tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/murray-darling-351/articlesMurray Darling – The Conversation2023-11-27T04:12:56Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2170022023-11-27T04:12:56Z2023-11-27T04:12:56ZThe government’s Murray-Darling bill is a step forward, but still not enough<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561714/original/file-20231126-21-rluebs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C0%2C3058%2C2032&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sunrise-on-murray-river-near-kingstononmurray-1207917046">Philip Schubert, Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>This week, the Senate is debating changes to Australia’s most important water laws. These changes seek to rescue the ailing A$13 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan to improve the health of our nation’s largest river system. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r7076">Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023</a> is a crucial step forward. It proposes to lift the Coalition-era cap on water buybacks, allowing the federal government to recover more water for the environment through the voluntary purchase of water entitlements from irrigators.</p>
<p>It also proposes to extend the deadlines for the many beleaguered water-offsetting projects put forward by state governments.</p>
<p>Through the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists – an independent group working to secure the long-term health of Australia’s land, water and biodiversity – we strive to restore river health for the basin’s communities, industries and ecosystems. Here we ask whether the bill can fulfil the Albanese government’s <a href="https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/labors-plan-to-future-proof-australias-water-resources-butler">2022 election promise</a> to deliver the plan.</p>
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<h2>Securing support of the Greens and crossbenchers</h2>
<p>The bill is central to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s <a href="https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/labors-plan-to-future-proof-australias-water-resources-butler">five-point election promise</a> to deliver the plan, and Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek’s <a href="https://www.tanyaplibersek.com/media/media-releases/media-release-plibersek-decade-of-liberal-national-sabotage-puts-murray-darling-basin-plan-behind/">subsequent commitment</a> to implement the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in full.</p>
<p>With the Coalition <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r7076">voting against the bill</a> in the lower house, the federal government <a href="https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/media-releases/joint-media-release-strengthening-restoring-our-rivers-bill">secured the support</a> of the Greens with measures that considerably strengthen the bill.</p>
<p>It is now up to key crossbench Senators to secure passage through parliament. But they have said the bill doesn’t go far enough, citing serious concerns it <a href="https://www.lidiathorpe.com/mr_water_legislation">excludes First Nations water rights and interests</a> and <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/MDBAWaterBill2023/Report">ignores climate change</a>.</p>
<p>The federal government must pass the bill in the next two sitting weeks to avoid triggering a statutory deadline, after which unfinished water offset projects would be cancelled and water recovery would be required instead.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/labors-new-murray-darling-basin-plan-deal-entrenches-water-injustice-for-first-nations-212261">Labor’s new Murray-Darling Basin Plan deal entrenches water injustice for First Nations</a>
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<h2>Water Act and Basin Plan: where are we at?</h2>
<p>Born of the crisis of the Millennium drought, the Water Act 2007 was announced by the Howard government to “<a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/howards-full-speech-to-the-national-press-club/news-story/cfd6aa4761027929545602a96dc04254">once and for all</a>” address over-allocation of water in the Murray-Darling Basin.</p>
<p>Five years later, the Basin Plan 2012 was established to recover 3,200 billion litres of water for the environment from other uses, or to implement projects that deliver “equivalent” outcomes. That includes securing 450 billion litres for the health of the River Murray, Coorong and Lower Lakes.</p>
<p>But this volume of water fell substantially short of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s best estimate of what was needed to “<a href="http://www6.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/wa200783/s3.html">ensure the return to environmentally sustainable levels of extraction</a>”, and did not take climate change into account.</p>
<p>All water recovery targets were expected to be met by June 2024. But while some progress has been made, water recovery has <a href="https://wentworthgroup.org/2017/11/review-of-water-reform-in-the-murray-darling-basin/">almost stalled</a> in the past decade.</p>
<p>Only <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/water/policy/mdb/progress-recovery">26 billion litres have been recovered</a> of the crucial 450 billion litres. </p>
<p>Of the 36 water offset projects meant to be operational by 2024, <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/2023-sdlam-annual-assurance-report.pdf">16 are not likely to be complete</a>, contributing to a likely shortfall of between 190 billion and 315 billion litres.</p>
<p>No onground work has commenced to alleviate flow “constraints”, leaving thousands of hectares of floodplain forests in the River Murray disconnected from their channels and at risk of drying out and dying.</p>
<p>The Water Act and the plan <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-14/lawyers-academics-first-nations-rights-murray-darling-basin-plan/103098066">do not provide for First Nations people’s water rights and interests</a>. And they <a href="https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/67496/2/01_Pittock_The_Murray-Darling_Basin_Plan_2015.pdf">fail to deal with climate change</a>.</p>
<p>Reforms to both the legislation and the plan are desperately needed to address these major shortcomings.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/murray-darling-basin-plan-to-be-extended-under-a-new-agreement-without-victoria-but-an-uphill-battle-lies-ahead-212002">Murray-Darling Basin Plan to be extended under a new agreement, without Victoria – but an uphill battle lies ahead</a>
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<h2>Voluntary buybacks are necessary</h2>
<p>The new bill represents a clear step towards the first of the Albanese government’s <a href="https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/labors-plan-to-future-proof-australias-water-resources-butler">five-point promises</a> to “deliver on water commitments” by removing the cap on buybacks.</p>
<p>Without buybacks, it is unlikely the federal government will be able to deliver the 3,200 billion-litre plan in full.</p>
<p>While the <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/MDBAWaterBill2023/Report">Senate Committee</a> acknowledged the impacts of buybacks on communities, the committee found some concerns were “overinflated and not supported by the high-quality evidence base”, referring to a <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/mdb-outlook-economic-literature-review2.pdf">literature review</a>.</p>
<p>The Wentworth Group has <a href="https://wentworthgroup.org/2010/06/sustainable-diversions-in-the-murray-darling-basin/">long argued</a> for funding to establish a regional transition fund to support impacted communities through these reforms. As part of these reforms, “significant transitional assistance” was <a href="https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/speeches/speech-introducing-restoring-our-rivers-bill">announced</a> by Plibersek.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/water-buybacks-are-back-on-the-table-in-the-murray-darling-basin-heres-a-refresher-on-how-they-work-200529">Water buybacks are back on the table in the Murray-Darling Basin. Here's a refresher on how they work</a>
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<h2>Statutory guarantees are needed</h2>
<p>The bill requires <a href="https://wentworthgroup.org/2023/10/submission-to-senate_inquiry_water_amendment_bill_2023/">additional measures</a> to guarantee the unfinished business to which parliament agreed more than a decade ago:</p>
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<li><p><strong>a legally binding 450 billion litre water recovery target</strong>. The public needs a legal recourse if governments fail to deliver the full volume. We understand the intent of today’s <a href="https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/media-releases/joint-media-release-strengthening-restoring-our-rivers-bill">announcement</a> is to make the target a statutory requirement, in line with other water recovery targets under the plan.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>improved integrity of the water offset method and withdrawal of unviable water offset projects</strong> The <a href="https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/media-releases/joint-media-release-strengthening-restoring-our-rivers-bill">agreement</a> reached today allows the Commonwealth to remove non-viable projects. <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/mf/Fulltext/MF22082">Significant flaws</a> in the method used to calculate water offsets still need to be addressed. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>milestones in the bill’s proposed “constraints roadmap”</strong> which specify targets linked to incentive payments.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>transparency and accountability measures</strong> to restore public confidence in water reform, such as whole-of-basin hydrological modelling, water accounting and auditing, and validation of annual permitted take models. </p></li>
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<p>Several of these measures were <a href="https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/media-releases/joint-media-release-strengthening-restoring-our-rivers-bill">announced today</a>. We’re yet to see details but the high-level agreement is encouraging.</p>
<h2>Urgent reforms can’t wait to 2027</h2>
<p>Australia’s water laws have <a href="https://theconversation.com/labors-new-murray-darling-basin-plan-deal-entrenches-water-injustice-for-first-nations-212261">failed to address</a> the rights and interests of Indigenous people. Indigenous peoples <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837719319799">own a mere 0.2%</a> of surface water entitlements in the Murray-Darling Basin.</p>
<p>In 2022, the Albanese government <a href="https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/labors-plan-to-future-proof-australias-water-resources-butler">committed</a> to “increasing First Nations ownership of water entitlements and participation in decision making”.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/MDBAWaterBill2023/Report">Senate Committee</a> found “overwhelming support […] that significantly more needs to be done to incorporate the values and interests of First Nations people in Basin Plan management”.</p>
<p>Many solutions can be readily incorporated into the bill. It should be amended so the legislation is consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and recommendations of Indigenous organisations, such as the Murray-Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations.</p>
<p>The $100 million <a href="https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/media-releases/joint-media-release-strengthening-restoring-our-rivers-bill">announced</a> today for the Aboriginal Water Entitlement Program is welcome, although much was already <a href="https://www.tonyburke.com.au/media-releases/2019/5/6/media-release-labornbspwillnbspget-the-basin-plan-back-on-tracknbsp">committed</a> and the remainder won’t make up for the lost value given entitlement prices, according to <a href="https://mldrin.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/WEB_20230829-MLDRIN-Slide-Deck-FINAL-STC.pdf">analysis</a> commissioned by the Murray-Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations.</p>
<p>The bill also needs to provide greater clarity for basin communities on how climate change will be incorporated into the Basin Plan review, and strategies for adapting to climate change. This cannot wait until 2027 – communities need to prepare now for their future.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-plans-for-engineered-wetlands-on-the-murray-are-environmentally-dubious-heres-a-better-option-204116">Victoria’s plans for engineered wetlands on the Murray are environmentally dubious. Here’s a better option</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217002/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Celine Steinfeld is Director of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Vanderzee is a Water Policy Analyst with the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. He is a former water policy adviser to the Victorian goverment with more than 12 years experience in national and Murray-Darling Basin water reform.</span></em></p>With the support of the Greens, there’s a chance the ‘Restoring Our Rivers’ Bill will pass. Will it be enough to put the Murray-Darling Basin Plan back on track?Celine Steinfeld, Director, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists & Adjunct Lecturer, UNSW SydneyMichael Vanderzee, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2031422023-11-13T02:49:40Z2023-11-13T02:49:40ZMurray-Darling water buybacks won’t be enough if we can’t get water to where it’s needed<p>When it was clear the Murray-Darling Basin Plan could not be completed on time, Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek <a href="https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/media-releases/historic-deal-struck-guarantee-future-murray-darling-basin">announced a new agreement</a> (without Victoria) to deliver in full the plan’s aim of restoring the health of this vast river system.</p>
<p>The new agreement required changes to the Water Act to allow more water for the environment to be purchased from irrigators (<a href="https://theconversation.com/water-buybacks-are-back-on-the-table-in-the-murray-darling-basin-heres-a-refresher-on-how-they-work-200529">water buybacks</a>). Concerns about these changes prompted a Senate inquiry. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Tabled_Documents/4142">report</a> from that inquiry, released on Friday, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-10/murray-darling-senate-inquiry-more-offset-project-scrutiny/103084420">supports buybacks</a> but also makes key recommendations to remove “constraints” to water delivery. These are physical constraints or limits to the movement of water through the river system. Managers can only deliver so much water before it spills out of the river onto private land. </p>
<p>The report goes so far as to ask whether constraints should be removed before more water is recovered. This is a question we have been asking in our research. And our results suggest the answer is yes.</p>
<p>Currently, we cannot physically deliver all of the water recovered from other uses for the environment (known as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128039076000012">environmental water</a>) to where it’s needed without flooding private property along the way. And the government is not prepared to do that. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/murray-darling-basin-plan-to-be-extended-under-a-new-agreement-without-victoria-but-an-uphill-battle-lies-ahead-212002">Murray-Darling Basin Plan to be extended under a new agreement, without Victoria – but an uphill battle lies ahead</a>
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<h2>Basin health is improving but challenges remain</h2>
<p>Under the <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/water-management/basin-plan">Basin Plan</a>, about 20% of water used for irrigation a decade ago is now used for environmental purposes. This has improved river health, encouraging fish to spawn and plants to grow, and reduced salt levels in the Lower Lakes and Coorong. </p>
<p>These benefits rely on the river’s <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1313099">flow regime</a>, not just the annual volume. Higher flows inundate wetlands, move sediment down the river, and provide natural triggers for various species to breed or migrate. </p>
<p>But raising water levels in the river channel isn’t enough to get environmental water everywhere it’s needed. Sometimes larger flows are required. Unfortunately, sending more water down the river runs the risk of inundating private property or damaging infrastructure such as low-lying pumps on floodplains. </p>
<p>Restoring the river’s health requires not only recovering water but also completing projects that allow more of this water to flow despite physical constraints such as a narrow stretch of river. These <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/water/policy/mdb/policy/sdl-adjustment-mechanism">projects</a> might involve modifying or improving infrastructure such as low-lying roads and bridges, as well as working with communities to limit damage and compensate for flooding of private property.</p>
<p>The Senate inquiry report highlights the challenges for these projects. It also supports improving the approach to delivering these projects across the southern basin. </p>
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<h2>Challenges, priorities and solutions may differ</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2021.789206/full">Our research</a> on the Goulburn River in Victoria’s part of the Murray-Darling Basin shows recovery of additional water for the environment does not guarantee environmental outcomes. </p>
<p>This is because the amount of water that can be sent down the river is constrained. So having more environmental water at your disposal does not help, because it is physically impossible to get all the water to where it is needed, when it is needed, without risking inundation of private property.</p>
<p>Current river system operations, including rules and physical constraints, prevent the full volume of environmental water held in Goulburn River being delivered at the right time and in the right way to achieve the best environmental outcomes.</p>
<p>Narrow sections of the river and adjacent private development limit releases from Lake Eildon. River managers are not allowed to deliberately inundate the floodplain if it risks private property. </p>
<p>So the volume of environmental water available in the Goulburn River is not the issue – delivering this water is the challenge. In this regard, <a href="https://theconversation.com/murray-darling-basin-plan-to-be-extended-under-a-new-agreement-without-victoria-but-an-uphill-battle-lies-ahead-212002">Victoria’s refusal</a> to sign up to the new basin deal is understandable, because more water buybacks would potentially cause more pain to the local community than gain to the local environment. </p>
<p>However, neither Victoria nor New South Wales has addressed these capacity constraint issues, significantly limiting the ability to get better environmental outcomes with less water. So the challenge is much more complex than simply redistributing entitlements and buying back environmental water. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/water-buybacks-are-back-on-the-table-in-the-murray-darling-basin-heres-a-refresher-on-how-they-work-200529">Water buybacks are back on the table in the Murray-Darling Basin. Here's a refresher on how they work</a>
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<h2>The elephant in the room: climate change</h2>
<p>Temperature, rainfall and streamflow have already changed in parts of the Murray-Darling Basin. Over the coming decade these changes will become more pronounced, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002216942300313X">widespread and entrenched</a>, causing more frequent floods and droughts. </p>
<p>While the precise consequences for water availability remain to be seen, the impact on the basin will be immense. </p>
<p>But climate change simply adds to the need to have difficult conversations around the future of communities along the Murray-Darling. Focusing on whether buyback targets have been achieved does not resolve this. In many regions, there will not be enough water, with or without buybacks, to achieve <a href="https://cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/environment/docs/6.8.1-Preliminary-adaptation-pathways-for-the-Coorong-Lower-Lakes-and-Murray-Mouth.pdf">current management objectives</a>. </p>
<p>Buybacks should be placed in the context of this imminent threat. In rivers like the Goulburn, addressing capacity constraints provides the <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2021.789206/full">single best climate adaptation option</a> to improve environmental outcomes in the short and medium term. </p>
<p>Removing these constraints would allow more water onto the lower Goulburn River floodplain, with due care for land and infrastructure that could be affected. For example, projects may offer landholders <a href="https://www.gbcma.vic.gov.au/our-region/waterway-floodplain-management/waterways/constraints-management-strategy">options to avoid or compensate for any water damage and associated costs</a>. </p>
<p>This is because removing constraints gives river managers more flexibility, which can increase the resilience of the environment to a wider range of future climates. More water from buybacks provides very limited additional benefit because it doesn’t change how environmental water can be delivered. </p>
<p>The senate report emphasises the need to embed consideration of climate change in the Water Act and Basin Plan. The decisions we are making now on water recovery and constraints relaxation will have big impacts on communities.</p>
<p>Our work shows considering climate change is essential to ensuring lasting benefits and resilient outcomes for the rivers and communities that rely on them.</p>
<p>The first basin plan took a big step towards sustainable management of the vast Murray-Darling river system. But it was always meant to be the first step in an adaptive policy process. Priorities and solutions will look different across the basin. We need a holistic approach where buybacks may very well be part of the solution, but are not the whole solution. We also need to ensure we can deliver this water where and when the environment needs it. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-plans-for-engineered-wetlands-on-the-murray-are-environmentally-dubious-heres-a-better-option-204116">Victoria’s plans for engineered wetlands on the Murray are environmentally dubious. Here’s a better option</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203142/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Avril Horne receives funding from the Victorian Government Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action.
