of water modelling
    • Infrastructure
      • Infrastructure management
      • Guide to planning new infrastructure
      • Fishways of the River Murray
        • How fish are counted in fishways
        • History of fishways in the River Murray
      • Hume Dam
        • Managing floods at Hume Dam
      • Dartmouth Dam
        • Managing floods at Dartmouth Dam
      • Menindee Lakes
      • Lake Victoria (Tar-Ru)
      • Weirs and locks
        • Yarrawonga Weir
      • Lower Lakes barrages
        • Lower Lakes Independent Science Review
      • Senator JS Collings Trophy
    • Northern Basin
      • Northern Basin toolkit
      • Projects in the Northern Basin Toolkit
      • Basin Plan amendments for the northern Basin
        • Basin Plan amendment process
    • Managing water quality
      • River Murray Water Quality Monitoring Program
      • Water quality threats
        • Acid sulfate soils
        • Blackwater
        • Blue-green algae
        • Bushfires
        • Drought
        • Erosion
        • Fish deaths
        • Flooding
        • Salinity
      • Report water quality issues or fish deaths
    • Groundwater
      • Groundwater management

Water use

  • Water use
    • Allocations
      • How allocations work
      • How River Murray water is shared
      • The Murray–Darling Basin Agreement
      • Return flows
      • Unregulated flows in the River Murray
      • Water critical for human needs
      • Water entitlements in Basin states
      • Special accounting – water sharing in dry times
    • Water for First Nations
      • First Nations cultural flows
      • First Nations environmental water guidance
    • Water for the environment
      • How water for the environment is delivered
      • Water for the environment in your region
        • Deciding where water goes
      • Progress and outcomes
        • Barmah–Millewa Forest Report Card
        • Chowilla Report Card
        • Gunbower Forest Report Card
        • Hattah Lakes Report Card
        • Koondrook–Perricoota Report Card
        • Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla Islands Report Card
        • Lower Lakes, Coorong and Murray Mouth Report Card
      • The Living Murray
        • Indigenous Partnership Program
      • River flows and connectivity
      • Water recovery
        • Factors for water recovery
        • Progress on water recovery
    • Water limits
      • Sustainable diversion limits
        • Sustainable diversion limit accounting and reporting framework
      • Current diversion limits for the Basin
      • Compliance with limits on water use
      • Limits on water use over time
      • Changing limits
      • Floodplain harvesting and overland flows
    • Water losses
      • Causes of water losses
      • Minimising water losses
    • Water demand and shortfalls
      • Risk of shortfalls on the River Murray
      • Managing shortfall risks
    • Trends in use
      • Irrigation trends
    • Water markets
      • Water trade
        • Water trading rules of the Basin Plan
        • Basin state water trading rules
        • Barmah Choke trade rule
        • Barmah Choke trade balance
      • Interstate water trade
        • Bulk water trade adjustments trials
      • Water trading rules within irrigation networks
        • Exchange rate declarations
      • Water markets product information
        • New South Wales water markets product information
        • Queensland water markets product information
        • South Australia water markets product information
        • Victoria water markets product information

Publications

  • Publications and data
    • Publications
    • Maps and spatial data
      • Maps
      • BasinView monitoring tool
      • Spatial data
      • Geospatial data services request
        • Privacy collection notice for geospatial satellite images
    • Data and dashboards
      • River Murray Data
      • Basin water in storage report
        • Basin water in storage reports – past
      • Flows in the River Murray system
      • River Murray weekly reports
        • Weekly report 2024
        • Weekly report 2023
        • Weekly report 2022
        • Weekly report 2021
        • Weekly report 2020
        • Weekly report 2019
      • State shares in storages
        • State shares in storages 2024
        • State shares in storages 2023
        • State shares in storages 2022
        • State shares in storages 2021
        • State shares in storages 2020
        • State shares in storages 2019
    • School resources
      • An amazing discovery
      • Digital stories
      • Posters and cards
      • Lesson packages
        • Influences on the water cycle
        • Water availability in Australia
        • Water use and distribution
        • Water quality
        • Water security
        • Caring for River Country
        • Wetlands and food webs
      • The water sharing game

