| Australasia
“It sounds simple enough. Yet the system is complex – both geographically and politically,” McConville goes on to explain. “The last 12 years of Basin Plan management and practised collaboration have built on over 100 years of often challenging relationships. The path for stakeholders to seek local action and answers is difficult to tread. Not only are multiple agencies involved in water management, there are also many political, economic and environmental drivers at play. We have a thousand stakeholders with diverse perspectives on water sharing priorities.” Although we agree we want a healthy and sustainable basin for future generations to enjoy, McConville says the ‘How’ is where the challenge lies.
Purpose of the plan The Basin Plan’s purpose is to improve the health
of the Murray−Darling Basin and sets the amount of water that can sustainably be taken from the basin each year. It aims to contribute to: Maintaining healthy rivers that support resilient and thriving communities Protecting key environmental systems and assets Identifying First Nation people’s water management objectives and outcomes desired by them
Supporting productive communities and confident industries including agriculture.
Set to be reviewed every ten years, with the first review in 2026, the review is seen as an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned, what’s working and what might need to change to support the basin as the climate changes. In preparation for this, some of the basin’s most complex challenges are being worked through. The four themes for the 2026 review are: Climate Change First Nations Sustainable Water Limits Regulatory Design
In support of successful environmental outcomes, new and updated science and knowledge is helping to understand the current environmental condition of the whole basin, and how this may change in the future. These include: Updated river models Updated environmental condition and trend reporting
First Nations people’s science and knowledge that they consent to share Hydroclimate information. If it is found that environmental outcomes are not
being achieved, the authority says it will work with basin communities and explore a range of available options. MDBA says there is a lot to learn from First Nations people, who’ve been managing country’s land and water for over 65,000 years. It is seeking to partner with them to work respectfully with their science and knowledge to support understandings of the complex links between climate, flow and environment. And with key differences between the northern and southern basin such as rainfall patterns, the ability to store water and control river flows with infrastructure, and the ability to manage water flow, water needs to be managed differently in both regions. MDBA says greater flexibility in the basin plan may be needed to achieve its desired outcomes.
References
Robust changes to the wettest and driest days of the year are hidden within annual rainfall projections: a New Zealand case study by Luke J Harrington et al 2024 Environ. Res. Lett. 19 07405.
Transcripts of MDBA Chief Executive Andrew McConville’s speeches at the INBO General Assembly 2024, held in Bordeaux France. Andrew McConville’s addresses to International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) General Assembly 2024 | Murray–Darling Basin Authority
Above: The Tarraleah Power Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric power station in Tasmania, Australia
Below: Aerial view of Gordon Dam and lake in Tasmania
Left: Dartmouth Dam is approaching 45 years of operation in Australia
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