Avril has recently been appointed as a member of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority Advisory Committee on Social Economic and Environmental Sciences.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew John receives funding from the Victorian Government Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. </span></em></p>Buying back water from irrigators across the Murray-Darling Basin will not be enough to restore river health because we have big problems getting this ‘environmental water’ to where it’s needed most.Avril Horne, Research fellow, Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of MelbourneAndrew John, Research fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2120022023-08-22T09:19:16Z2023-08-22T09:19:16ZMurray-Darling Basin Plan to be extended under a new agreement, without Victoria – but an uphill battle lies ahead<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543904/original/file-20230822-17-1crsil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C33%2C7326%2C4869&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Federal Minister for Water Tanya Plibersek today <a href="https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/media-releases/historic-deal-struck-guarantee-future-murray-darling-basin">announced a new agreement</a> to restore Australia’s largest and most important river basin. It comes just months before the original Murray-Darling Basin Plan was to be completed. </p>
<p>This was a plan to benefit people and nature, to protect river communities, industries and the environment against future droughts. It was forged in response to the gruelling <a href="https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/river-murray/dry-conditions/millennium-drought">Millennium Drought</a>, when the Murray River stopped flowing to the sea. </p>
<p>It was clear too much water was being taken out of the system and everyone would suffer if Basin states could not find a better way to share. But it has been much harder to strike the right balance than first hoped. </p>
<p>When it became clear in July it was <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/news-and-events/newsroom/authority-advice-basin-plan-implementation">no longer possible</a> to deliver the plan in full and on time, the federal government started hatching a new plan. </p>
<p>Now Plibersek is offering “more time, more money, more options, and more accountability”, acutely aware that “the next drought is just around the corner”. But she faces an uphill battle, with Victoria still holding out. Further, the legislation is yet to go before parliament and needs to be passed before Christmas. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/with-less-than-a-year-to-go-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-is-in-a-dreadful-mess-these-5-steps-are-needed-to-fix-it-209328">With less than a year to go, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is in a dreadful mess. These 5 steps are needed to fix it</a>
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<h2>How did we get here?</h2>
<p>Management of the Basin rivers today is a far cry from the hope engendered in 2007 when Prime Minister <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22media%2Fpressrel%2FK81M6%22;src1=sm1">John Howard announced</a> the National Plan for Water Security, at the peak of the Millenium Drought.</p>
<p>He proposed reforms to Basin water governance, saying “nothing can change the basic facts of our continent” and calling for action to end “the tyranny of incrementalism and the lowest common denominator” governance. These “once and for all” reforms were intended to prevent “economic and environmental decline”. </p>
<p>But the Basin states were loathe to hand their powers over to the Commonwealth. Victoria and New South Wales resisted reallocating water from agriculture. Amid navigating the complex science and trade offs, it was another five years before the controversial Basin Plan was adopted in 2012.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the plan then languished over the past decade as the federal, New South Wales and Victorian governments <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/w14020208">frustrated measures</a> originally agreed to return water from agricultural use to the environment.</p>
<p>This week’s announcement represents the federal government taking firm steps to implement the first part of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s <a href="https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/labors-plan-to-future-proof-australias-water-resources-butler">five-point election commitment</a> for the Basin.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543906/original/file-20230822-21-1crsil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="darling river" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543906/original/file-20230822-21-1crsil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543906/original/file-20230822-21-1crsil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543906/original/file-20230822-21-1crsil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543906/original/file-20230822-21-1crsil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543906/original/file-20230822-21-1crsil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543906/original/file-20230822-21-1crsil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543906/original/file-20230822-21-1crsil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A plan for the water: the politics of the Murray-Darling Basin have long been fraught.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Now the federal government has reached agreements with most states who share management of the river system – Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia – but not Victoria. The Victorian government appears to be rivalling the National Party in its <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-04-20/victorian-government-hold-murray-darling-basin-projects/102247494">opposition</a> to buying more water entitlements from irrigators (water buybacks). </p>
<p>The federal government is looking to purchase water entitlements from willing sellers. This is because past investments in water efficiency projects have proven to be too slow, very expensive and have had unexpected outcomes for agricultural industries and the rivers.</p>
<p>Victoria continues to argue its irrigation-based industries would be harmed by more water buybacks, and that the state has borne an unfair share of the burden compared to New South Wales. The Victorian government has knowledgeable staff and is well resourced, and resistance could be fierce.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/water-buybacks-are-back-on-the-table-in-the-murray-darling-basin-heres-a-refresher-on-how-they-work-200529">Water buybacks are back on the table in the Murray-Darling Basin. Here's a refresher on how they work</a>
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<p>Plibersek appears to be counting on her alliance with other states enabling required amendments to the Water Act and Basin Plan to be passed before Christmas. Given almost certain rejection by the Opposition of more water reallocation, she will require the support of cross bench Senators who may demand stronger environmental measures. The Greens have already <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/water-buybacks-scare-off-victoria-from-basin-agreement/news-story/882a81acfbb21dbc8631a5a031b6ab28">criticised</a> the minister’s announcement as a move that “kicks the can down the road”, but buying such a large volume of water will take years.</p>
<p>If the legislation is not amended, and existing deadlines remain, the federal government may be forced into <a href="https://www.npc.org.au/speaker/2022/1090-andrew-mcconville">recovering even more water</a>. In particular, they would need to respond to the states’ failure to deliver on projects that are supposed to conserve wetland with less water by building water supply infrastructure.</p>
<h2>A welcome development</h2>
<p>The new agreement is welcome in doubling down on the original plan to recover 3,200 billion litres a year of additional water essential to maintain the health of the rivers and the people who rely on them. The federal government has focused on recovering 450 billion litres a year of water within this target that was agreed with the former South Australian premier. Premier Jay Weatherill drew on scientific advice to insist the minimum volume of water was recovered that is needed to keep the lower River Murray floodplain, lower lakes and Coorong healthy.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the past decade of stalling by the federal, NSW and Victorian governments means the 2023-24 Basin Plan deadlines must be extended by two to three years if key projects are to be completed.</p>
<p>Much greater public assurance with transparency and accountability measures is needed if the new targets are to be met. The federal government needs to find more effective carrots and sticks to engender state compliance. This time it would be wise to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2014.999725">withhold payments to the states</a> until they deliver the promised action.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543907/original/file-20230822-21-l2fetn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="murray darling rivers meeting" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543907/original/file-20230822-21-l2fetn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543907/original/file-20230822-21-l2fetn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543907/original/file-20230822-21-l2fetn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543907/original/file-20230822-21-l2fetn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543907/original/file-20230822-21-l2fetn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543907/original/file-20230822-21-l2fetn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543907/original/file-20230822-21-l2fetn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The muddy waters of the Darling meet the clearer Murray at Wentworth in New South Wales.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>The federal government’s intention to redouble efforts to “<a href="https://theconversation.com/with-less-than-a-year-to-go-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-is-in-a-dreadful-mess-these-5-steps-are-needed-to-fix-it-209328">relax constraints</a>” and enable more water to flow to where it’s most needed to conserve flora and fauna is crucial. This is essential to get the most benefits for freshwater ecosystems by allowing environmental water to spill out of river channels onto floodplain wetlands. Despite a recent flurry of activity, NSW and Victoria have not delivered promised agreements with river side land owners to enable this watering.</p>
<p>The one disappointing aspect of the agreement is the proposal to allow more water offset projects (under the <a href="https://getinvolved.mdba.gov.au/SDLAM">Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism</a>). These ecologically dubious projects have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-plans-for-engineered-wetlands-on-the-murray-are-environmentally-dubious-heres-a-better-option-204116">problematic</a>, with at least one being abandoned and many delayed. It is inconceivable that new projects could be identified and delivered by 2026.</p>
<p>But the new agreement only deals with the most immediate problems in implementing the Basin Plan. The Plan is due to be revised in 2026. The current measures do not deal with <a href="https://theconversation.com/with-less-than-a-year-to-go-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-is-in-a-dreadful-mess-these-5-steps-are-needed-to-fix-it-209328">two major issues</a>. First, ways need to be found to restore the rights of Indigenous nations to own and manage water. Currently they hold only 0.2% of issued entitlements. Second, a new Plan is needed to manage the project loss of a lot of water to climate and other environmental change.</p>
<p>The federal government’s agreement with most states (but not Victoria) is a really welcome initiative to get Basin Plan implementation back on track. However, even harder decisions await.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-plans-for-engineered-wetlands-on-the-murray-are-environmentally-dubious-heres-a-better-option-204116">Victoria’s plans for engineered wetlands on the Murray are environmentally dubious. Here’s a better option</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212002/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie Pittock is a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. Jamie holds roles in a number of non-government environmental organisations. He is also the independent Chair of the ACT Natural Resources Management Advisory Committee. </span></em></p>Knowing the ‘next drought is just around the corner’, Australia’s Water Minister Tanya Plibersek is striking a new agreement to return water and health to the Murray-Darling Basin.Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2093282023-07-17T20:03:25Z2023-07-17T20:03:25ZWith less than a year to go, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is in a dreadful mess. These 5 steps are needed to fix it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537445/original/file-20230714-15-hsnhzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C0%2C2591%2C1724&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Murray Darling Basin Plan is an historic deal between state and federal governments to save Australia’s most important river system. The A$13 billion plan, inked over a decade ago, was supposed to rein in the water extracted by farmers and communities, and make sure the environment got the water it needed. </p>
<p>But now, less than a year out from the plan’s deadline, it’s in a dreadful mess. Projects have not been delivered. Governments cannot agree on who gets the water, or how. All the while, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128181522000127">water</a> in the Murray-Darling Basin will become scarcer as climate change worsens.</p>
<p>The Albanese government was elected on a promise to <a href="https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/labors-plan-to-future-proof-australias-water-resources-butler">uphold</a> the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
But earlier this month, Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-05/murray-darling-basin-plan-targets-advice-request-tanya-plibersek/102559824">conceded</a> the plan is “too far behind” and needs a “course correction”.</p>
<p>I have studied and promoted sustainability measures in the Murray-Darling Basin for 35 years. Here, I outline the five steps needed now to ensure the health of the river system and the people who depend on it. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="man overlooks river bend" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537446/original/file-20230714-23-47mt53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537446/original/file-20230714-23-47mt53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537446/original/file-20230714-23-47mt53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537446/original/file-20230714-23-47mt53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537446/original/file-20230714-23-47mt53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537446/original/file-20230714-23-47mt53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537446/original/file-20230714-23-47mt53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Water in the Murray Darling Basin will become scarcer as climate change worsens.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>A refresher: what is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan?</h2>
<p>The Murray-Darling Basin covers <a href="https://www.water.vic.gov.au/murray-darling-basin-plan/">about a seventh</a> of the Australian land mass: most of New South Wales, parts of Queensland, South Australia and Victoria, and all of the Australian Capital Territory. It includes the Murray River and Darling River/Baarka and their tributaries. </p>
<p>These lands and waters are the traditional lands of <a href="https://www.indigenous.gov.au/news-and-media/announcements/new-indigenous-rangers-murray-darling-basin">more than 40 Indigenous nations</a>. Around <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/MF03075">5% of the basin</a> consists of floodplain forests, lakes, rivers and other wetland habitats. Vast amounts of water are extracted from the rivers to supply around <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/why-murray-darling-basin-matters">three million Australians</a>, including irrigating farms. </p>
<p>The Murray-Darling Basin Plan <a href="https://www.water.vic.gov.au/murray-darling-basin-plan/:%7E:text=The%20Basin%20Plan%20was%20signed,needs%20such%20as%20drinking%20water.">became law</a> in 2012, under the Labor government. It is due to be fully implemented and audited by the end of June 2024.</p>
<p>The plan limits the amount of water extracted from the basin. It aims to both improve the condition of freshwater ecosystems and maintain the social and economic benefits of irrigated agriculture.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1569277751542300680"}"></div></p>
<p>Under the plan, <a href="https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/river-murray/basin-plan/whats-in-the-basin-plan/history-of-the-basin-plan#:%7E:text=The%20Australian%20Government%20subsequently%20committed,river%20communities%20and%20environmental%20works.">3,200 billion litres a year</a> would be returned to rivers – about 14% of <a href="https://doi.org/10.4225/08/585ac631207f7">total surface water</a> in the basin. </p>
<p>The water was largely to be recovered by buying back water entitlements from farmers. Some <a href="https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/river-murray/basin-plan/whats-in-the-basin-plan/history-of-the-basin-plan">450 billion litres</a> would be retrieved through water efficiency projects.</p>
<p>The plan has twice been amended to reduce the amount of water taken from farmers. The first change, made on <a href="https://wentworthgroup.org/2018/01/advice-on-basin-plan-amendment-instrument-2017/">questionable grounds</a>, reduced the water recovery target by 70 billion litres a year. The second reduced it by 605 billion litres, with the water to instead be recovered through <a href="https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/water/basins-catchments/murray-darling/supply-efficiency-measures">36 water-saving offset projects</a>. </p>
<p>Further, the Victorian and NSW governments committed to reaching agreements with farmers to enable water for the environment to safely spill out of river channels and across privately owned floodplains, to replenish more wetlands.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-has-an-ugly-legacy-of-denying-water-rights-to-aboriginal-people-not-much-has-changed-141743">Australia has an ugly legacy of denying water rights to Aboriginal people. Not much has changed</a>
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<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="man stands on flooded road" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536383/original/file-20230708-17-3g0q3m.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536383/original/file-20230708-17-3g0q3m.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536383/original/file-20230708-17-3g0q3m.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536383/original/file-20230708-17-3g0q3m.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536383/original/file-20230708-17-3g0q3m.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536383/original/file-20230708-17-3g0q3m.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536383/original/file-20230708-17-3g0q3m.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Getting water into floodplain wetlands is crucial for flora and fauna. Pictured: a colleague of the author stands on a road at Tocumwal, NSW, as water inundates the River Murray floodplain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jamie Pittock</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>So how’s the plan going?</h2>
<p>Things are not going well. As of November last year, the offset projects were likely to deliver between <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/news-and-events/newsroom/address-national-and-rural-press-club">290 and 415 billion litres</a> of the 605 billion litres required. And <a href="https://doi.org/10.1071/MF20172">very little water</a> is getting to floodplains.</p>
<p>And of the 450 billion litres to be retrieved through water-efficiency projects, only 26 billion litres has been <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-07-05/murray-darling-basin-plan-targets-advice-request-tanya-plibersek/102559824">recovered</a>.</p>
<p>It means of the 3,200 billion litres of water a year to be returned to the environment, only <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/climate-and-river-health/water-environment/water-recovery/factors-water-recovery/progress-water">2,100 billion litres</a> was being achieved as of March this year – plus the small amount of projected water from offset projects, if it’s delivered. </p>
<p>At a meeting in February this year, the nation’s water ministers <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-24/states-fail-to-agree-as-murray-darling-basin-plan-deadline-looms/102018886">failed to agree</a> on how to meet the plan’s deadline.</p>
<p>As governments quibble, the rivers and floodplains of the Murray-Darling suffer. In the past decade, millions of fish have perished in <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-did-millions-of-fish-die-gasping-in-the-darling-after-three-years-of-rain-202125">mass die-offs</a>. <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/climate-and-river-health/water-quality/blue-green-algae">Toxic algae</a> has bloomed, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1071/MF21057">wildife</a> and <a href="https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/despite-challenging-conditions-thousands-waterbirds-breeding-throughout-nsw">waterbirds</a> have declined in numbers and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/this-magnificent-wetland-was-barren-and-bone-dry-three-years-of-rain-brought-it-back-to-life-20221115-p5bydw.html">wetlands</a> have dried up. These are all signs that too much water is still being taken from the system.</p>
<p>So how do we get the basin plan back on track? Below, I identify the top five priorities.</p>
<h2>1. NSW must get its act together on water plans</h2>
<p>Integral to implementing the broader basin plan are 33 “<a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/water-management/basin-plan/water-resource-plans">water resource plans</a>” devised by the states. These plans bring the basin plan into legal force and detail how much water can be taken from the system and how it is divided between users such as farmers, communities and the environment. </p>
<p>NSW must produce 20 plans. To date, <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/water-management/basin-plan/water-resource-plans/list-state-water-resource-plans">just five</a> are in place. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/09/nsw-withdraws-seven-flawed-water-resource-plans-throwing-doubt-on-murray-darling-basin-plan">At least seven plans</a> by NSW were recently withdrawn to be re-drafted. </p>
<p>Until they’re finalised, key measures of the basin plan cannot be implemented. The new NSW Minns government must prioritise the remaining water resource plans and have them accredited by the Commonwealth government. </p>
<h2>2. Federal water buybacks must ramp up</h2>
<p>The Albanese government is taking steps to improve water recovery under the plan, such as <a href="https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/ideas-to-deliver-the-basin-plan">consulting stakeholders</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-22/federal-government-water-buybacks-murray-darling-basin-plan-730/102007496">restarting</a> water buybacks. But it must do more.</p>
<p>Both <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/22/murray-darling-basin-plan-on-the-brink-after-nsw-says-it-cannot-meet-water-savings-deadline">NSW</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/23/murray-darling-basin-plan-victoria-will-struggle-to-meet-water-delivery-obligations-by-deadline">Victoria</a> will almost certainly miss the 2024 deadline for delivering all infrastructure projects they promised to offset 605 billion litres of water. </p>
<p>The federal government is legally obliged to – and should – purchase additional water from farmers to cover any gap. It must also acquire more than 400 billion litres of water to make up for the shortfall in water efficiency projects.</p>
<p>For this to occur, a <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/water/policy/mdb/commonwealth-water-mdb">Coalition-era cap</a> must be lifted from 1,500 billion litres to enable more federal government water purchases from farmers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="machine waters crops" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537448/original/file-20230714-14892-q74jlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537448/original/file-20230714-14892-q74jlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537448/original/file-20230714-14892-q74jlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537448/original/file-20230714-14892-q74jlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537448/original/file-20230714-14892-q74jlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537448/original/file-20230714-14892-q74jlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537448/original/file-20230714-14892-q74jlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The federal government must buy more water entitlements from farmers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Abandon questionable water-saving projects</h2>
<p>At least six water-saving projects look unlikely to meet the deadline. </p>
<p>They include a large project proposed by the former NSW government to reduce evaporation at <a href="https://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/491679/Menindee-Lakes-evaporation-fact-sheet.pdf">Menindee Lakes</a>, which <a href="https://www.theland.com.au/story/7172211/menindee-sdl-project-discussions-suspended/">appears doomed</a>. </p>
<p>Another <a href="https://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/water-infrastructure-nsw/sdlam/yanco-creek-modernisation-project">project at Yanco Creek</a> in NSW has also fallen behind, and four of the nine Victorian projects have been <a href="https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=WTWEB_WRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.weeklytimesnow.com.au%2Fnews%2Fwater%2Fshing-halts-floodplain-works-fears-federal-funding-will-be-cut%2Fnews-story%2Fe22a38442f6ab2c7c7f4a5fd0073f996&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium">paused</a>. </p>
<p>What’s more, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1890/130259">ecological merit</a> of these projects are contested – as is the scientific rigour of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1071/MF22082">proposed auditing</a> method. These projects <a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-plans-for-engineered-wetlands-on-the-murray-are-environmentally-dubious-heres-a-better-option-204116">should be abandoned</a> in favour of reconnecting rivers to their floodplain. </p>
<h2>4. Reconnect rivers and floodplains</h2>
<p>For floodplain wetlands to function, they must be regularly inundated with water. To date, just <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/MF20172">2% of these parts</a> of the basin are inundated each year by managed flows (or in other words, intentional water releases by authorities).</p>
<p>The federal government holds water for this purpose. Delivering the water requires compensation for the owners of inundated properties, as well as upgraded roads, bridges and levee banks. Managed inundation can benefit landholders, such as by reducing the impacts of natural floods. But governments must do a better job of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13241583.2020.1832723">communicating these benefits</a> to win support.</p>
<p>The federal government needs NSW and Victoria to help implement their agreement for watering floodplains, but this cooperation has been extremely slow. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/damning-royal-commission-report-leaves-no-doubt-that-we-all-lose-if-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-fails-110908">Damning royal commission report leaves no doubt that we all lose if the Murray-Darling Basin Plan fails</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="river at sunset" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537449/original/file-20230714-15-ubu6du.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537449/original/file-20230714-15-ubu6du.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537449/original/file-20230714-15-ubu6du.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537449/original/file-20230714-15-ubu6du.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537449/original/file-20230714-15-ubu6du.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537449/original/file-20230714-15-ubu6du.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537449/original/file-20230714-15-ubu6du.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rivers must be connected to floodplains.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>5. Make information transparent</h2>