About us

  • About us
    • Who we are
      • Acknowledgement of Traditional Custodians
      • Our leadership team
      • Corporate structure
      • The Authority
        • Authority Communiques
        • Authority statements
      • Our purpose, values and strategic direction
    • What we do
      • Programs and projects
      • Science in the Basin
      • The Water Act
      • Get involved
    • What we've heard
      • First Nations peoples’ perspectives to inform the 2025 Basin Plan Evaluation
      • Regional Community Forum perspectives to support the 2025 Basin Plan Evaluation
      • 2024 River Reflections Conference - Early Insights Paper Workshop
      • Peak group perspectives to support the 2025 Basin Plan Evaluation
      • Basin Leaders Summit
      • Peaks Roundtables
    • Who we work with
      • First Nations partnership programs
      • Partnerships and engagement
        • Working with First Nations
        • Government partnerships
        • Joint programs
        • Research partnerships
        • International engagement and sharing water management knowledge
      • Regional engagement
        • Authority Chair regional engagement 2024
        • Authority Chair regional engagement 2023
        • Authority Chair regional engagement 2022
        • Authority Chair regional engagement 2020–21
      • Regional community forums
      • Basin state governments
      • Inspector–General of Water Compliance
    • People and jobs
      • Careers
      • Why work with us
        • Life at MDBA
      • Employment register
      • Enterprise Agreement
      • Graduate Development Program
      • University Employment Programs
      • Census action plan
    • Governance and committees
      • Governance of water management
      • Committees and decision making
      • Ministerial Council
      • Basin Officials Committee
        • Basin Officials Committee decisions and activities
      • Basin Community Committee
      • Advisory Committee on Social, Economic and Environmental Sciences
        • ACSEES Communiques
      • Independent River Operations Review Group
      • Environmental watering committees
        • Northern Basin Environmental Watering Group
        • Southern Connected Basin Environmental Watering Committee
      • Evaluation Advisory Panel
      • Independent Hydroclimate Science Expert Panel
    • Accountability and reporting
      • AI transparency statement
      • Corporate publications
      • Freedom of information
        • Freedom of information disclosure log
      • Information Publication Scheme
      • Independent reviews
      • Legal services expenditure
        • Previous years legal expenditures
      • Public Interest Disclosures
      • Policies and governance
        • Fraud control policy
        • Managing conflicts of interest
      • Reporting and submissions
        • Executive remuneration
        • Accountable Authority Gifts and Benefits Declaration
        • Authority indexed file lists
      • Statutory appointments
      • Tenders and procurement
      • Website information
        • Water management glossary
        • Accessibility
        • Copyright
        • Disclaimer
        • Privacy Policy
        • Vulnerability disclosure policy
        • Staff and partners
    • Contact us
      • Use our contact form

News

  • News and events
    • Newsroom
    • Subscribe
    • Conferences
      • 2025 River Reflections conference
      • Past conferences
        • 2024 River Reflections conference
        • 2023 River reflections conference
        • 2022 River reflections conference
        • 2021 River reflections conference
    • Symposiums
      • Past symposiums
        • MD-WERP Annual Symposium 2024
        • MD-WERP Annual Symposium 2023
        • MD-WERP Annual Symposium 2022
    • Social media
      • Social media moderation policy
    • Webinars
      • EIP webinar Q and A

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Socio-economic context for the Murray–Darling Basin
1 February 2009
Under the Water Act 2007, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) has responsibility for developing and implementing a Basin Plan for the Murray-Darling Basin.
Basin Plan
Social and economic

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Topics

Agriculture Allocations Barmah–Millewa Reach Basin Plan Basin Plan Review Climate Community (-) Compliance Constraints Corporate Data and modelling Drought Economy Ecosystem Engagement Environment Executive First Nations Fish Flood Governance History Industry Infrastructure Irrigation Land health MD-WERP Monitoring Plants Policy Recreation Regional River operations Science and research (-) Social and economic The Living Murray Water for the environment Water markets Water quality Water recovery Waterways Wildlife

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Explore the Basin

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout the Murray–Darling Basin and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We offer our respects to the people, the Cultures and the Elders past and present.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout the Murray–Darling Basin and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We offer our respects to the people, the Cultures and the Elders past and present.

engagement@mdba.gov.au
1800 230 067 (free call) or 02 6279 0100
GPO Box 1801, Canberra City, ACT 2601