<p>The data and modelling used to manage water in the basin is complex and is often not publicly available. </p>
<p>In its final report in 2019, a South Australian <a href="https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/river-murray/basin-plan/murray-darling-basin-commission">royal commission</a> into the Murray-Darling Basin was highly critical of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. The report found the authority failed to act on “the best available science” when determining how much water could be returned to the environment, and withheld modelling and other information that should have been made public. </p>
<p>Making such information freely available is crucial for accountability and to build public trust. </p>
<h2>Time for tough decisions</h2>
<p>Each key element of the basin plan has encountered trouble at the implementation stage. The five steps I’ve outlined are essential to rectifying this. </p>
<p>Attention must now also turn to a review of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, which is legally required in 2026. As well as addressing the problems detailed above, it must address two big issues essentially ignored in the plan to date: the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13241583.2021.1970094?src=recsys">lack of</a> Indigenous rights over water, and water losses due to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13241583.2023.2190493">global warming</a> and other environmental change. </p>
<p>If the Albanese government is to uphold its election promise to deliver the plan, hard decisions – and trade-offs – will be required. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-plans-for-engineered-wetlands-on-the-murray-are-environmentally-dubious-heres-a-better-option-204116">Victoria’s plans for engineered wetlands on the Murray are environmentally dubious. Here’s a better option</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209328/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie Pittock is a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and holds other voluntary roles with non-government environmental and natural resource management organisations. He is Chair of the ACT Natural Resource Management Advisory Committee.</span></em></p>Projects have not been delivered. States are bickering. If the Albanese government is to uphold its election promise to deliver the Murray plan, hard tradeoffs are needed.Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2055712023-07-02T20:02:18Z2023-07-02T20:02:18ZThe Murray-Darling Basin shows why the ‘social cost of water’ concept won’t work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533850/original/file-20230625-98671-sa646o.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C3%2C2066%2C1394&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> Kate McBride</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Access to safe, clean water is a basic <a href="https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/human-rights-water-and-sanitation">human right</a>. But water scarcity or barriers to access can cause conflict within and between countries. </p>
<p>Fights over water can be expected to <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/water">intensify as the world warms</a>, evaporation increases and rainfall becomes less predictable. So we’ll need to work even harder to resolve disputes and share this precious resource. </p>
<p>Earlier this year, for the first time in almost half a century, the <a href="https://www.unwater.org/news/un-2023-water-conference">United Nations held a conference squarely focused on water</a>. Thousands of water experts gathered in New York for three days in March, to chart a way forward. </p>
<p>We were among the delegates. Since then, we have discussed and debated ideas that surfaced at this international meeting. Some were worthwhile, but others were wrong. In particular, we challenge the concept of a global “social cost of water”. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532807/original/file-20230620-46525-4a5amn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Infographic outlining the UN 2023 Water Conference vision statement" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532807/original/file-20230620-46525-4a5amn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532807/original/file-20230620-46525-4a5amn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532807/original/file-20230620-46525-4a5amn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532807/original/file-20230620-46525-4a5amn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532807/original/file-20230620-46525-4a5amn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532807/original/file-20230620-46525-4a5amn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532807/original/file-20230620-46525-4a5amn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Picturing The UN 2023 Water Conference vision.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.unwater.org/news/un-2023-water-conference">UN 2023 Water Conference</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/were-ignoring-the-value-of-water-and-that-means-were-devaluing-it-207936">We're ignoring the value of water – and that means we're devaluing it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What is a global social cost of water?</h2>
<p>One of the big ideas that came up at the conference was the need for a “new economics of water as a common good”, which includes the “social cost of water”. </p>
<p>Elaborating on his idea <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00800-z">in the journal Nature</a>, Swedish scientist Johan Rockström and colleagues wrote:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[Researchers] must assess the ‘social cost of water’, akin to the ‘social cost of carbon’, which considers the costs to society of loss and damage caused by water extremes and not meeting the basic provision of water for human needs.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The <a href="https://www.rff.org/publications/explainers/social-cost-carbon-101/">social cost of carbon</a> is an estimate, in dollars, of the economic damages that would result from emitting one additional tonne of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It’s a decision-making tool used by governments, especially in the United States, for cost-benefit analysis of climate policy. </p>
<p>The social cost of water concept proposes valuing all types of water, including water vapour in the atmosphere that later falls as rain. This means attempting to put a dollar value on moisture flowing across borders, and implicitly creating world water markets. According to this logic, if <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00800-z">most of Nigeria’s rain</a> comes from forests in central Africa, then Nigeria should be prepared to pay central African nations to maintain the source of this moisture generation. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1638209350463541248"}"></div></p>
<p>But we believe the concept of a global social cost of water is fundamentally flawed, as we explained in our <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01564-2/">correspondence in Nature</a> in May, alongside <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01563-3">others</a> who also questioned its logic and purpose. Further correspondence in June also described calls to govern water on a global scale as “<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01924-y">unrealistic</a>” and distracting from sustainable and equitable access. </p>
<p>It’s unclear how a global social cost of water would work in practice. Writing as economists who have studied local water markets for decades, we see many problems with the concept, such as: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>how water moisture volumes would be estimated reliably and regularly</p></li>
<li><p>how a dollar value could be reliably associated with water moisture flows across borders</p></li>
<li><p>how payments would be enforced between countries, and by what institutions</p></li>
<li><p>whether the money paid between countries would actually improve water security</p></li>
<li><p>what would happen when moisture flows across borders lead to floods with loss of human lives – would the downwind country receive compensation for water disasters as well as droughts? </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Australia has the most sophisticated water markets in the world, in the Murray-Darling Basin. But even here there are <a href="https://academic.oup.com/oxrep/article-abstract/36/1/132/5696682">considerable differences in how markets work</a>. Water values and costs are also very different.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-social-cost-of-carbon-2-energy-experts-explain-176255">What is the ‘social cost of carbon’? 2 energy experts explain</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man looks out of the second-storey window of his flooded shack at Scott’s Creek, Morgan." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534965/original/file-20230630-23-ziw4ih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534965/original/file-20230630-23-ziw4ih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534965/original/file-20230630-23-ziw4ih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534965/original/file-20230630-23-ziw4ih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534965/original/file-20230630-23-ziw4ih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534965/original/file-20230630-23-ziw4ih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534965/original/file-20230630-23-ziw4ih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In December, 2022, the swollen Murray River flooded homes in South Australia. The floodwater reached the second floor of Darren Davey’s shack at Scott’s Creek, Morgan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://photos.aap.com.au/search/murray%20flood?q=%7B%22pageSize%22:25,%22pageNumber%22:2%7D">MATT TURNER, AAP</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin: a case in point</h2>
<p>The value of water in the Basin consists of benefits and costs. Some benefits include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>direct use of water to grow crops or irrigate pasture</p></li>
<li><p>recreational use such as boating and water sports</p></li>
<li><p>indirect use including the benefits to health and wellbeing from living alongside a natural water body</p></li>
<li><p>future use values, knowing there is sufficient water to sustain healthy ecosystems and rivers in years to come</p></li>
<li><p>future generational, existence and cultural values such as non-use values associated with the ancient <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/10/fish-traps-brewarrina-extraordinary-ancient-structures-protection">Brewarrina fish traps</a>. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Costs include harm to mental health associated with a lack of water during drought. At the other extreme, there’s the cost of too much water causing floods, property damage and loss of life, or salinity harming viticulture in the Riverland. </p>
<p>This shows the social value of water is incredibly difficult to measure even within one area such as the Basin, let alone trying to enforce a global water market.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/water-buybacks-are-back-on-the-table-in-the-murray-darling-basin-heres-a-refresher-on-how-they-work-200529">Water buybacks are back on the table in the Murray-Darling Basin. Here's a refresher on how they work</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What should instead happen next?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01564-2">We think the best way</a> to address the water crisis is to focus on local management and institutions, plan carefully and implement a wide range of policies. These include: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>using economic methods and tools to assess and implement local water policies where feasible</p></li>
<li><p>removing subsidies that incentivise water exploitation</p></li>
<li><p>establishing sustainable extraction limits</p></li>
<li><p>strengthening water institutions to allow measurement, monitoring and enforcement of water use</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/world/what-why-and-how-world-water-crisis-global-commission-economics-water-phase-1-review-and-findings">promoting water justice and sharing</a>. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>This is a big task. Misdirection down blind alleys is a distraction that the world cannot afford.</p>
<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/42TLwJwAxQ8uE0bYuZNufh?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="152" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205571/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Ann Wheeler has received funding from the Australian Research Council; GRDC; Wine Australia; MDBA; CRC Food Waste; CSIRO; Goyder Institute; SA Department of Environment and Water; ACCC; NT Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security; NSW Health; Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water; Meat and Livestock Australia; ACIAR; RIRDC; UNECE; NCCARF; National Water Commission; and the Government of Netherlands.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>The International Food Policy Research Institute, where Claudia Ringler works, receives funding from a considerable number of donors; none of which is linked to this piece. Claudia Ringler is a member of the International Advisory Committee (IAC) of UNU-INWEH.</span></em></p>After almost half a century, the United Nations has waded back into the murky world of water policy. But one of the ideas following this year’s international meeting has been shot down.Sarah Ann Wheeler, Professor in Water Economics, University of AdelaideClaudia Ringler, Deputy Director, Environment and Production Technology Division, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2041162023-04-20T06:14:59Z2023-04-20T06:14:59ZVictoria’s plans for engineered wetlands on the Murray are environmentally dubious. Here’s a better option<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522003/original/file-20230420-26-7fhu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=573%2C3%2C1471%2C738&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/184659367@N07/52379093097/in/photolist-2nNyxw2-2aQegbr-2hLesDM-2giQ9UJ-2iQ91zf-2ocbMcE-BvTWzP-KCy8tM-2o9VNrj-pdAWGi-2o9YjJg-2eCi2NW-aMDRpT-GPvBSc-qzCMd-2iQ7mJ6-2h1Y8hY-2jAbX97-z6XahV-2o9Tdjw-2o9TdsY-7H5gjr-2o9YjzU-2hSkRUA-2obAR2Q-qN9wuS-96U49x-BdvXAy-2ojm6wx-2m6prZu-2fKqAd9-2o9TdUz-7K1RL5-G9N9rb-2njPXJY-2iQ7mSh-2e36tzz-2m84Jwa-Uhysry-9f4ekQ-2hSkS4P-r5zDre-2n69eud-2n69Hq5-cPD7if-6YAtwR-CujBPe-6YE7Zm-2n64gd4-2n69Hui">John Morton/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Governments love the idea of a win-win – even when it doesn’t exist. That’s why Victoria has been spending millions on planning “red gum irrigation ponds” – essentially, engineered wetlands along the River Murray. These wetlands are designed to save some red gum ecosystems, leave many others to decline, and redirect billions of litres of water promised to the environment to farmers. </p>
<p>Controversy <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/environment/sustainability/going-against-the-flow-the-plan-to-engineer-victoria-s-wetlands-20230329-p5cwb7.html">has followed</a> these projects. Now, Victoria appears to have blinked, with the state’s water minister, Harriet Shing, <a href="https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/water/shing-halts-floodplain-works-fears-federal-funding-will-be-cut/news-story/e22a38442f6ab2c7c7f4a5fd0073f996">halting the development</a> of four of nine projects. </p>
<p>Victory for environmental water? Not quite. Victoria has spent around A$54 million just on planning these projects. By halting four of them, it sets the scene for a larger-scale federal buyback of water for the environment. This could signal a resumption of the Murray-Darling Basin <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/14/water-wars-will-politics-destroy-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-and-the-river-system-itself">water wars</a>, with Victoria the last holdout. National Irrigators’ Council chair Jeremy Morton predicted “riot” if further water buybacks went ahead.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522002/original/file-20230420-22-53mmca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="river red gum" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522002/original/file-20230420-22-53mmca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522002/original/file-20230420-22-53mmca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522002/original/file-20230420-22-53mmca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522002/original/file-20230420-22-53mmca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522002/original/file-20230420-22-53mmca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522002/original/file-20230420-22-53mmca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522002/original/file-20230420-22-53mmca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Iconic Australian trees like river red gums need irregular deep soaking from floods.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelrawle/18117658648/">Michael Rawle/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What was Victoria trying to do?</h2>
<p>Historically, flooding covered 6.3 million hectares of red gum, black box and coolibah forests, lakes and billabongs in the Murray-Darling Basin. These forests rely on regular floods to survive. </p>
<p>But the basin is also home to most of our thirsty crops, from rice to cotton to orchards. The demand for irrigation alongside the long-term drying trend from climate change means something has <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/w14020208">had to give</a>. You guessed it: it’s the wetlands, which are drying out and dying. </p>
<p>In 2012, state and federal governments launched the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in a bid to solve longstanding tussles over water. The plan was intended to preserve environmental flows while allocating set volumes of water to farmers. </p>
<p>But it’s not working properly. As <a href="https://doi.org/10.1071/MF20172">our research</a> shows, only 2% of the basin’s wetlands have received managed environmental flows each year since. </p>
<p>To keep wetlands alive with less water, there are two basic options: use pulsed flows from dams to flood a larger area, or build floodplain infrastructure to maintain some wetlands while abandoning others.</p>
<p>Victoria has pursued infrastructure. As <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/environment/sustainability/going-against-the-flow-the-plan-to-engineer-victoria-s-wetlands-20230329-p5cwb7.html">originally planned</a>, these projects would have meant building $320 million of dams, pumps, levees and roads in conservation reserves to artificially pond water – while leaving <a href="https://doi.org/10.1071/MF22082">less water</a> in the main river channels. Similar projects were proposed in New South Wales at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/06/new-nsw-plan-for-murray-darling-saves-almost-no-water">Menindee Lakes</a>, but these are unlikely to proceed.</p>
<p>These projects are greenwashed as “environmental works”. Victoria brazenly <a href="https://www.vmfrp.com.au/home/">calls its plan</a> a “floodplain restoration project”. </p>
<p>It is not. Since the plan began, irrigators have been credited with 605 billion litres of water for 36 largely unimplemented projects under the <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan-roll-out/sustainable-diversion-limits/sdlam">sustainable diversion mechanism</a>. In November 2022, basin authority chief
Andrew McConville <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/news-media-events/newsroom/media-centre/address-national-rural-press-club-address-national-rural">laid out</a> the problem: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The credit has been banked, but the payment still needs to be delivered. The payment is in the form of the [wetland] projects being in operation by 30 June 2024. </p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522007/original/file-20230420-16-wlch81.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="cotton farming NSW" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522007/original/file-20230420-16-wlch81.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522007/original/file-20230420-16-wlch81.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522007/original/file-20230420-16-wlch81.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522007/original/file-20230420-16-wlch81.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522007/original/file-20230420-16-wlch81.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522007/original/file-20230420-16-wlch81.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522007/original/file-20230420-16-wlch81.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Our thirstiest crops cluster around the rivers of the Murray Darling Basin and rely on water in irrigation channels like this.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Water has been credited to irrigators before the wetland projects were built. As a result, actual environmental flows are 19% lower than the Basin Plan target of 3,200 billion litres per year.</p>
<h2>Building wetland infrastructure is unprecedented</h2>
<p>Around the world, nations are going the other way to Victoria and removing floodplain infrastructure. In <a href="https://nccarf.edu.au/living-floods-key-lessons-australia-and-abroad/">China</a>, across <a href="https://edepot.wur.nl/431674">Europe</a> and in the <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2021.778568/full">United States</a>, efforts are under way to reconnect rivers to their floodplains. Why? To reduce flood impacts (levees intensify floods downstream), improve water quality, restore flood-dependent ecosystems, make river systems more recreation-friendly and diversify local economies. </p>
<p>Only in the Murray-Darling Basin are we seeing governments building infrastructure for environmental water offsetting on such a huge scale. </p>
<p>And just as controversies have dogged Australia’s attempts to <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-details.aspx?pk=2822#tab-reportsandgovernmentresponses">offset biodiversity losses</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/09/chubb-review-recommends-new-integrity-body-for-australian-carbon-credits-scheme">carbon emissions</a>, there are major problems with water offsetting.</p>
<p>The reason for this offsetting is political, not ecological. In 2012, Victoria’s then water minister, Peter Walsh, <a href="https://www.pressreader.com/australia/shepparton-news/20120829/281655367245461">stated</a> the plan was meant to:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>stop irrigation water being stripped from rural communities and food and fibre producers, and to achieve better environmental outcomes.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-official-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-hasnt-met-its-promise-to-our-precious-rivers-so-where-to-now-188074">It's official: the Murray-Darling Basin Plan hasn't met its promise to our precious rivers. So where to now?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In fact, these projects are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1292-9">environmentally dubious</a>. Ponding water on floodplains may meet some ecological targets, but it cannot replicate unconstrained natural floods. Worse, it risks <a href="https://doi.org/10.1890/130259">harming ecosystems</a> by upending aquatic food webs and leading to lower native fish populations and worse water quality. </p>
<p>Victoria’s very expensive projects would water only 14,000 hectares of wetlands. By contrast, safe flood pulse releases from existing dams would water 27 times that area – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13241583.2020.1832723">375,000 hectares</a>. </p>
<p>In his <a href="https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/murray-darling-basin-royal-commission-report">royal commission report</a> into how the Murray-Darling water-sharing system works, Commissioner Brett Walker found there was “real doubt” over whether projects like this were based on the best scientific knowledge. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1071/MF22082">Our research</a> backs his conclusions. We have found flaws in how these projects are evaluated, which mean their environmental benefits are overstated.</p>
<h2>What’s likely to happen now?</h2>
<p>Four down – but what about the remaining five projects? </p>
<p>There’s a better option. In 2013, the basin’s governments agreed to <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/publications/mdba-reports/constraints-management-strategy">a strategy</a> that would allow pulsed releases from existing dams to fill river channels and spill onto the floodplains. </p>
<p>Under this strategy, the Commonwealth would pay for roads and bridges to be removed or raised to make way for restoration of natural floods, and for compensation to landowners. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13241583.2020.1832723">Our research</a> shows this approach would reduce flood damage by moving infrastructure off floodplains, and allow floods to spread out more, lowering water height and speed. It would also water a much larger wetland area at far less cost. But the strategy has not yet been implemented. </p>
<p>Next month, federal and state water ministers will meet to discuss the <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-official-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-hasnt-met-its-promise-to-our-precious-rivers-so-where-to-now-188074">failing</a> basin plan. If the new NSW water minister, Rose Jackson, backs her federal Labor colleagues, it will leave Victoria as the last state objecting to water purchases for river restoration.</p>
<p>The federal water minister, Tanya Plibersek, shows <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-22/federal-government-water-buybacks-murray-darling-basin-plan-730/102007496">every indication</a> of implementing Labor’s 2022 election policy of buying back the remaining water needed to meet the 3,200 billion litre environmental restoration target under the plan. (The federal government has bought back around 2,100 billion litres <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/progress-water-recovery">since 2008</a>.) </p>
<p>The stage is set: will Plibersek prevail and finally achieve long-sought environmental restoration goals under the basin plan, or will Victoria hold out?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/money-for-dams-dries-up-as-good-water-management-finally-makes-it-into-a-federal-budget-193380">Money for dams dries up as good water management finally makes it into a federal budget</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204116/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie Pittock is affiliated with the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and a number of other non-governmental environment organisations. In the past he has received funding from the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Colloff is affiliated with the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. In the past he has been a member of project teams within CSIRO that have received funding from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. </span></em></p>Victoria is planning to engineer wetlands so more water can go to agriculture. It’s not a good plan.Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National UniversityMatthew Colloff, Honorary Senior Lecturer, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1959662022-12-15T19:07:19Z2022-12-15T19:07:19ZAboriginal people have spent centuries building in the Darling River. Now there are plans to demolish these important structures<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501221/original/file-20221215-14-ap036o.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C3%2C2525%2C1695&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Deal Lewis/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Apart from managing the land, Indigenous people have also managed waterways, including the Murray River and the Darling/Baaka River, for thousands of years. </p>
<p>Like many Indigenous <a href="https://www.budjbim.com.au/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInLvSl_v0-wIVRZ_CCh0RsgsEEAAYASAAEgIz8_D_BwE">peoples of Australia</a>, the Barkandji people of the Baaka manipulated and enhanced the river and floodplain ecosystems of their country.</p>
<p>Now, our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/arco.5279">research</a> on stone, wood and earthen fish traps and fish weirs on the Baaka and its floodplains reveals how these aquatic resources were managed, grown and stored by the Barkandji.</p>
<p>These structures, and the cultural practices that sustain them, are still significant to the Barkandji people – but they’ve been severely affected by colonisation, and remain at risk from government commitments to irrigation. </p>
<h2>Reconstructing the Baaka’s Aboriginal past</h2>
<p>To study the structures in the Baaka we relied on archaeological methods, Barkandji knowledge and oral history, and written accounts from early settlers and explorers. </p>
<p>We found most of the wooden or earthen fish traps on the Baaka’s floodplains have not endured and aren’t archaeologically visible. There are, however, some existing and remnant stone traps – which were once common along the 1,200km channel. </p>
<p>These structures were encountered by explorers, ship pilots, graziers and other settlers who travelled along the Baaka between Wentworth and Bourke.</p>
<h2>The first threat to the traps were paddle steamers</h2>
<p>The first paddle steamer travelled in 1861 up the Baaka from Wentworth at the Murray-Darling junction to Brewarrina on the Barwon River. It was piloted by Captain <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Randell">William Randell</a>, and was unable to pass over the fish traps due to a lack of draught over the rocks. </p>
<p>This voyage initiated the famous paddle steamer trade that continued into the 1940s. Rocks in the river often stopped these vessels from navigating at low water levels, and they occasionally even sank. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501215/original/file-20221215-23-lu4eme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501215/original/file-20221215-23-lu4eme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501215/original/file-20221215-23-lu4eme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501215/original/file-20221215-23-lu4eme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501215/original/file-20221215-23-lu4eme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501215/original/file-20221215-23-lu4eme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501215/original/file-20221215-23-lu4eme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501215/original/file-20221215-23-lu4eme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A photo published in 1926 of the ‘P.S. Colonel’ and barges drifting downstream at Christmas Rocks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">PRG 1258/2/2260 Godson Collection, State Library South Australia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This prompted government-resourced teams to force a passage through by blasting the rocks with dynamite. This blasted rock can still be seen at some outcrops, including areas that have the remains of fish traps or are known to have once had them. Indigenous people built new traps in these areas, often using the blasted rock.</p>
<p>During the 20th century, a series of low-level weirs were built at the small towns along the river to secure water supplies. Settlers sought the same river features to build weirs that Indigenous people did when choosing sites for stone fish traps, so many weirs were built on outcropping rock. </p>
<p>These weirs tended to have loose boulders on the downstream side to hold the weir wall in place. At Wilcannia, the Indigenous workers who carted and placed the rocks at the weir later made them into stone fish traps, which are still used today. </p>
<p>They are made in steps going up the weir wall, helping fish climb the wall like a modern fish ladder.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500959/original/file-20221214-18-u73s9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500959/original/file-20221214-18-u73s9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500959/original/file-20221214-18-u73s9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500959/original/file-20221214-18-u73s9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500959/original/file-20221214-18-u73s9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500959/original/file-20221214-18-u73s9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500959/original/file-20221214-18-u73s9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500959/original/file-20221214-18-u73s9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Wilcannia weir stone fish traps are still used by young Barkandji people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Martin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Taking too much water for irrigation</h2>
<p>During the last two decades an increasing amount of water has been removed for large-scale irrigation from the Baaka and its northern tributaries. By 2019, excessive water extraction had virtually dried the Baaka and Barwon rivers from Wentworth to Collarenebri – a route more than 2,000km long. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/excessive-water-extractions-not-climate-change-are-most-to-blame-for-the-darling-river-drying-192621">Excessive water extractions, not climate change, are most to blame for the Darling River drying</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The mass fish kills at Menindee in 2018–2019 showed the devastating effects of removing so many of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-murray-darling-basin-plan-is-not-delivering-theres-no-more-time-to-waste-91076">small to medium flows</a> that kept the ecosystem functioning. </p>
<p>This extended dry river resulted in the near extinction of many species, including river snails, mussels, catfish and silver bream. Also, without water in the river, the Barkandji could not use their fish traps or pass along knowledge of their history and significance.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501214/original/file-20221215-19-lu4eme.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A dry, rocky riverbed stretches out." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501214/original/file-20221215-19-lu4eme.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501214/original/file-20221215-19-lu4eme.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501214/original/file-20221215-19-lu4eme.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501214/original/file-20221215-19-lu4eme.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501214/original/file-20221215-19-lu4eme.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501214/original/file-20221215-19-lu4eme.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501214/original/file-20221215-19-lu4eme.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Baaka dried up due to excessive water extraction. Pictured here is an area at Wilcannia in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sarah Martin</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The New South Wales government’s response to the crisis now presents a new threat to the fragile fish traps. In 2019 the government <a href="https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2019-016#">passed legislation</a> to fast-track new water infrastructure, despite <a href="https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/science-policy-and-sector-analysis/reports-and-publications/fish-kills-report">strong evidence</a> it needs to reduce the amount of water allocated to irrigation. </p>
<p>The legislation enables new dams and new (higher) weirs. The old weir at Wilcannia, which has been used by Indigenous people as a series of fish traps for at least 60 years, will be partly demolished and will no longer function as a fish trap. This is despite the Indigenous community’s strong opposition. </p>
<p>The legislation also allows for the “re-establishment of natural rock weirs on the Darling River between Bourke and its junction with the Murray River”. This suggests all the rock outcrops in the Darling Baaka were originally weirs that stretched like a wall across the river and held water back (before being blasted to allow paddle steamers to pass).</p>
<p>But our field survey coupled with historical material indicates most rock outcrops were originally uneven, with openings and numerous loose rocks. This allowed water to flow through and over the rocks at different river heights, enabling the fish traps to work and helping sustain the ecosystem.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/bushfire-arson-prevention-is-the-cure-11506">Bushfire arson: prevention is the cure</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How should the river be managed?</h2>
<p>Fish traps set by Aboriginal people along the Baaka offer valuable insight into how this precious body of water could be managed. The first thing is the river needs its “low and medium flows” protected.</p>
<p>Historically, Aboriginal people have held ceremonies (and to some extent still do) to mark mass migrations of fish such as golden perch and silver bream that travel upstream to spawn. These fish have to be able to travel up and down the river unimpeded. As seen at the Wilcannia weir, fish traps assist with this.</p>
<p>There are also several benefits from water flowing over and through fish trap stone walls. The walls increase flow turbulence, reduce silting, improve water quality and are “keyed” to let small fish through. They also provide a rocky habitat that effectively forms “multi-storey apartments” for invertebrates such as yabbies and river snails.</p>
<p>Stone fish traps are also often found in association with shallow aquifer springs, with one recorded trap built around a spring. This is evidence of fish management; the fresh spring water attracts fish and acts as a refuge during drought.</p>
<p>Local Indigenous people also understand the necessity of regularly filling floodplain lakes, swamps and billabongs. They previously enhanced these water bodies by using temporary wooden and earthen weirs – providing fish reserves, fish nurseries and rich and diverse habitats for aquatic life.</p>
<p>These structures kept aquatic plants and animals safe to seed the river with life when floods came down after dry periods. They held water to replenish the shallow aquifers that create springs and soaks in the river.</p>
<p>Water managers have so far largely ignored the potential for Indigenous knowledge to facilitate the sustainable management of the Baaka. Yet Indigenous people living along the Baaka have known about how its water moves long before scientists did.</p>
<p>The NSW government’s proposed infrastructure will not only endanger the remnants of culturally significant fish trap structures, but also impact the river’s ecology. Unless Indigenous people’s experience and knowledge are taken seriously, the Baaka and its precious resources may be depleted beyond the point of saving.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Acknowledgment: we would like to thank our colleague Sarah Martin, who led the research paper this article is based on, and whose contributions were invaluable in gathering these findings.</em></p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m_c5DvmyN28?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195966/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Westaway receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sue Jackson receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Commonwealth Government's Murray Darling Basin Water and Environment Program. Sue is a member of the Murray Darling Basin Authority's scientific advisory committee.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Badger Bates does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Indigenous engineering and care for Country points to a better way to manage the Baaka.Michael Westaway, Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Archaeology, School of Social Science, The University of QueenslandBadger Bates, Indigenous knowledge holder, Indigenous KnowledgeSue Jackson, Professor, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1552862021-02-16T18:53:22Z2021-02-16T18:53:22ZWater injustice runs deep in Australia. Fixing it means handing control to First Nations<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384389/original/file-20210216-20-jh3lsi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C16%2C5472%2C3620&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s widely understood that rivers, wetlands and other waterways hold particular significance for First Nations people. It’s less well understood that Indigenous peoples are denied effective rights in Australia’s water economy.</p>
<p>Australia’s laws and policies prevent First Nations from fully participating in, and benefiting from, decisions about water. In fact, Indigenous peoples hold less than 1% of Australia’s water <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/resources7010016">rights</a>.</p>
<p>A Productivity Commission report into <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/water-reform-2020#draft">national water policy</a> released last week acknowledged the demands of First Nations, noting “Traditional Owners aspire to much greater access to, and control over, water resources”.</p>
<p>The commission suggested a suite of policy reforms. While the recommendations go further than previous official reports, they show a lack of ambition and would ensure water justice continues to be denied to First Nations.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Three Indigenous children smiling in water" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384390/original/file-20210216-22-nvdj56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384390/original/file-20210216-22-nvdj56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384390/original/file-20210216-22-nvdj56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384390/original/file-20210216-22-nvdj56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384390/original/file-20210216-22-nvdj56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384390/original/file-20210216-22-nvdj56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384390/original/file-20210216-22-nvdj56.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Water plays a fundamental role in the cultural, spiritual and physical well-being of Indigenous people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>No voice, no justice</h2>
<p>First Nations people have almost <a href="https://theconversation.com/aboriginal-voices-are-missing-from-the-murray-darling-basin-crisis-110769">no say</a> in how water is used in Australia. This denies them the power to prevent water extraction that will damage communities and landscapes, and in many cases means they’re unable to fulfil their responsibilities to care for Country.</p>
<p>It also means First Nations are excluded from much of Australia’s agricultural wealth, which is tied to access to water for irrigation. </p>
<p>In the New South Wales portion of the Murray-Darling Basin, for example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2020.1868980">our research</a> found Indigenous peoples are almost 10% of the population yet comprise only 3.5% of the agricultural workforce. First Nations also own just 0.5% of agricultural businesses and receive less than 0.1% of agricultural revenue.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/aboriginal-voices-are-missing-from-the-murray-darling-basin-crisis-110769">Aboriginal voices are missing from the Murray-Darling Basin crisis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Cotton farm" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384391/original/file-20210216-16-tyu7t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384391/original/file-20210216-16-tyu7t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384391/original/file-20210216-16-tyu7t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384391/original/file-20210216-16-tyu7t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384391/original/file-20210216-16-tyu7t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384391/original/file-20210216-16-tyu7t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384391/original/file-20210216-16-tyu7t8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">First Nations people enjoy only a tiny portion of Australia’s agricultural wealth.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alvin Wong/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Piecemeal water reform</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/sitecollectiondocuments/water/Intergovernmental-Agreement-on-a-national-water-initiative.pdf">National Water Initiative</a> – a blueprint for water reform signed by all Australian governments in 2004 – committed to consulting with Traditional Owners in water planning, accounting for native title rights to water and including cultural values in water plans. </p>
<p>The Productivity Commission report said progress towards these commitments “has been slow and objectives have not been fully achieved”. </p>
<p>The report contains several welcome recommendations, including that:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>a new water policy be devised, with a dedicated objective and targets to improve First Nations access to water and involvement in water management</p></li>
<li><p>the recently formed Committee on Aboriginal Water Interests “co-design” new provisions relating to First Nations’ water interests, and have direct dialogue with water ministers</p></li>
<li><p>a First Nations-led model of water reform be adopted, centred on the concept of “<a href="https://www.mldrin.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Law-and-Policy-Summary.pdf">cultural flows</a>”. This concept calls for substantial increases to First Nations’ water access and more control in decision-making.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man wrapped in Aboriginal flag stands on river bank." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384426/original/file-20210216-23-181x9f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384426/original/file-20210216-23-181x9f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384426/original/file-20210216-23-181x9f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384426/original/file-20210216-23-181x9f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384426/original/file-20210216-23-181x9f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384426/original/file-20210216-23-181x9f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384426/original/file-20210216-23-181x9f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Productivity Commission recommended a First Nations-led model of water reform.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Richard Wainwright/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Cause of injustice ignored</h2>
<p>Sadly, the Productivity Commission does not address the structural problems underlying inequities in Indigenous water rights. </p>
<p>In particular, it wrongly assumes policy success should be measured in terms of efficiency and the integrity of water markets, rather than justice for First Nations. </p>
<p>Water sold on markets goes to the highest bidder. This rewards large agricultural enterprises and others who historically held land and water rights, gained through the dispossession of First Nations people. And it penalises First Nations peoples who are unlikely to own productive farming land, or who don’t always wish to use water for irrigated agriculture.</p>
<p>In some cases, poorly funded Indigenous organisations have traded away their water rights to keep afloat, and will find it near-impossible to buy the water back. Our research shows this pattern drove a 17% decline in Indigenous water holdings in the Murray-Darling Basin over the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837719319799">past decade</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-has-an-ugly-legacy-of-denying-water-rights-to-aboriginal-people-not-much-has-changed-141743">Australia has an ugly legacy of denying water rights to Aboriginal people. Not much has changed</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The commission’s recommendations rely heavily on <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Indigenous-Rights-and-Water-Resource-Management-Not-Just-Another-Stakeholder/OBryan/p/book/9780367664855">policy architecture</a> and <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Indigenous-Water-Rights-Law-Regulation-Elizabeth-Jane-Macpherson/9781108473064">legal foundations</a> that <a href="https://aiatsis.gov.au/publication/35022">fail First Nations</a>.</p>
<p>For example, in 1998 the Howard Government legislated to <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/143869368.pdf">exclude water infrastructure and entitlements</a> from parts of the Native Title Act. This means that infrastructure and licensing can proceed without negotiation with native title holders. </p>
<p>The Productivity Commission overlooked ways to correct this injustice – such as the Law Reform Commission’s <a href="https://www.alrc.gov.au/publication/connection-to-country-review-of-the-native-title-act-1993-cth-alrc-report-126/">proposal</a> to change the law so native title holders can benefit from commercial use of water. </p>
<p>The commission’s response to conflict over developments such as dams is also inadequate. Rather than transfer final decision-making power to First Nations groups, it proposes that developments be more “culturally responsive”. </p>
<p>This will not protect cultural heritage. Case in point is the NSW government’s plan to raise the <a href="https://nit.com.au/raising-of-warragamba-dam-to-destroy-over-1200-cultural-sites/">Warragamba Dam wall</a>, creating a flood that threatens more than 1200 Indigenous cultural sites. Statutory protections are needed to head off such proposals. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Warragamba Dam" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384393/original/file-20210216-18-1ln4566.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384393/original/file-20210216-18-1ln4566.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384393/original/file-20210216-18-1ln4566.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384393/original/file-20210216-18-1ln4566.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384393/original/file-20210216-18-1ln4566.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384393/original/file-20210216-18-1ln4566.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384393/original/file-20210216-18-1ln4566.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Warragamba Dam plan threatens Indigenous cultural sites.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Stronger models for reform</h2>
<p>The United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf">is clear</a>: Indigenous peoples should have the power to decide on development proposed on their lands and waters.</p>
<p>An agreement between the Ngarrindjeri nation and the South Australian government in the lower Murray River region <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14486563.2019.1651227">shows</a> how even modest rights can both empower Traditional Owners and lead to successful environmental management.</p>
<p>The agreement enables a co-management approach where authority in developing natural resource management policy is shared. Unfortunately, reforms of this type are beyond the ambition of the Productivity Commission report. </p>
<p>Addressing water injustice also requires returning water to First Nations, such as by buying back water entitlements and guaranteeing cultural flows in water plans. The Productivity Commission outlines how this might occur, but falls short of recommending this vital measure. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/deal-on-murray-darling-basin-plan-could-make-history-for-indigenous-water-rights-96264">current policy framework</a> has allowed <a href="https://theconversation.com/victoria-just-gave-2-billion-litres-of-water-back-to-indigenous-people-heres-what-that-means-for-the-rest-of-australia-150674">some advances</a>. But if water justice to Indigenous peoples is to be realised, changes to policy and laws must go far deeper.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victoria-just-gave-2-billion-litres-of-water-back-to-indigenous-people-heres-what-that-means-for-the-rest-of-australia-150674">Victoria just gave 2 billion litres of water back to Indigenous people. Here's what that means for the rest of Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155286/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sue Jackson receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Environmental Research Program, and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. She is a member of the Murray-Darling Basin’s Advisory Committee on Social, Economic and Environmental Sciences and the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum’s Scientific Advisory Panel. She made a submission to the Productivity Commission in August 2020 in relation to its inquiry into water reform.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Francis Markham receives funding from several state and Commonwealth government agencies on matters unrelated to water policy.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fred Hooper is affiliated with Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations (NBAN) and is the Chair of the Murrawarrai Peoples Council. Fred represents NBAN on the NSW Aboriginal Water Coalition.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Grant Rigney is affiliated with the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations and is a Committee member of the Committee Indigenous Water Interests. Grant is also a Director of Kuti co and Chairperson of Ngarrindjeri Peoples Native Title Compensation Charitable Trust.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lana Hartwig has served as a consultant for Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN), Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations (NBAN), and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rene Woods is affiliated with Murray Darling Wetlands Water Group as an advisor on Aboriginal Water, is a Board Member of the Murray Darling Basin Authority and a Member of the Committee on Aboriginal Water Interests.</span></em></p>First Nations people have almost no say in how water is used in Australia. The Productivity Commission’s latest report does little to address that.Sue Jackson, Professor, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith UniversityFrancis Markham, Research Fellow, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National UniversityFred Hooper, Indigenous knowledge holder, Indigenous KnowledgeGrant Rigney, Indigenous knowledge holder, Indigenous KnowledgeLana D. Hartwig, Research Fellow, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith UniversityRene Woods, Indigenous Knowledge Holder, Indigenous KnowledgeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1406332020-06-21T20:07:18Z2020-06-21T20:07:18ZWhy China believed it had a case to hit Australian barley with tariffs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342356/original/file-20200617-94060-j9xewa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C239%2C3958%2C2119&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>China’s landmark investigations into <a href="https://theconversation.com/barley-is-not-a-random-choice-heres-the-real-reason-china-is-taking-on-australia-over-dumping-107271">Australian barley</a> led to the imposition of “anti-dumping” and “anti-subsidy” tariffs of <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/agriculture/china-pulls-the-trigger-on-australian-barley-tariffs-20200518-p54u5w">80.5%</a> in May, threatening an Australian export market worth $A600 million a year.</p>
<p>China says it made its own calculations on the extent to which Australia subsidised barley after Australian authorities failed to give it all the information it needed in the form it requested.</p>
<p>It set out its findings on subsidies in a report at present only <a href="http://images.mofcom.gov.cn/trb/202005/20200518201515833.pdf">available in Chinese</a>.</p>
<p>One was that Australian officials “did not comply” with its requirements in relation to the Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342034/original/file-20200616-23276-19loqir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342034/original/file-20200616-23276-19loqir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342034/original/file-20200616-23276-19loqir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=708&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342034/original/file-20200616-23276-19loqir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=708&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342034/original/file-20200616-23276-19loqir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=708&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342034/original/file-20200616-23276-19loqir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342034/original/file-20200616-23276-19loqir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342034/original/file-20200616-23276-19loqir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=890&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://images.mofcom.gov.cn/trb/202005/20200518201515833.pdf">'The Australian government reported the overall situation in the answer sheet, but did not comply with the requirements of the investigating authority'</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Australia disputes that conclusion.</p>
<p>At first glance the possibility that Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program could have had anything to do with subsidising barely exports seems baseless. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan/plan-murray-darling-basin">Murray Darling Basin Plan</a>, of which the Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program is a part, is a long-running program aiming to remedy a century of over-exploitation of water. </p>
<p>It includes no discussion of production targets, export volumes or anything else that might be expected to set off trade alarm bells.</p>
<h2>Plan more than environmental</h2>
<p>But the plan and its A$13 billion budget is about more than the environment. </p>
<p>It originally prioritised the environment, but in 2010 its goal was <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/murray-darling-basin-boss-mike-taylor-resigns/news-story/14d3b3075e9d4b8f3a5d6b5194f4e933">explicitly changed</a> to address a <a href="http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/wa200783/s3.html">triple bottom line</a> of economic, social and environmental concerns.</p>
<p>From there, its management became a major economic and political issue.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/while-towns-run-dry-cotton-extracts-5-sydney-harbours-worth-of-murray-darling-water-a-year-its-time-to-reset-the-balance-133342">While towns run dry, cotton extracts 5 Sydney Harbours' worth of Murray Darling water a year. It's time to reset the balance</a>
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<p>Scandals surround <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/barnaby-joyce-s-department-paid-tens-of-millions-too-much-for-water-20180321-p4z5dd.html">huge payments</a> for dubious water rights, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13241583.2019.1579965">infrastructure spending</a> that doesn’t actually save water, and massive subsidisation of <a href="https://www.tai.org.au/content/dam-shame-new-dams-politicians-won-t-talk-about">irrigation expansion</a> into areas that were not previously irrigated. </p>
<p>Stories abound of favoured <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/26/78m-spent-on-darling-water-buyback-nearly-double-its-valuation">companies</a> or <a href="https://www.tai.org.au/sites/default/files/P699%20Submission%20to%20review%20of%20Barwon-Darling%20Water%20Sharing%20Plan%20%5BWEB%5D.pdf">regions</a> reaping large windfalls at the expense of taxpayers, other farmers, the environment, or all three.</p>
<h2>Administered with ‘habitual’ secrecy</h2>
<p>Australia’s Department of Agriculture says the government fully engaged with China’s investigation, “including providing extensive information on production and commercial information on the Australian barley industry”.</p>
<p>But the department hasn’t always been forthcoming about its operations.</p>
<p>A South Australian <a href="https://www.farmonline.com.au/story/5890475/call-for-basin-plan-pause-to-address-royal-commission-findings/">Royal Commission</a> concluded that its claim to be committed to engaging in public debate and open dialogue should be regarded with “deep suspicion”.</p>
<p>The separate Murray Darling Basin Authority operated with “<a href="https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/sharedassets/public/river_murray/basin_plan/murray-darling-basin-royal-commission-report.pdf">an unfathomable predilection for secrecy</a>”. </p>
<p>The behaviour was “<a href="https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/sharedassets/public/river_murray/basin_plan/murray-darling-basin-royal-commission-report.pdf">habitual</a>”, in the assessment of the Royal Commission.</p>
<h2>We might have given China a case</h2>
<p>Even if Australian officials did participate in the Chinese investigation in good faith, the potential for confusion is considerable given the jargon that engulfs both water management and trade law. </p>
<p>Few water managers speak trade law and equally few trade lawyers understand the jargon of the Murray Darling Basin Plan.</p>
<p>From a trade law perspective, although the Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program and the Basin Plan do not explicitly subsidise exports, the fact that much of the Basin’s produce is exported means it could be argued that they distort trade.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-murray-darling-basin-scandal-economists-have-seen-it-coming-for-decades-119989">The Murray-Darling Basin scandal: economists have seen it coming for decades</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>It is open to a country such as China to take action if the program has conferred benefits to an Australian industry and the subsidised exports have caused a material injury to a competing domestic industry. </p>
<p>China alleges this is the case for barley, but a stronger case could perhaps be argued for the Basin’s bigger export crops: <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/research-topics/surveys/irrigation/cotton">cotton</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/26/tough-nut-to-crack-the-almond-boom-and-its-drain-on-the-murray-darling">almonds</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-08/taxpayers-helping-fund-murray-darling-basin-expansion/11279468">walnuts</a>.</p>
<p>Part of the reason is that the program involves government spending, but it is possible to argue that the implementation of the Basin Plan has also subsidised exporters in another way, by environmental mismanagement. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-watergate-heres-what-taxpayers-need-to-know-about-water-buybacks-115838">Australia's 'watergate': here's what taxpayers need to know about water buybacks</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>The Barwon-Darling has been described by environmental regulators as “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jul/24/barwon-darling-river-system-collapse-review">an ecosystem in crisis</a>”. Contributing to the crisis has been a system that allocates scarce water to irrigators and diverts huge volumes of floodwater into private dams.</p>
<p>This arguably <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/29/nsw-water-officials-knew-decades-of-unmeasured-floodplain-harvesting-by-irrigators-was-illegal">illegal</a> practice of “floodplain harvesting” provides huge benefits to cotton exporters. </p>
<p>It is uncertain whether China’s barley decision will bring about changes to Australian water management that downstream communities, irrigators, Indigenous nations and environment groups <a href="https://www.tai.org.au/sites/default/files/MDB%20Open%20Letter%20%5BPRESS%5D_0.pdf">have long called for</a>.</p>
<p>It would help if water regulators explained what they were doing in terms that can be understood by ordinary Australians and Chinese trade experts alike.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Contributing to this article were Maryanne Slattery, a former director at the Murray Darling Basin Authority and a director of water consultancy Slattery Johnson, Rod Campbell, Research Director at <a href="http://www.tai.org.au/">the Australia Institute</a> and Allan Behm, director of the Australia Institute’s International and Security Affairs program.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140633/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Weihuan Zhou does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>China believed the Murray Darling Basin Plan was about more than the environment. It wanted to know how much more.Weihuan Zhou, Senior Lecturer and member of Herbert Smith Freehills CIBEL Centre, Faculty of Law, UNSW Sydney, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1403372020-06-19T06:07:25Z2020-06-19T06:07:25ZRestoring a gem in the Murray-Darling Basin: the success story of the Winton Wetlands<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342871/original/file-20200619-41226-1acypyf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C22%2C836%2C517&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lance Lloyd</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Water use in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/murray-darling-basin-6112">Murray-Darling Basin</a> has long been a source of conflict. Damage to rivers and wetlands, including <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-16/dozens-of-murray-cod-dying-every-week-in-darling-river/11420942">fish kills</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-16/blue-green-algae-restricts-water-use-for-town-in-mildura-region/11804070">algal blooms</a>, has featured prominently in the news.</p>
<p>But the <a href="https://wintonwetlands.org.au/">Winton Wetlands</a>, in the south-east basin, represents a bright spot. Its restoration provides a sense of hope that reaches beyond the complexities of history.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/GAbhJAn1xLohr7g36">wetlands site</a> is about 2.5 hours drive north-east of Melbourne. It’s now a thriving place for plants and wildlife that attracts plenty of visitors – but it wasn’t always like this.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342889/original/file-20200619-41209-106sehh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342889/original/file-20200619-41209-106sehh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342889/original/file-20200619-41209-106sehh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342889/original/file-20200619-41209-106sehh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342889/original/file-20200619-41209-106sehh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342889/original/file-20200619-41209-106sehh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342889/original/file-20200619-41209-106sehh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342889/original/file-20200619-41209-106sehh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A laughing kookaburra keeps watch on the wetlands.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/78247220@N08/30029619782/">Diana Padron/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<h2>From dispossession to decommissioning</h2>
<p>The Yorta Yorta people were the original Aboriginal inhabitants of the area. They lost access to the land and water when European settlers took it for farming in the 1860s.</p>
<p>The farmers and the wetlands were displaced in 1970 when a 7.5 kilometre rock wall was built to form Lake Mokoan. The dam project allowed for local irrigation and created a drought reserve for the River Murray. This was broadly welcomed for the economic and recreational values it promised. </p>
<p>It worked for a while, but the resulting flooding killed around 150,000 iconic river red gums, including many Aboriginal <a href="https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/land/aboriginal-scarred-trees">scar trees</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342931/original/file-20200619-70415-1xjmlky.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342931/original/file-20200619-70415-1xjmlky.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342931/original/file-20200619-70415-1xjmlky.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342931/original/file-20200619-70415-1xjmlky.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342931/original/file-20200619-70415-1xjmlky.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342931/original/file-20200619-70415-1xjmlky.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342931/original/file-20200619-70415-1xjmlky.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342931/original/file-20200619-70415-1xjmlky.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">River red gum trees died following inundation after the dam was built.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Max Finlayson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>The dam was dried out for downstream supplies in the 1982 drought. Then the 1990s brought massive blue-green algal blooms.</p>
<p>The frequent blooms made it hard to use the water. The Victorian government needed to find water savings for water projects elsewhere and in 2004 decided to remove the dam.</p>
<p>It was a controversial move, opposed by many in the community, including those who lived around the lake, or used the water for recreation or irrigation. But in 2009 a gap was cut through the wall and the water drained.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342647/original/file-20200618-41213-mc4ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342647/original/file-20200618-41213-mc4ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342647/original/file-20200618-41213-mc4ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342647/original/file-20200618-41213-mc4ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342647/original/file-20200618-41213-mc4ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342647/original/file-20200618-41213-mc4ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342647/original/file-20200618-41213-mc4ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342647/original/file-20200618-41213-mc4ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Local opposition to the decommissioning of the dam.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Max Finlayson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Restoration of the wetlands</h2>
<p>After the dam was decommissioned, it was clear the site had undergone significant ecological and social change. So the government was keen to establish a world-class wetland with close links to nearby communities.</p>
<p>In 2009 an independent, community-based committee of management was formed to renew the site. </p>
<p>The scale of the renewal is significant, covering 8,750 hectares. It’s the first site outside the US to be classed as a <a href="https://www.sws.org/Resources/sws-wetlands-of-distinction.html">Wetland of Distinction</a> by the Society of Wetland Scientists, a leading global voice for wetland science and management.</p>
<p>Importantly, local Indigenous people are actively involved in the project, which recognises Indigenous cultural heritage sites throughout the wetlands.</p>
<p>This runs alongside efforts to document and share the history of the European settlers. The committee recognises that people in the wetlands have more than once moved from occupation to dispossession. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QwEbJvtHlGo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Winton Wetlands aerial views – December 2011.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The ecological renewal is built around specific management actions to establish self-sustaining populations of native fish, waterbirds and other fauna, and aquatic plants. It’s also improving the water quality and reducing the populations of feral animals and weeds.</p>
<p>Native plants returned to the site include the <a href="http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/0d08cd6930912d1e4a2567d2002579cb/water_sss_river_red_gum">river red gum</a> and <a href="http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/sip_southern_cane_grass">cane grass</a>.</p>
<p>Native fish are breeding, as is the majestic white-bellied sea eagle. A <a href="https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2019/09/the-rakali-a-native-water-rat-found-feasting-on-cane-toads-in-the-kimberley/">rakali</a> (Australia’s answer to otters) and sugar gliders have been sighted.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-major-scorecard-gives-the-health-of-australias-environment-less-than-1-out-of-10-133444">A major scorecard gives the health of Australia's environment less than 1 out of 10</a>
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<p>An advisory panel is guiding the science behind the project. It’s supported by research partnerships with universities and an annual science forum, designed as an information exchange between the committee and the wider community.</p>
<p>A cafe and <a href="https://wintonwetlands.org.au/visit/">visitors hub</a> are now regularly used for events. People visit the wetlands for walks, bike rides, canoeing, stargazing and birdwatching.</p>
<p>There are 60km of roads, nine bush walks, 30km of cycling trails and artworks celebrating the <a href="https://wintonwetlands.org.au/visit/landscape-art/">landscape</a> and its history.</p>
<p>The decommissioning of the dam was not well received by some in the community at first. The restoration project is working hard to <a href="https://youtu.be/iFJkyWOS5rI">repair the connection</a> of people to the site through ecological renewal, art and recreational events.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342888/original/file-20200619-41213-fkghpf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342888/original/file-20200619-41213-fkghpf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342888/original/file-20200619-41213-fkghpf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342888/original/file-20200619-41213-fkghpf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342888/original/file-20200619-41213-fkghpf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342888/original/file-20200619-41213-fkghpf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342888/original/file-20200619-41213-fkghpf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342888/original/file-20200619-41213-fkghpf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">New trees planted as part of the Winton Wetland revegetation during dry periods.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lance Lloyd</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>If you restore it, they will come</h2>
<p>The success of the Winton Wetlands project in involving the community is reflected in increasing visitor numbers to the site. These have grown from 36,264 in 2016-17 to 65,287 in 2018-19.</p>
<p>In addition, the numbers of schoolchildren who visit the site for guided nature excursions has increased from 274 in 2016-17 to 2,013 in 2018-19.</p>
<p>Volunteers are also playing a role with some 4,114 hours of effort in 2018-19 operating the information desk, taking guided walks, organising planting days and other restoration activities. Volunteers support the science work in various ways including long-term monitoring of frog calls.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-count-your-fish-before-they-hatch-experts-react-to-plans-to-release-2-million-fish-into-the-murray-darling-140428">Don't count your fish before they hatch: experts react to plans to release 2 million fish into the Murray Darling</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The management committee is determined to rebuild the ecological integrity of the wetlands. But there is a lot still to do, and there are differences of opinion over the priorities and the speed at which things are being done.</p>
<p>The initial funding of A$17 million from the Victorian government will soon be exhausted. Other financial avenues are being pursued. This is necessary to secure a future for this bright spot – a gem of inestimable value – in the Murray-Darling Basin.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342651/original/file-20200618-41248-v9v8c4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342651/original/file-20200618-41248-v9v8c4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342651/original/file-20200618-41248-v9v8c4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342651/original/file-20200618-41248-v9v8c4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342651/original/file-20200618-41248-v9v8c4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342651/original/file-20200618-41248-v9v8c4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342651/original/file-20200618-41248-v9v8c4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/342651/original/file-20200618-41248-v9v8c4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Winton Wetlands represent a bright spot for social-ecological restoration and renewal in the Murray-Darling Basin.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lance Lloyd</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140337/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Max Finlayson is affiliated with the Winton Wetlands Committee of Management through his role as Chair of their Environmental Strategy Advisory Panel. He is also President (2019-2020) of the Society of Wetland Scientists that has recently accepted the Winton Wetlands as the first non-USA site under its Wetlands of Distinction initiative. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lance Lloyd consults to Winton Wetlands as their Restoration Scientist (Aquatic Ecology). The Committee of Managemment receives funding from multiple organisations for work at the Winton Wetlands such as the Wettenhall Foundation, Government (DELWP) and external grant schemes.</span></em></p>The number of visitors to the restored wetlands is increasing each year, as is the wildlife.Max Finlayson, Adjunct Professor, Charles Sturt UniversityLance Lloyd, Honorary Research Fellow, Federation University AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1404282020-06-14T19:57:30Z2020-06-14T19:57:30ZDon’t count your fish before they hatch: experts react to plans to release 2 million fish into the Murray Darling<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341413/original/file-20200612-38695-s2nehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C0%2C4243%2C2828&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dean Lewins/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The New South Wales government <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/two-million-fish-to-be-released-into-murray-darling-system-20200608-p550gu.html">plans to release</a> two million native fish into rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin, in the largest breeding program of its kind in the state. But as the river system recovers from a string of mass fish deaths, caution is needed.</p>
<p>Having suitable <a href="https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/aquaculture/publications/species-freshwater/collecting-finfish-broodstock">breeding fish</a> does not always guarantee millions of healthy offspring for restocking. And even if millions of young fish are released into the wild, increased fish populations in the long term are not assured.</p>
<p>For stocking to be successful, fish must be released into <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/pubs/Strategies-to-improve-post-release-survival-of-hatchery-reared-threatened-fish-species_0.pdf">good quality water, with suitable habitat and lots of food</a>. But these conditions have been quite rare in Murray Darling rivers over the past three years.</p>
<p>We research the impact of human activity on fish and aquatic systems and have studied many Australian fish restocking programs. So let’s take a closer look at the NSW government’s plans.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341411/original/file-20200612-38707-b3uoxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341411/original/file-20200612-38707-b3uoxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341411/original/file-20200612-38707-b3uoxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341411/original/file-20200612-38707-b3uoxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341411/original/file-20200612-38707-b3uoxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341411/original/file-20200612-38707-b3uoxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341411/original/file-20200612-38707-b3uoxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A mass fish kill at Menindee in northern NSW in January 2019 depleted Fisk stocks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Success stories</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/two-million-fish-to-be-released-into-murray-darling-system-20200608-p550gu.html">According to</a> the Sydney Morning Herald, the NSW restocking program involves releasing juvenile Murray cod, golden perch and silver perch into the Darling River downstream of Brewarrina, in northwestern NSW. </p>
<p>Other areas including the Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, Macquarie and Murray Rivers will reportedly also be restocked. These species and regions were among the hardest hit by recent fish kills.</p>
<p>Fish restocking is <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233194500_Stocking_Trends_A_Quantitative_Review_of_Governmental_Fish_Stocking_in_the_United_States_1931_to_2004">used worldwide</a> to boost species after events such as fish kills, help threatened species recover, and increase populations of recreational fishing species.</p>
<p>Since the 1970s in the Murray-Darling river system, <a href="https://www.bnbfishing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Assessment-of-stocking-effectiveness-of-Murray-cod-and-golden-perch.pdf">millions of fish</a> have been bred in <a href="https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/about-us/science-and-research/centres/narrandera-fisheries-centre">government</a> and <a href="https://www.murraydarlingfisheries.com.au/">private</a> hatcheries in spring each year. Young fish, called fingerlings, are usually released in the following summer and autumn. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-its-time-to-talk-about-our-water-emergency-139024">Australia, it's time to talk about our water emergency</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There have been success stories. For example, the endangered <a href="https://www.fishfiles.com.au/media/fish-magazine/FISH-Vol-23-2/Back-from-the-brink">trout cod</a> was restocked into the Ovens and Murrumbidgee Rivers between <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235774467_Reintroduction_success_of_threatened_Australian_trout_cod_Maccullochella_macquariensis_based_on_growth_and_reproduction">1997 and 2006</a>. Prior to the restocking program, the species was locally extinct. It’s now re-established in the Murrumbidgee River and no longer requires stocking to maintain the population.</p>
<p>In response to fish kills in 2010, the Edward-Wakool river system <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/aec.12424">was restocked</a> to help fish recover when natural spawning was expected to be low. And the threatened Murray hardyhead is now increasing in numbers thanks <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/water/wetlands/publications/wetlands-australia/national-wetlands-update-february-2020/murray-hardyhead#:%7E:text=In%20November%202018%2C%20around%20800,fish%20to%20NSW%20river%20systems.">to a successful stocking program</a> in the Lower Darling.</p>
<p>After recent fish kills in the Murray Darling, breeding fish known as “broodstock” were <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/worldtoday/mass-fish-rescue-gets-underway-in-darling-river/11492042">rescued from the river</a> and taken to government and private hatcheries. Eventually, it was expected the rescued fish and their offspring would restock the rivers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341420/original/file-20200612-38724-115m2l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341420/original/file-20200612-38724-115m2l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341420/original/file-20200612-38724-115m2l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341420/original/file-20200612-38724-115m2l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341420/original/file-20200612-38724-115m2l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341420/original/file-20200612-38724-115m2l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341420/original/file-20200612-38724-115m2l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Murray hardyhead after environment agencies transplanted a population of the endangered native fish.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">North Central Catchment Management Authority</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Words of caution</h2>
<p>Fish hatchery managers rarely count their fish before they hatch. It’s quite a challenge to ensure adult fish develop viable eggs that are then fertilised at high rates. </p>
<p>Once hatched, larvae must be transported to ponds containing the right amount of plankton for food. The larvae must then avoid predatory birds, be kept free from disease, and grow at the right temperatures.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/last-summers-fish-carnage-sparked-public-outrage-heres-what-has-happened-since-132346">Last summer's fish carnage sparked public outrage. Here's what has happened since</a>
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<hr>
<p>When it comes to releasing the fish into the wild, careful decisions must be made about how many fish to release, where and when. Factors such as water temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen levels must be carefully assessed. </p>
<p>Introducing hatchery-reared fish into the wild does <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044848610004540?casa_token=NbFwq0hZLSgAAAAA:SntmSZkoWH387KKTDvXn-rHg-I6P0P0Q-OfgI6hvb6gp_Hxy82Y9AMIndcMYR3yarSkeFOY_cWE">not always deliver</a> dramatic improvements in fish numbers. Poor water quality, lack of food and <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/pubs/A-review-of-domestication-effects-on-stocked-fish-in-the-MDB.pdf">slow adaptation to the wild</a> can reduce survival rates. </p>
<p>In some parts of the Murray-Darling, restocking <a href="https://researchers.cdu.edu.au/en/publications/contribution-of-stocked-fish-to-riverine-populations-of-golden-pe">is likely to</a> have slowed the decline in native fish numbers, although it has not stopped it altogether.</p>
<h2>Address the root cause</h2>
<p>Fish stocking decisions are sometimes motivated by economic reasons, such as boosting species sought by anglers who pay licence fees and support tourist industries. But stocking programs must also consider the underlying reasons for declining fish populations.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341422/original/file-20200612-93512-93hfcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341422/original/file-20200612-93512-93hfcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341422/original/file-20200612-93512-93hfcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341422/original/file-20200612-93512-93hfcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341422/original/file-20200612-93512-93hfcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341422/original/file-20200612-93512-93hfcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341422/original/file-20200612-93512-93hfcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Swan Hill, home to a larger-than-life replica of the Murray cod, is just one river community that relies on anglers for tourism.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Aside from poor water quality, fish in the Murray Darling are threatened by being sucked into irrigation systems, cold water pollution from dams, dams and weirs blocking migration paths and invasive fish species. These factors must be addressed alongside restocking.</p>
<p>Fish should not be released into areas with unsuitable habitat or water quality. The Darling River fish kills were caused by <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/managing-water/drought-murray-darling-basin/fish-deaths-lower-darling/independent-assessment-fish">low oxygen levels</a>, associated with drought and water extraction. These conditions could rapidly return if we have another hot, dry summer.</p>
<p>Stocking rivers with young fish is only one step. They must then grow to adults and successfully breed. So the restocking program must consider the entire fish life cycle, and be coupled with good <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-08-28/more-fish-kills-expected-as-nsw-government-announces-rescue-plan/11457826">river management</a>. </p>
<p>The Murray Darling Basin Authority’s <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/pubs/Native%20Fish%20Emergency%20Response%20Plan%20-%20October%202019_0.pdf">Native Fish Recovery Strategy</a> includes management actions such as improving fish passage, delivering environmental flows, improving habitat, controlling invasive species and fish harvest restrictions. Funding the strategy’s implementation <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-good-plan-to-help-darling-river-fish-recover-exists-so-lets-get-on-with-it-110168">is a key next step</a>.</p>
<h2>Looking ahead</h2>
<p>After recent rains, parts of the Murray Darling river system are now flowing for the first time in years. But some locals say the flows are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-11/lower-darling-flows-hit-pooncarie-first-time-in-18-months/12137306">only a trickle</a> and more rain is urgently needed.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks/#/rainfall/median/weekly/0">Higher than average rainfall</a> is predicted between July and September. This will be needed for restocked fish to thrive. If the rain does not arrive, and other measures are not taken to improve the system’s health, then the restocking plans may be futile.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-wrote-the-report-for-the-minister-on-fish-deaths-in-the-lower-darling-heres-why-it-could-happen-again-115063">We wrote the report for the minister on fish deaths in the lower Darling – here's why it could happen again</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140428/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lee Baumgartner receives funding from the Australian government to perform critical research into the impacts of human activities on fish and aquatic systems in South East Asia. He sits on a range of state and federal advisory panels and is a passionate advocate for sustainable practices in the Murray-Darling Basin.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Jamin Forbes received funding from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust for research into the effectiveness of stocking Australian native freshwater fish.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katie Doyle receives funding from the Ian Potter Foundation and NSW State Government to undertake research relating to protecting Australian freshwater fish and aquatic biotia from human activities and a changing climate.</span></em></p>Fish must be released into good quality water, with suitable habitat and lots of food. These conditions have been quite rare in Murray Darling rivers in recent years.Lee Baumgartner, Professor of Fisheries and River Management, Institute for Land, Water, and Society, Charles Sturt UniversityJamin Forbes, Freshwater Ecologist, Charles Sturt UniversityKatie Doyle, Freshwater Ecologist, Charles Sturt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1390242020-05-21T20:01:47Z2020-05-21T20:01:47ZAustralia, it’s time to talk about our water emergency<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336455/original/file-20200520-152338-sb23lb.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C0%2C3429%2C2286&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dean Lewins/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The last bushfire season showed Australians they can no longer pretend climate change will not affect them. But there’s another climate change influence we must also face up to: increasingly scarce water on our continent. </p>
<p>Under climate change, rainfall will become more unpredictable. Extreme weather events such as cyclones will be more intense. This will challenge water managers already struggling to respond to Australia’s natural boom and bust of droughts and floods. </p>
<p>Thirty years since Australia’s water reform project began, it’s clear our efforts have largely failed. Drought-stricken rural towns have literally run out of water. Despite the recent rains, the Murray Darling river system is being run dry and struggles to support the communities that depend on it.</p>
<p>We must find another way. So let’s start the conversation.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336464/original/file-20200520-152284-bwnzan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336464/original/file-20200520-152284-bwnzan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336464/original/file-20200520-152284-bwnzan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336464/original/file-20200520-152284-bwnzan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336464/original/file-20200520-152284-bwnzan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336464/original/file-20200520-152284-bwnzan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336464/original/file-20200520-152284-bwnzan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’s time for a new national discussion about water policy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joe Castro/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How did we get here?</h2>
<p>Sadly, inequitable water outcomes in Australia are not new.</p>
<p>The first water “reform” occurred when European settlers acquired water sources from First Peoples without consent or compensation. Overlaying this dispossession, British common law gave new settlers land access rights to freshwater. These later converted into state-owned rights, and are now allocated as privately held water entitlements.</p>
<p>Some 200 years later, the first steps towards long-term water reform arguably began in the 1990s. The process accelerated during the Millennium Drought and in 2004 led to the <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/water-reform/national-water-initiative-agreement-2004.pdf">National Water Initiative</a>, an intergovernmental water agreement. This was followed in 2007 by a federal <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Series/C2007A00137">Water Act</a>, upending exclusive state jurisdiction over water.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/while-towns-run-dry-cotton-extracts-5-sydney-harbours-worth-of-murray-darling-water-a-year-its-time-to-reset-the-balance-133342">While towns run dry, cotton extracts 5 Sydney Harbours' worth of Murray Darling water a year. It's time to reset the balance</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>Under the National Water Initiative, state and territory water plans were to be verified through water accounting to ensure “adequate measurement, monitoring and reporting systems” across the country.</p>
<p>This would have boosted public and investor confidence in the amount of water being traded, extracted and recovered – both for the environment and the public good.</p>
<p>This vision has not been realised. Instead, a narrow view now dominates in which water is valuable only when extracted, and water reform is about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104755">subsidising water infrastructure</a> such as dams, to enable this extraction.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336465/original/file-20200520-152292-2a8c88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336465/original/file-20200520-152292-2a8c88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336465/original/file-20200520-152292-2a8c88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336465/original/file-20200520-152292-2a8c88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336465/original/file-20200520-152292-2a8c88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336465/original/file-20200520-152292-2a8c88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336465/original/file-20200520-152292-2a8c88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The National Water Initiative has failed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dean Lewins/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why we should all care</h2>
<p>In the current drought, rural towns have literally run out of fresh drinking water. These towns are not just dots on a map. They are communities whose very existence is now threatened.</p>
<p>In some small towns, drinking water can taste unpleasant or contain high levels of nitrate, threatening the health of babies. Drinking water in some remote Indigenous communities is not always treated, and the quality rarely checked. </p>
<p>In the Murray-Darling Basin, poor management and low rainfall have caused dry rivers, mass fish kills, and distress in Aboriginal communities. Key aspects of the basin plan have not been implemented. This, coupled with bushfire damage, has caused long-term ecological harm. </p>
<h2>How do we fix the water emergency?</h2>
<p>Rivers, lakes and wetlands must have enough water at the right time. Only then will the needs of humans and the environment be met equitably - including access to and use of water by First Peoples.</p>
<p>Water for the environment and water for irrigation is not a zero-sum trade-off. Without healthy rivers, irrigation farming and rural communities cannot survive. </p>
<p>A national conversation on water reform is needed. It should recognise and include First Peoples’ values and knowledge of land, water and fire. </p>
<p>Our water brief, <a href="https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/204069">Water Reform For All</a>,
proposes six principles to build a national water dialogue:</p>
<blockquote>
<ol>
<li>establish shared visions and goals</li>
<li>develop clarity of roles and responsibilities</li>
<li>implement adaptation as a way to respond to an escalation of stresses, including climate change and governance failures</li>
<li>invest in advanced technology to monitor, predict and understand changes in water availability</li>
<li>integrate bottom-up and community-based adaptation, including from Indigenous communities, into improved water governance arrangements</li>
<li>undertake policy experiments to test new ways of managing water for all </li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336466/original/file-20200520-152298-10l7lkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336466/original/file-20200520-152298-10l7lkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336466/original/file-20200520-152298-10l7lkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336466/original/file-20200520-152298-10l7lkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336466/original/file-20200520-152298-10l7lkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336466/original/file-20200520-152298-10l7lkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336466/original/file-20200520-152298-10l7lkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Darling River is in poor health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dean Lewins/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Ask the right questions</h2>
<p>As researchers, we don’t have all the answers on how to create a sustainable, equitable water future. No-one does. But in any national conversation, we believe these fundamental questions must be asked:</p>
<blockquote>
<ol>
<li><p>who is responsible for water governance? How do decisions and actions of one group affect access and availability of water for others? </p></li>
<li><p>what volumes of water are extracted from surface and groundwater systems? Where, when, by whom and for what?</p></li>
<li><p>what can we predict about a future climate and other long-term drivers of change? </p></li>
<li><p>how can we better understand and measure the multiple values that water holds for communities and society?</p></li>
<li><p>where do our visions for the future of water align? Where do they differ?</p></li>
<li><p>what principles, protocols and processes will help deliver the water reform needed?</p></li>
<li><p>how do existing rules and institutions constrain, or enable, efforts to achieve a shared vision of a sustainable water future?</p></li>
<li><p>how do we integrate new knowledge, such as water availability under climate change, into our goals?</p></li>
<li><p>what restitution is needed in relation to water and Country for First Peoples?</p></li>
<li><p>what economic sectors and processes would be better suited to a water-scarce future, and how might we foster them?</p></li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
<h2>Water reform for all</h2>
<p>These questions, if part of a national conversation, would reinvigorate the water debate and help put Australia on track to a sustainable water future.</p>
<p>Now is the time to start the discussion. Long-accepted policy approaches in support of sustainable water futures are in question. In the Murray-Darling Basin, some states even question the value of catchment-wide management. The formula for water-sharing between states is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/14/water-wars-will-politics-destroy-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-and-the-river-system-itself">under attack</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-official-expert-review-rejects-nsw-plan-to-let-seawater-flow-into-the-murray-river-138291">It's official: expert review rejects NSW plan to let seawater flow into the Murray River</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Even science that previously underpinned water reform is <a href="http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol13/v13issue1/561-a13-1-1/file">being questioned</a></p>
<p>We must return to basics, reassess what’s sensible and feasible, and debate new ways forward. </p>
<p>We are not naive. All of us have been involved in water reform and some of us, like many others, suffer from reform fatigue.</p>
<p>But without a fresh debate, Australia’s water emergency will only get worse. Reform can – and must – happen, for the benefit of all Australians.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The following contributed to this piece and co-authored the report on which it was based: Daniel Connell, Katherine Daniell, Joseph Guillaume, Lorrae van Kerkoff, Aparna Lal, Ehsan Nabavi, Jamie Pittock, Katherine Taylor, Paul Tregoning, and John Williams</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139024/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Quentin Grafton received funding from The Murray-Darling Basin Authority in 2010-11. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Colloff has participated in projects funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. He is affiliated with the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Wyrwoll and Virginia Marshall do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Thirty years since Australia’s water reform project began, it’s clear our efforts have largely failed. We must find another way.Quentin Grafton, Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityMatthew Colloff, Honorary Senior Lecturer, Australian National UniversityPaul Wyrwoll, Research fellow, Australian National UniversityVirginia Marshall, Inaugural Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1333422020-04-13T19:49:37Z2020-04-13T19:49:37ZWhile towns run dry, cotton extracts 5 Sydney Harbours’ worth of Murray Darling water a year. It’s time to reset the balance<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324157/original/file-20200330-65518-1leq5nz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The rains have finally arrived in the Northern Murray Darling Basin. Hopefully, this drought-easing water will flow all the way down to the parched communities and degraded habitats of the lower Darling. </p>
<p>How much water goes <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-28/water-flows-in-first-major-test-of-murray-darling-basin-plan/12010166">downstream</a>, however, does not just depend on how much it has rained. </p>
<p>It also greatly depends on how much is extracted and consumed upstream, and the rules and enforcement around these water extractions.</p>
<p>Simplistic or knee-jerk responses to water insecurity, such as banning irrigation for “thirsty crops” such as cotton, will not fix the water woes of the basin. </p>
<p>The harder and longer path is to <a href="https://murraydeclaration.org/">deliver real water reform</a> as was agreed to by all governments in the <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/water-reform/national-water-initiative-agreement-2004.pdf">2004 National Water Initiative</a> and that includes transparent water planning enshrined in law.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-sweet-relief-of-rain-after-bushfires-threatens-disaster-for-our-rivers-129449">The sweet relief of rain after bushfires threatens disaster for our rivers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Basin cotton irrigators extract about five Sydney Harbours’ worth a year</h2>
<p>Irrigation accounts for about <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-8489.12288">70% of all surface water extracted in the basin</a>. </p>
<p>Australia’s water accounts tell us that in 2017-18, basin cotton irrigators extracted some 2,500 billion litres (about five Sydney Harbours’ worth) or equivalent to about 35% of all the water extracted for irrigation. </p>
<p>Most of this water was extracted <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/discover-basin/landscape/geography">in the Northern Basin</a> (covering southern Queensland and northern New South Wales). But increasingly cotton is becoming a preferred crop in the Southern Basin (southern NSW to South Australia). </p>
<p>Overall, the area of land in cotton and the water extracted for cotton increased by 4% in 2017-18 relative to 2016-17.</p>
<p>Cotton is a thirsty crop. According to the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4618.0">Australian Bureau of Statistics</a> cotton uses, on average, more than 7 million litres (or about three Olympic-sized swimming pools) per hectare. </p>
<p>At a global scale, the volume of water extracted by cotton irrigators to produce one kilogram of cotton fabric averages <a href="https://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Assessm_water_footprint_cotton_India.pdf">more than 3,000 litres</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/325561/original/file-20200406-196131-dkvkcn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/325561/original/file-20200406-196131-dkvkcn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/325561/original/file-20200406-196131-dkvkcn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/325561/original/file-20200406-196131-dkvkcn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/325561/original/file-20200406-196131-dkvkcn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/325561/original/file-20200406-196131-dkvkcn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/325561/original/file-20200406-196131-dkvkcn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/325561/original/file-20200406-196131-dkvkcn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cotton is a thirsty crop.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Increased water efficiency: good news for some, bad news for others</h2>
<p>Concerns over how much water cotton uses, and the high price of water in the basin, has incentivised cotton farmers to increase their cotton yield (in tonnes) per million litres of water extracted. </p>
<p>This has been achieved with improved genetics, management and more high-tech irrigation methods. According to Cotton Australia, <a href="https://cottonaustralia.com.au/cottons-water-use">much less water (only 19%) is flowing back into streams and groundwater from water applied to cotton fields</a> than two decades ago, when the return flows were 43% of the water applied. </p>
<p><a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6404/748">Increased irrigation efficiency</a> is good news for cotton irrigators, especially those that received some of the <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-resource-100517-023039">A$4 billion in public money</a> already spent to increase irrigation efficiency in the basin. But it is bad news for downstream irrigators, communities and the environment. </p>
<p>This is because a much greater proportion of the water extracted by cotton farmers now gets consumed as evapo-transpiration, and thus is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13241583.2019.1579965">unavailable for anyone or anything else</a>.</p>
<h2>We need to change the rules of the game</h2>
<p>Given these cotton facts, would banning the growing of cotton in Australia increase the water available? No – because the problem is not cotton irrigation per se, but rather the “rules of the game” of the who, how, and when water is extracted. These water sharing rules are determined at a state level in what are called <a href="http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/549024/wsp_barwon_darling_background_document.pdf">Water Sharing Plans</a>. </p>
<p>Proper water planning is the only way to ensure a fair deal, deliver on the intent of the 2012 <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan/plan-murray-darling-basin">Basin Plan</a> and keep levels of water extraction at <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/why-is-the-murray-darling-basin-so-important-and-how-did-we-end-up-at-this-point">sustainable levels</a>.</p>
<p>Water sharing plans are supposed to be consistent with the 2012 Basin Plan. But NSW has, so far, failed to provide its plans for auditing by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, missing the key July 1, 2019 deadline. </p>
<p>Following an <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/pumped/8727826">expose of alleged water theft in July 2017</a>, the NSW government created a <a href="https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/natural-resources-access-regulator/about-nrar">specialised agency</a>, the Natural Resources Access Regulator, that has greatly helped water monitoring and compliance in NSW. Despite its best efforts, there is still inadequate metering in the Northern Basin. And across the basin as a whole, most groundwater extractions are not properly monitored.</p>
<p>The actual rules about how much water can be extracted are substantially <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07900627.2019.1674132?needAccess=true">influenced by some irrigators</a> in the consultation process before plans are implemented. </p>
<p>Such influence has resulted in some water sharing plans favouring upstream irrigators at the expense of downstream communities, such as <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-19/walgett-has-two-rivers-but-no-water-left-to-drink/10558428">Walgett</a> and <a href="https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/rural/2019/03/09/wilcannia-the-town-with-no-water/15520500007800">Wilcannia</a>. These towns have been left high and dry despite the fact NSW law gives priority to town water supplies over other water uses.</p>
<p>According to the NSW Natural Resources Commission, the current Barwon-Darling Water Sharing Plan “effectively prioritises upstream water users” and also does not provide protection for environmental water from extraction. </p>
<p>The Natural Resources Commission also observed that extraction permitted under the plan:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>has affected those communities and landholders reliant on the river for domestic and stock water supplies, town water supply, community and social needs.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A consultant’s report from 2019, written for the NSW government, also found no evidence in the Barwon-Darling water planning processes of reporting on performance indicators such as changes in stream flow regimes, ecological values of key water sources or water utility (for town supply) access requirements. </p>
<p>Sadly, the problem of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/damning-disappointing-debacle-in-state-s-water-sharing-plans-20200218-p541xg.html">poor water planning</a> is not exclusive to the Barwon-Darling, but exists in other basin catchments in NSW, and beyond.</p>
<h2>Holding governments responsible</h2>
<p>Any effective solution to the water emergency in the basin must, therefore, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/how-would-you-like-to-handle-it-the-minister-the-irrigators-and-a-flood-20200218-p541yv.html">hold governments responsible</a> for their water plans and decisions. This requires that a “who, what, how and when” of water be made transparent through an independent water auditing, monitoring and compliance process.</p>
<p>Simplistic responses to water insecurity, such as banning irrigation for cotton, will not fix the water woes of the basin. The harder and longer path is to <a href="https://murraydeclaration.org/">deliver real water reform</a> as was agreed to by all governments in the <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/water-reform/national-water-initiative-agreement-2004.pdf">2004 National Water Initiative</a> and that included transparent water planning enshrined in law.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fish-kills-and-undrinkable-water-heres-what-to-expect-for-the-murray-darling-this-summer-126940">Fish kills and undrinkable water: here's what to expect for the Murray Darling this summer</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Three things that would make a difference</h2>
<p>As a nation we must <a href="http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol13/v13issue1/561-a13-1-1/file">hold decisionmakers accountable</a> so the rules of the game do not favour the big end of town at the expense, and even the existence, of towns. </p>
<p>We also need to: </p>
<ol>
<li>stop wasting billions on irrigation subsidies that <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6404/748">reduce flows to streams and rivers</a></li>
<li>monitor, measure and audit what is happening to the water extracted and in streams</li>
<li>actually deliver on the key objects of the federal Water Act and state water acts.</li>
</ol>
<p>Enforcing the law of the land would ensure those who have the legal right to get the water first (such as town water supplies) are prioritised in the implementation of water sharing plans. It would mean state water plans are audited and actually deliver environmentally sustainable levels of water extraction.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133342/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Quentin Grafton received funding from The Murray-Darling Basin Authority in 2010 and 2011 and is a former Chair of the Socio-economics Reference Panel for the Murray-Darling Basin Commission. </span></em></p>Knee-jerk responses to water insecurity won’t fix the basin. The harder and longer path is delivering real water reform, including transparent water planning enshrined in law.Quentin Grafton, Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1294492020-01-13T02:32:56Z2020-01-13T02:32:56ZThe sweet relief of rain after bushfires threatens disaster for our rivers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309189/original/file-20200109-138658-1m5b7p7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C24%2C2026%2C1508&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">After heavy rainfall, debris could wash into our waterways and threaten fish, water bugs, and other aquatic species.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jarod Lyon</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-bushfires-are-horrendous-but-expect-cyclones-floods-and-heatwaves-too-129328">heavy rainfall</a> eventually extinguishes the flames ravaging south-east Australia, another ecological threat will arise. Sediment, ash and debris washing into our waterways, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin, may decimate aquatic life.</p>
<p>We’ve seen this before. Following 2003 bushfires in Victoria’s alpine region, water filled with sediment and debris (<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01851.x?casa_token=agMBKaIwouEAAAAA%3APypMeV5ZvxP-FB88fNaZ2E_Fyr1NCEkdPf8Q1CHfCEb8peTY_fT83a-tc86NZaix_Dbr7MpJfV9XVuk">known as sediment slugs</a>) flowed into rivers and lakes, heavily reducing fish populations. We’ll likely see it again after this season’s bushfire emergency.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-bushfires-are-horrendous-but-expect-cyclones-floods-and-heatwaves-too-129328">The bushfires are horrendous, but expect cyclones, floods and heatwaves too</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Large areas of northeast Victoria have been burnt. While this region accounts only for 2% of Murray-Darling Basin’s entire land area, water flowing in from northeast Victorian streams (also known as in-flow) contributes <a href="https://www.water.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/421639/NorthEast_SDS_WEB.pdf">38%</a> of overall in-flows into the Murray-Darling Basin.</p>
<p>Fire debris flowing into Murray-Darling Basin will exacerbate the risk of fish and other aquatic life dying en masse <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/feb/18/the-darling-will-die-scientists-say-mass-fish-kill-due-to-over-extraction-and-drought">as witnessed in previous years.</a>.</p>
<h2>What will flow into waterways?</h2>
<p>Generally, bushfire ash comprises <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935115300177">organic carbon and inorganic elements</a> such as nitrogen, phosphorous and metals such as <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Singarayer_Florentine/publication/317106161_Risk_of_post-fire_metal_mobilization_into_surface_water_resources_A_review/links/59de6f650f7e9bcfab24033e/Risk-of-post-fire-metal-mobilization-into-surface-water-resources-A-review.pdf">copper, mercury and zinc</a>. </p>
<p>Sediment rushing into waterways can also contain large amounts of soil, since fire has consumed the vegetation that once bound the soil together and prevented erosion.</p>
<p>And <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169410006748">carcinogenic chemicals</a> – found in soil and ash in higher amounts following bushfires – can contaminate streams and reservoirs <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ldr.3427">over the first year after the fire</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VwPnKCx2SNM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A 2014 post-fire flood in a Californian stream.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How they harm aquatic life</h2>
<p>Immediately following the bushfires, we expect to see an increase in streamflow when it rains, because burnt soil <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jof/article/102/6/16/4613173">repels</a>, not absorbs, water.</p>
<p>When vast amounts of carbon are present in a waterway, such as when carbon-loaded sediments and debris wash in, bacteria rapidly consumes the water’s oxygen. The remaining oxygen levels can fall below what most invertebrates and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01851.x">fish</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169412003691">can tolerate</a>.</p>
<p>These high sediment loads can also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135408001401#bib20">suffocate</a> aquatic animals with a fine layer of silt which coats their gills and other breathing structures.</p>
<p>Habitats are also at risk. When sediment is suspended in the river and light can’t penetrate, suitable fish habitat is diminished. The murkier water also means there’s less opportunity for aquatic plants and algae to photosynthesise (turn sunshine to energy). </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-wildfire-smoke-affects-pets-and-other-animals-129430">How wildfire smoke affects pets and other animals</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>What’s more, many of Australia’s <a href="https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/etc.4400">waterbugs</a>, the keystone of river food webs, need pools with litter and debris for cover. They rely on slime on the surface of rocks and snags that contain <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/fwb.12778">algae, fungi and bacteria</a> for food.</p>
<p>But heavy rain following fire can lead to pools and the spaces between cobbles to fill with silt, causing the waterbugs to starve and lose their homes. </p>
<p>This is bad news for fish too. Any bug-eating fish that manage to avoid dying from a lack of oxygen can be faced with an immediate food shortage.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309584/original/file-20200113-103982-12l5aym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309584/original/file-20200113-103982-12l5aym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309584/original/file-20200113-103982-12l5aym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309584/original/file-20200113-103982-12l5aym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309584/original/file-20200113-103982-12l5aym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309584/original/file-20200113-103982-12l5aym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309584/original/file-20200113-103982-12l5aym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309584/original/file-20200113-103982-12l5aym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many fish were killed in Ovens River after the 2003 bushfires from sediment slugs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Arthur Rylah Institute</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We saw this in 2003 after the sediment slug penetrated the Ovens River in the north east Murray catchment. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01851.x?casa_token=GQgDJxvEkN4AAAAA%3ATNhhYCetOkbRaRUSA57m9ERqH1ZFgXwauB_OdBAh4ofE089LGsi4WT9Bbax0PtxxkN2CrpqD71ybsPBS">Researchers</a> observed dead fish, stressed fish gulping at the water surface and freshwater crayfish walking out of the stream. </p>
<h2>Long-term damage</h2>
<p>Bushfires can increase the amount of nutrients in streams <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es500130g">100 fold</a>. The effects can persist for several years before nutrient levels return to pre-fire conditions. </p>
<p>More nutrients in the water might sound like a good thing, but when there’s too much (especially nitrogen and phosphorous), coupled with warm temperatures, they can lead to excessive growth of blue-green algae. This algae can be toxic to both people and animals and often closes down recreational waters.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/strength-from-perpetual-grief-how-aboriginal-people-experience-the-bushfire-crisis-129448">Strength from perpetual grief: how Aboriginal people experience the bushfire crisis</a>
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<p>Large parts of the upper Murray River catchment above Lake Hume has burnt, risking increases to nutrient loads within the lake and causing blue-green algae blooms which may flow downstream. This can impact communities from Albury all the way to the mouth of the Murray River in South Australia. </p>
<p>Some aquatic species are already teetering on the edge of their <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-015-3463-7">preferred temperature</a> as stream temperatures rise from climate change. In places where bushfires have burnt all the way to the stream edge, decimating vegetation that provided shade, there’ll be less <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/mf/MF04120">resistance to temperature changes</a>, and fewer cold places for aquatic life to hide. </p>
<p>Cooler hide-outs are particularly important for popular angling species such as trout, which are highly <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/eco.1653">sensitive to increased water temperature</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309192/original/file-20200109-138668-1uyxw7s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309192/original/file-20200109-138668-1uyxw7s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309192/original/file-20200109-138668-1uyxw7s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309192/original/file-20200109-138668-1uyxw7s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309192/original/file-20200109-138668-1uyxw7s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309192/original/file-20200109-138668-1uyxw7s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309192/original/file-20200109-138668-1uyxw7s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ash blanketing the forest floor can end up in waterways when it rains.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tarmo Raadik</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But while we can expect an increase in stream flow from water-repellent burnt soil, we know from previous bushfires that, in the long-term, stream flow will drop. </p>
<p>This is because in the upper catchments, regenerating younger forests use more water than the older forests they replace from <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wrcr.20351">evapotranspiration</a> (when plants release water vapour into the surrounding atmosphere, and evaporation from the surrounding land surface). </p>
<p>It’s particularly troubling for the Murray-Darling Basin, where large areas are already enduring ongoing drought. Bushfires may exacerbate existing dry conditions. </p>
<h2>So what can we do?</h2>
<p>We need to act as soon as possible. Understandably, priorities lie in removing the immediate and ongoing bushfire threat. But following that, we must improve sediment and erosion control to prevent debris being washed into water bodies in fire-affected areas. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-fact-theres-plenty-we-can-do-to-make-future-fires-less-likely-129341">In fact, there's plenty we can do to make future fires less likely</a>
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<p>One of the first things we can do is to restore areas used for bushfire control lines and minimise the movement of soil along access tracks used for bushfire suppression. This can be achieved using sediment barriers and other erosion control measures in high risk areas. </p>
<p>Longer-term, we can re-establish vegetation along waterways to help buffer temperature extremes and sediment loads entering streams.</p>
<p>It’s also important to introduce strategic water quality monitoring programs that incorporate real-time sensing technology, providing an early warning system for poor water quality. This can help guide the management of our rivers and reservoirs in the years to come.</p>
<p>While our current focus is on putting the fires out, as it should be, it’s important to start thinking about the future and how to protect our waterways. Because inevitably, it will rain again.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129449/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul McInerney receives funding from Murray-Darling Basin Authority and Commonwealth Environmental Water Office. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span><a href="mailto:gavin.rees@csiro.au">gavin.rees@csiro.au</a> receives funding from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and Commonwealth Environmental Water Office.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Klaus Joehnk receives funding from Murray-Darling Basin Authority</span></em></p>Fire debris flowing into Murray-Darling Basin will exacerbate the risk of fish and other aquatic life dying en masse in a repeat of the shocking fish kills of last summer.Paul McInerney, Research scientist, CSIROGavin Rees, Principal Research Scientist, CSIROKlaus Joehnk, Senior research scientist, CSIROLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1269392019-12-10T19:03:40Z2019-12-10T19:03:40Z5 human rights issues that defined 2019<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305813/original/file-20191209-90592-1dmieg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=21%2C50%2C4807%2C3047&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">One of this year’s most refreshing developments was the youth-led action on climate change.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Dan Peled</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As we approach the last days of the decade, it’s important to reflect on the fight for human rights, the setbacks and successes over the past year in Australia and around the world.</p>
<p>Our list isn’t ranked, and far from exhaustive – we acknowledge it doesn’t include many human rights struggles worthy of greater attention. But, in flagging some of the issues needing urgent attention, we hope to gather support for the broader movement that strives to achieve justice and secure dignity for more people. </p>
<h2>China holding one million Muslims in ‘political education camps’</h2>
<p>China is arbitrarily detaining an estimated <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-rights-un/u-n-says-it-has-credible-reports-that-china-holds-million-uighurs-in-secret-camps-idUSKBN1KV1SU">one million</a> Muslims in Xinjiang, in what the authorities call “political education camps”. Millions more are subjected to intrusive mass surveillance.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/95bYoPtJYSA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<p>Leaked internal <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/16/world/asia/china-xinjiang-documents.html">Chinese Communist Party documents</a> described in chilling detail just how the Chinese authorities keep the Uighurs locked up.</p>
<p>The size of your beard, where you travel and whether you use the back door of the house are all potentially <a href="https://www.hrw.org/video-photos/interactive/2019/05/02/china-how-mass-surveillance-works-xinjiang">indicators of “terrorism”</a> that can send you to the camps with no legal process at all.</p>
<p>The leaked documents are consistent with previous reporting on Xinjiang, but reveal the campaign originated from President Xi Jinping himself. They dispel the Chinese government’s claims these camps are merely “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-16/china-defends-vocational-training-centres/10384096">vocational training centres</a>”. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/leaked-documents-on-uighur-detention-camps-in-china-an-expert-explains-the-key-revelations-127221">Leaked documents on Uighur detention camps in China – an expert explains the key revelations</a>
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<p>More than two dozen countries joined two United Nations statements in Geneva and New York urging <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/07/10/un-unprecedented-joint-call-china-end-xinjiang-abuses">China</a> to end this arbitrary detention of Muslims. </p>
<p>In response, China organised several dozen countries, including notorious rights abusers such as Russia, Egypt, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to join statements commending China for its counter-terrorism efforts. </p>
<p>Faced with the growing body of evidence of large-scale human rights violations backed by China’s leadership, the question is whether the rest of the world will hold the Chinese government to account in 2020. </p>
<h2>Some women in Saudi Arabia can travel freely</h2>
<p>Following unprecedented global attention on Saudi Arabia’s discriminatory <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/07/16/boxed/women-and-saudi-arabias-male-guardianship-system">male guardianship system</a>, which restricts women’s rights to travel (among other things), Saudi authorities undertook reform. </p>
<p>At last, Saudi women over 21 years old have the right to travel abroad freely and obtain passports without permission from their male guardian. But this is a shallow victory for Saudi women, who still face myriad rights abuses at home. </p>
<p>Activists remain <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/10/02/mark-khashoggi-anniversary-freeing-jailed-activists">locked up</a> for peaceful acts of free expression, some alleging they have been <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/12/06/saudi-arabia-allow-access-detained-women-activists">tortured</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/saudi-women-are-fighting-for-their-freedom-and-their-hard-won-victories-are-growing-121610">Saudi women are fighting for their freedom – and their hard-won victories are growing</a>
</strong>
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</p>
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<p>The Saudi government also hasn’t taken meaningful steps to provide accountability for the murder of journalist <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/10/02/saudi-arabia-provide-justice-khashoggi-killing">Jamal Khashoggi</a>, or for their alleged war crimes in <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/09/10/un-human-rights-council-interactive-dialogue-group-international-and-regional">Yemen</a>. </p>
<h2>Australia’s performance on the UN Human Rights Council</h2>
<p>After initially taking a low-key approach to its membership in the UN Human Rights Council, Australia stepped up in its second year. This was to ensure the council renewed the mandate of the special rapporteur on <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/07/12/un-rights-body-maintains-scrutiny-eritreas-dire-rights-record">Eritrea</a>, where human rights continue to deteriorate. </p>
<p>In September, Australia led a <a href="https://dfat.gov.au/international-relations/international-organisations/un/unhrc-2018-2020/statements/Documents/42nd-hrc-joint-statement-human-rights-saudi-arabia.pdf">joint statement</a> bringing attention to human rights violations by Saudi Arabia, and the government joined two <a href="https://usun.usmission.gov/joint-statement-delivered-by-uk-rep-to-un-on-xinjiang-at-the-third-committee-dialogue-of-the-committee-for-the-elimination-of-racial-discrimination/">UN statements</a> on Xinjiang. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/with-a-seat-on-the-un-human-rights-council-australia-must-fix-its-record-on-indigenous-rights-86060">With a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, Australia must fix its record on Indigenous rights</a>
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<p>In 2020, the final year of Australia’s membership term, the government should keep up the pressure on Saudi Arabia and China by pressing for independent international inquiries into longstanding abuses. </p>
<h2>Aged care: a shocking tale of neglect</h2>
<p>“A shocking tale of neglect” was the headline of the Royal Commission’s <a href="https://agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/Pages/interim-report.aspx">interim report</a> into the Australian aged care system. </p>
<p>Tabled in the federal parliament in October, the report revealed more than 270,000 cases of substandard care in Australian nursing homes in the past five years. It argued for a major overhaul to transform the way Australia supports people as they grow older. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-aged-care-royal-commissions-3-areas-of-immediate-action-are-worthy-but-wont-fix-a-broken-system-126208">The aged care royal commission's 3 areas of immediate action are worthy, but won't fix a broken system</a>
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<p>One of the issues the commission heard testimony on was the routine use of drugs to control the behaviour of older people with dementia, without a medical purpose. </p>
<p>This practice is known as chemical restraint, and the drugs have devastating effects. They increase the risks of falls or strokes, and can render previously energetic people lethargic and, in some cases, unable to speak. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305811/original/file-20191209-90597-9vvpxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305811/original/file-20191209-90597-9vvpxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305811/original/file-20191209-90597-9vvpxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305811/original/file-20191209-90597-9vvpxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305811/original/file-20191209-90597-9vvpxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305811/original/file-20191209-90597-9vvpxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305811/original/file-20191209-90597-9vvpxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305811/original/file-20191209-90597-9vvpxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The aged care Royal Commission revealed hundreds of thousands of substandard care in Australian nursing homes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>A <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/10/15/australia-older-people-aged-care-drugged">Human Rights Watch report</a> detailed the practice in 35 aged care facilities in Australia, and its impact on residents and their families. </p>
<p>It called for the government to prohibit chemical restraint and ensure adequate staffing with appropriate training to support people with dementia.</p>
<h2>Water rights under threat in Australia</h2>
<p>Australians saw the haunting image of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jan/07/hundreds-of-thousands-of-native-fish-dead-in-second-murray-darling-incident">dead and dying fish</a> in Australia’s most important river system, the Murray Darling. </p>
<p>Scientists concluded <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/statements/scs68.pdf">exceptional climatic conditions</a> influence this <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-wrote-the-report-for-the-minister-on-fish-deaths-in-the-lower-darling-heres-why-it-could-happen-again-115063">“serious ecological shock”</a> in a river system that now has very little water to serve the needs of people, agriculture and a fragile environment. </p>
<p>The right to clean drinking water, recognised under <a href="https://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/human_right_to_water.shtml">international human rights law</a>, is already under threat for people in some rural and remote communities across New South Wales and Queensland. And it will become more relevant as <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-of-drought-is-complex-but-the-message-on-climate-change-is-clear-125941">droughts exacerbated by climate change</a> continue to bite Australian cities and towns. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-water-crisis-has-plunged-the-nats-into-a-world-of-pain-but-they-reap-what-they-sow-128238">The water crisis has plunged the Nats into a world of pain. But they reap what they sow</a>
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<p>In the Northern Territory community of Laramba, 250 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs, the level of uranium in the drinking water is more than double the level recommended in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. It <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-19/indigenous-community-launches-law-suit-against-nt-government/11696158">prompted legal action</a> against the territory’s government. </p>
<p>What’s more, for the first time since records were kept, on November 11 <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/the-day-it-forgot-to-rain-on-australia-20191111-p539cy.html">no rain was recorded</a> on continental Australia. </p>
<h2>Youth-led climate justice movements</h2>
<p>One of this year’s most refreshing developments was the youth-led action on climate change. It brought together environment and human rights concerns, inspiring an estimated <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-20/school-strike-for-climate-draws-thousands-to-australian-rallies/11531612">300,000 Australians</a> to join a global strike in September. </p>
<p>For some, it was a way to demonstrate outrage at the federal government’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-major-parties-climate-policies-side-by-side-116896">weak position</a> and lack of action to address climate change. </p>
<p>For others, the enormous fires in the precious Amazon forest, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/09/17/rainforest-mafias/how-violence-and-impunity-fuel-deforestation-brazils-amazon">fuelled by violence and impunity</a>, was compelling. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cattle-prods-and-welfare-cuts-mounting-threats-to-extinction-rebellion-show-demands-are-being-heard-but-ignored-124990">Cattle prods and welfare cuts: mounting threats to Extinction Rebellion show demands are being heard, but ignored</a>
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<hr>
<p>And, of course, many were moved to strike because the <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/11/19/young-climate-activists-un-complaint-against-france">brave and passionate voices</a> of Greta Thunberg and other children who are demanding action for the sake of future generations. </p>
<p>We hear them loud and clear – and call on Australia’s leaders to listen and act.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126939/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elaine Pearson is the Australia Director at Human Rights Watch. She is also on the board of the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louise Chappell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>From mass climate change movements to cultural genocide of Uighurs in China, here are some of the headline human rights moments that captured Australia’s attention.Elaine Pearson, Adjunct Lecturer in Law, UNSW SydneyLouise Chappell, Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute; Professor of Law, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1269402019-11-27T03:00:02Z2019-11-27T03:00:02ZFish kills and undrinkable water: here’s what to expect for the Murray Darling this summer<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303898/original/file-20191127-112484-1fpl15c.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C0%2C3821%2C2561&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Dry conditions will make for a difficult summer in the Murray Darling Basin.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Dean Lewins</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A grim summer is likely for the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin and the people, flora and fauna that rely on it. Having worked for sustainable management of these rivers for decades, I fear the coming months will be among the worst in history for Australia’s most important river system.</p>
<p>The 34 months from January 2017 to October 2019 were the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/">driest on record</a> in the basin. Low water inflows have led to dam levels lower than those seen in the devastating Millennium drought.</p>
<p>No relief is in sight. The Bureau of Meteorology <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks/#/overview/summary">is forecasting</a> drier-than-average conditions for the second half of November and December. Across the summer, rainfall is also projected to be below average.</p>
<p>So let’s take a look at what this summer will likely bring for the Murray Darling Basin - on which our economy, food security and well-being depend.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303895/original/file-20191127-112512-oqdek7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303895/original/file-20191127-112512-oqdek7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303895/original/file-20191127-112512-oqdek7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303895/original/file-20191127-112512-oqdek7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303895/original/file-20191127-112512-oqdek7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303895/original/file-20191127-112512-oqdek7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303895/original/file-20191127-112512-oqdek7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A farmer stands in the dry river bed of the Darling River in February this year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dean Lewins/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Not a pretty picture</h2>
<p>As the river system continues to dry up and tributaries stop flowing, the damaging effect on people and the environment will accelerate. <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-wrote-the-report-for-the-minister-on-fish-deaths-in-the-lower-darling-heres-why-it-could-happen-again-115063">Mass fish kills</a> of the kind we saw last summer are again likely as water in rivers, waterholes and lakes declines in quality and evaporates. </p>
<p>Three million Australians depend on the basin’s rivers for their water and livelihoods. Adelaide can use its desalination plants and Canberra has enough stored water for now. But other towns and cities in the basin risk running out of water. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/paddling-blind-why-we-urgently-need-a-water-audit-122118">Paddling blind: why we urgently need a water audit</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Governments were warned well before the drought <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/asleep-at-the-wheel-nsw-government-ignored-years-of-water-warnings-20191020-p532e4.html">to better secure water supplies through infrastructure and other measures</a>. But the response was inadequate.</p>
<p>Some towns such as <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/plan-c-is-a-problem-a-town-without-ground-water-nears-day-zero-20191022-p53334.html">Armidale</a> in New South Wales have been preparing to truck water to homes, at great expense. Water costs will likely increase to pay for infrastructure such as pumps and pipelines. The shortages will particularly affect Indigenous communities, pastoralists who need water for domestic use and livestock, irrigation farmers and tourism business on the rivers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303887/original/file-20191127-112531-1oo08lm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303887/original/file-20191127-112531-1oo08lm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303887/original/file-20191127-112531-1oo08lm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303887/original/file-20191127-112531-1oo08lm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303887/original/file-20191127-112531-1oo08lm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=773&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303887/original/file-20191127-112531-1oo08lm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=773&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303887/original/file-20191127-112531-1oo08lm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=773&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Water in major storages as reported at 13 November 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/managing-water/drought-murray-darling-basin/murray-darling-basin-drought-update]">Murray Darling Basin Authority</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As we saw during the Millennium drought, when wetland soils dry <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169772214000473">some sediments will oxidise to form sulfuric acid</a>. This kills fauna and flora and can make water undrinkable.</p>
<p>Red gum floodplain forests and other wetland flora will continue to die. Most of these wetlands <a href="https://wentworthgroup.org/2019/02/mdb-flows/2019/">have not had a drink since 2011</a>. The desiccation, due to <a href="https://www.mdbrc.sa.gov.au/">mismanagement</a> and drought, is likely to see the return of <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11269-012-0113-2">hypersalinity</a> – a huge excess of salt in the water - with river flows too weak to flush the salt out to sea.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/murray-darling-report-shows-public-authorities-must-take-climate-change-risk-seriously-110990">Murray-Darling report shows public authorities must take climate change risk seriously</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If drought-breaking rains do come, as they did in 2010-11, this would create a new threat. Floodwaters would inundate leaf litter on the floodplains, triggering a bacterial feast that depletes the water of oxygen. These so-called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169412003691">“blackwater” events</a> kill fish, crayfish and other aquatic animals.</p>
<p>The risk of blackwater events has largely arisen because government authorities have failed to manage water as they had agreed. In particular, the NSW and Victorian governments have not worked with farmers to allow managed river flows to inundate floodplains.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303896/original/file-20191127-112517-1r4f1cp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C0%2C4007%2C3024&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303896/original/file-20191127-112517-1r4f1cp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303896/original/file-20191127-112517-1r4f1cp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303896/original/file-20191127-112517-1r4f1cp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303896/original/file-20191127-112517-1r4f1cp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303896/original/file-20191127-112517-1r4f1cp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303896/original/file-20191127-112517-1r4f1cp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The prospect of thousands of dead fish in the Murray Darling Basin looms large again this summer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/GRAEME MCCRABB</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How did we get here?</h2>
<p>The severity and impacts of this drought should not come as a surprise. In the 1980s, the CSIRO’s <a href="https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/pub?list=BRO&pid=procite:ad3bb615-94cf-4894-ae2a-02673be5cc99">first projections of climate change impacts in the basin</a> foreshadowed what is unfolding now.</p>
<p>Despite the decades-old warnings, water management authorities in some catchments favoured water extraction by irrigators over rural communities, pastoralists and the environment. For example, the NSW Natural Resources Commission in September found that state government changes to water regulations <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/barwon-darling-river-faces-collapse-from-government-mistakes-report-20190724-p52a7i.html">brought forward</a> the drying up of the Darling River by three years.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-drought-proof-australia-and-trying-is-a-fools-errand-124504">We can’t drought-proof Australia, and trying is a fool's errand</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Since the basin plan was adopted in 2012 our federal and state political leaders have reduced the volume of real water needed to keep the rivers healthy, supply water to people and flush salt out to sea. For example, in May 2018 the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/may/07/murray-darling-basin-plan-labor-to-decide-whether-it-will-back-key-changes">federal government and Labor opposition agreed</a> to reduce water allocated to the environment by 70 billion litres a year on average, without a <a href="https://theconversation.com/damning-royal-commission-report-leaves-no-doubt-that-we-all-lose-if-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-fails-110908">legitimate scientific basis</a>.</p>
<p>The basin plan is based on historical river flow records, without <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wcc.230">explicitly allowing for diminished inflows resulting from climate change</a>. Australian water management has followed what’s been termed a “<a href="http://theconversation.com/to-help-drought-affected-farmers-we-need-to-support-them-in-good-times-as-well-as-bad-101184">hydro-illogical cycle</a>” where drought triggers reform, but government leaders lose attention once it rains. This suggests meaningful reform must be implemented when drought is occurring and politicians are under pressure to respond.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303889/original/file-20191127-112531-132w7xq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=27%2C0%2C4569%2C3060&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303889/original/file-20191127-112531-132w7xq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303889/original/file-20191127-112531-132w7xq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303889/original/file-20191127-112531-132w7xq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303889/original/file-20191127-112531-132w7xq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303889/original/file-20191127-112531-132w7xq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303889/original/file-20191127-112531-132w7xq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Severe drought and mismanagement means a dire summer for the Murray-Darling river system.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dean Lewins/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How to fix this</h2>
<p>Governments must assume that climate-induced drought conditions in the basin are the new normal, and plan for it.</p>
<p>Action should include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Revising water allocations consistent with climate change projections</p></li>
<li><p>Investing in managed aquifer recharge to supply more towns with reliable and safe water</p></li>
<li><p>Restoring rivers by reallocating enough water to sustain their health</p></li>
<li><p>Increasing wetland resilience by reconnecting rivers to their floodplains in wetter years </p></li>
<li><p>Improving river health, such as by fencing out livestock.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Investing in these adaptation actions now would provide jobs during the drought and prepare Australia for a much drier future in the Murray-Darling Basin.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126940/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie Pittock received funding from the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility for research on climate change adaptation in the lower River Murray. Jamie is a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and advisory committees for The Nature Conservancy and WWF in Australia.</span></em></p>A researcher who’s worked for decades to improve the health of the Murray Darling Basin fears the coming months will be among the worst in history.Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1244912019-10-02T20:04:01Z2019-10-02T20:04:01ZScarcity drives water prices, not government water recovery: new research<p>Australia has one of the most sophisticated water markets in the world, particularly notable for the ways in which government can return water to the environment. </p>
<p>Water markets allow the return of this water through two main mechanisms. The first is buybacks, in which the government purchases water licences directly from willing irrigators via an open tender process. </p>
<p>The second involves subsidising irrigation infrastructure on (and off) farms to improve water efficiency, with a percentage of the assumed water savings being transferred to a licence held by the government. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-darling-river-is-simply-not-supposed-to-dry-out-even-in-drought-109880">The Darling River is simply not supposed to dry out, even in drought</a>
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<hr>
<p>However, open tender buybacks essentially <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/27/murray-darling-basin-deal-caps-water-buybacks">stopped in 2014</a> in favour of infrastructure projects. This was due to the widespread belief that buybacks were inflating the price of water and causing economic hardship in rural communities. </p>
<p>Our research, published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0928765518304585">Resource and Energy Economics</a>, set out to test this assumption of the impact of water recovery on water markets. We found that water scarcity (due to seasonal change or water allocation reductions) had far more influence on water prices than government water recovery. In fact, voluntary, open tender buybacks are the most cost-effective and low-risk option for increasing river flow. </p>
<p>By ignoring this option, we are hamstringing Australia’s ability to flexibly cope with drought conditions and long-term climate change.</p>
<h2>Lessons from 20 years of data</h2>
<p>My colleagues and I wanted to understand the impact of government water recovery on the Murray-Darling Basin’s water markets. To do so, we needed to understand the dynamics and drivers of the markets both before and after buybacks began.</p>
<p>We looked at monthly prices over twenty years in the Goulburn catchment in Victoria (<a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/managing-water/water-markets-trade/interstate-water-trade">1A Greater Goulburn</a>) - both for permanent water markets (where a water licence is permanently transferred) and temporary ones (a seasonal transfer of water).</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295324/original/file-20191002-49365-xmv3hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295324/original/file-20191002-49365-xmv3hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295324/original/file-20191002-49365-xmv3hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295324/original/file-20191002-49365-xmv3hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295324/original/file-20191002-49365-xmv3hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295324/original/file-20191002-49365-xmv3hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295324/original/file-20191002-49365-xmv3hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295324/original/file-20191002-49365-xmv3hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The drivers of water market prices in temporary and permanent water markets are different, but market dynamics are similar: market volatility shocks go from prices to volumes.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295325/original/file-20191002-49404-n8hk9p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295325/original/file-20191002-49404-n8hk9p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295325/original/file-20191002-49404-n8hk9p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295325/original/file-20191002-49404-n8hk9p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295325/original/file-20191002-49404-n8hk9p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295325/original/file-20191002-49404-n8hk9p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295325/original/file-20191002-49404-n8hk9p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295325/original/file-20191002-49404-n8hk9p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Temporary water trade is driven by water scarcity, caused by factors such as seasonal fluctuation in water allocated to licences and the weather. Conversely, permanent water trade is influenced by a combination of past prices and temporary water prices.</p>
<h2>What about government intervention?</h2>
<p>We found no evidence that government water recovery influenced water prices in either market in a statistically significantly way.</p>
<p>However, we did find that increases in the amount of water recovered by the government reduced the volume of temporary water traded. This is probably due to the fact that many irrigators who sold water to the government had been <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1759-3441.12038">selling surplus temporary water</a>, and this volume was then taken out of the market.</p>
<p>We also found that government water recovery increased the volatility of temporary market prices and volumes, signalling potential increased risk and uncertainty for irrigators engaging in temporary water markets.</p>
<p>These results are significantly different to previous estimates by consultants, some of which suggest government buybacks cause <a href="http://rmcg.com.au/app/uploads/2017/01/Basin-Plan-Impact-GMID_Final_14-October-2016.pdf">temporary water market prices to double</a>.</p>
<p>Our findings contradict this. Our results are in line with and reinforce other peer-reviewed economic literature, which has shown buyback of water entitlements had <a href="https://mdbrcsa.govcms.gov.au/sites/g/files/net3846/f/mdbrc-submission-professor-sarah-wheeler-sa.pdf?v=1527826747">far less impact on rural communities than commonly claimed</a>.</p>
<p>This is partly because government buybacks simply do not create large enough changes in the amount of seasonal water available to affect prices, given that variability. A 1% increase in water buybacks caused a 0.1% drop in temporary water volume traded. In addition, farmers are very good at adapting to changes in water, and have a number of strategies and options available to them in most years.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, commonly held perceptions about the impacts of buyback on rural communities and water markets has had serious policy ramifications.</p>
<h2>Irrigation schemes are not enough</h2>
<p>As noted earlier, buybacks are now off the table. Funding for water recovery is now directed exclusively to infrastructure projects, which are deficient in a number of key respects.</p>
<p>Since water buybacks started in 2008, A$2.5 billion has been spent to recover 1,227 gigalitres of water licences. At the same time, A$3.9 billion has been spent so far on things like lining channels and building dams, which has saved <a href="http://www.agriculture.gov.au/water/mdb/progress-recovery/progress-of-water-recovery">695 gigalitres</a>. </p>
<p>Water recovery by infrastructure schemes now cost at <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-resource-100517-023039">least three times</a> as much as buybacks per megalitre recovered. These infrastructure projects <a href="https://theconversation.com/paddling-blind-why-we-urgently-need-a-water-audit-122118">may not</a> return as much water to the environment as assumed, while they also also create the risk of <a href="https://wentworthgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Requirements-for-SDL-adjustment.pdf">environmental harm</a>. </p>
<p>Irrigation infrastructure <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/I7090EN/i7090en.pdf">subsidies</a> can also expand total irrigation areas and increase water use, and encourage a conversion from seasonal crops to permanent plantings such as orchard trees. These permanent crops demand a fixed amount of water every year, making farms less adaptable in the face of drought and climate change. </p>
<h2>How did policy get this wrong?</h2>
<p>The results of our water market study show that there are key differences between high quality, peer-reviewed economic science on the one hand, and short-term consultancies and people’s perceptions on the other. </p>
<p>High quality economic science takes time, expertise and requires reputable, consistent and long-term datasets that control for the myriad of influences on economic change. Short-term consultancies and inquiries (such as the Northern Basin Review) are often rushed, not representative and are often not based on reliable datasets. </p>
<p>Inquiries also often amplify the voices of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S026483771630401X">lobby groups and the people who are most aggrieved</a> by water recovery, while other voices – floodplain irrigators, indigenous representatives, irrigators who want water reallocated to the environment – may be <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/the-thirsty-giants-killing-our-rivers-20190411-p51d4j.html">silenced</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/aboriginal-voices-are-missing-from-the-murray-darling-basin-crisis-110769">Aboriginal voices are missing from the Murray-Darling Basin crisis</a>
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<p>There are currently two inquiries looking at <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/focus-areas/inquiries/inquiry-into-murray-darling-basin-water-markets">water markets</a> and <a href="https://www.basin-socio-economic.com.au/">socio-economic conditions in the basin</a>. It is vitally important they capture all voices equally and are supplemented by independent, high quality analysis. </p>
<p>If we can’t understand the real drivers of change in the Basin, we can’t identify the best options for improving the social and economic health of its communities – particularly in the face of drought and climate change.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124491/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Ann Wheeler receives current funding from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Meat and Livestock Australia and Wine Australia.</span></em></p>Buybacks by open tenders were a successful, cost-effective way of returning water to the Murray-Darling Basin. They should never have been abandoned.Sarah Ann Wheeler, Professor in Water Economics, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1221182019-08-26T04:51:42Z2019-08-26T04:51:42ZPaddling blind: why we urgently need a water audit<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289370/original/file-20190826-170941-18q8f4s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C52%2C1566%2C1144&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There's broad support from communities and farmers for proper water audits. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/shebalso/625453843/in/photolist-XgBCX-jaFipg-bDgyWR-beU5MP-aXDQZc-TaRygB-7iSLUY-aXDVaK-mizx5F-ehyEtb-9243gz-gpeBLu-7sgZWW-2afn2De-HA1WQY-4f2Rwg-GnP3Z-akX1ma-98JmR5-akZNKY-gcHLj6-n1vRhX-ZaLRrm-7yXFdj-gcJEGT-dFyz9x-9f2Ldh-898fn-gcF2zW-A9Jtk-7Am1cD-7NhR4V-7Amoze-7RgFGD-p8x1fE-dw5Mn-a9B5BC-28AA2cn-7AmpnB-a1kNs6-aN4DkV-5UHhjj-AtHZqv-jsM59z-e4CASe-VJUoQn-5XKLGJ-AsBrq3-gcGVqX-AtKAsn">John/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the wake of a <a href="https://www.mdbrc.sa.gov.au/">damning royal commission</a> and an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s83UuhDxT_Y">ABC Four Corners investigation</a>, the federal government has created an <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-01/inspector-general-to-oversee-murray-darling-basin-integrity/11371966">Inspector General for the Murray-Darling Basin</a>, to combat water theft, ensure water recovery and efficiency projects are delivered properly, and essentially make sure everyone is <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/new-tough-cop-to-oversee-murray-darling-basin-plan">acting as they should</a>.</p>
<p>While this is a laudable aim, the Inspector General – currently former Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mike Keelty – cannot hope to do this job without knowing how much water is being used in the Basin, by whom it is used, and where. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/billions-spent-on-murray-darling-water-infrastructure-heres-the-result-119985">Billions spent on Murray-Darling water infrastructure: here's the result</a>
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<p>This might seem like basic information, but the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/nwa/2018/mdb/index.shtml">Bureau of Meteorology</a>, the <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/pubs/SDL-Reporting-Compliance-Framework-Summary-Nov-18.PDF">Murray-Darling Basin Authority</a> and <a href="https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/water/allocations-availability/water-accounting/gpw">state water accounts</a> are not up to the task.</p>
<p>We urgently need a comprehensive audit to track the water in the Murray Darling Basin, so Inspector General Keelty can effectively investigate what he has already described as a “<a href="https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2019/04/27/keelty-warns-river-ripe-corruption/15562872008055">river ripe for corruption</a>”. </p>
<h2>Up the creek</h2>
<p>Back in 2004 all governments in Australia agreed to <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/water-reform/national-water-initiative-agreement-2004.pdf">track and provide</a> information on water in terms of planning, monitoring, trading, environmental management, and on-farm management.</p>
<p>But water accounts still lack <a href="http://www.myoung.net.au/water/droplets.php">many essential features</a> including double-entry accounting. When applied to water, double-entry accounts means that when one person consumes more water, someone else must consume less. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/aboriginal-voices-are-missing-from-the-murray-darling-basin-crisis-110769">Aboriginal voices are missing from the Murray-Darling Basin crisis</a>
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<p>The technology to track this already exists: satellites that can quantify surface water are successfully being used <a href="https://idwr.idaho.gov/GIS/mapping-evapotranspiration/">used in the United States</a>. </p>
<p>If we had <a href="http://farminstitute.org.au/publications-1/farm-policy-journals/2019-winter-a-thirst-for-certainty-irrigation-in-the-murray-darling-basin/fpj1602c-grafton-rq-williams-j-2019-thirst-for-certainty-the-urgent-need-for-a-water-audit-of-the-mu">monthly water consumption measurements</a>, we could see how much water is being used, by whom, when and where. This would help decision makers see problems before they emerge, such as the <a href="https://www.science.org.au/files/userfiles/support/reports-and-plans/2019/academy-science-report-mass-fish-kills-digital.pdf">mass fish deaths in the Darling River</a>, and respond in real time. </p>
<p>As a recent report from the <a href="https://www.edonsw.org.au/water_sharing_plan_barwon_darling_alluvial">Natural Resources Commission</a> shows, without proper accounting, too much water is taken upstream – seriously harming downstream communities.</p>
<h2>Wide support for an audit</h2>
<p>An independent Basin-wide water audit is supported by communities and some <a href="https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2019/07/13/murray-darling-recovery-peril/15629400008434">irrigators</a>. </p>
<p>In July <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-07-26/nsw-farmers-call-for-murray-darling-royal-commission/11347834">NSW farmers</a> voted in support of a federal royal commission into “the failings of the Murray Darling Basin Plan”. In our view, this vote shows many farmers support much greater transparency about how much water is being consumed, and by whom.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-darling-river-is-simply-not-supposed-to-dry-out-even-in-drought-109880">The Darling River is simply not supposed to dry out, even in drought</a>
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<p>Double-entry water consumption accounts would help identify whether the billions of dollars planned in subsidies to increase irrigation efficiency will actually deliver value for money. But irrigation improvements only generate public benefits when more water is left or returns to flow in streams and rivers. Such flows are essential to healthy rivers and sustainable Basin communities.</p>
<p>Irrigators’ crops benefit from increased efficiency, so subsidies <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/basin-plan/report">help farmers greatly</a> – but it is very unclear whether they do anything for the public good. In fact, they seem to reduce the amount of water that finds its way back into the rivers. Research also shows infrastructure subsidies to improve irrigation efficiency <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6404/748">typically increases water consumption</a> at the Basin level. </p>
<p>Our research, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13241583.2019.1579965">published earlier this year in the Australasian Journal of Water Resources</a> shows federal irrigation infrastructure subsidies may have reduced net stream and river levels. This is even after accounting for the water entitlements irrigators provided to the government in exchange for these subsidies.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-the-government-can-clean-up-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-116265">5 ways the government can clean up the Murray-Darling Basin Plan</a>
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<h2>Independent audits</h2>
<p>Just like financial accounts, water accounts must be <a href="https://asic.gov.au/regulatory-resources/financial-reporting-and-audit/auditors/auditor-independence-and-audit-quality/">independently audited</a>. </p>
<p>For the average taxpayer, who has to justify every dollar they get from the government, it’s hard to imagine how some corporations can be given millions of dollars in subsidies without actual measurements (before and after) of the claimed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s83UuhDxT_Y">water savings</a>. </p>
<p>If Newstart recipients need to <a href="https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/newstart-allowance/how-report-and-manage-your-payment">report and manage their income and have a job plan</a>, as part of a system of appropriate checks and balances, shouldn’t the Australian government also be checking whether billions spent on subsidies for irrigators actually saves water?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-murray-darling-basin-scandal-economists-have-seen-it-coming-for-decades-119989">The Murray-Darling Basin scandal: economists have seen it coming for decades</a>
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<p>A water audit <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/MDBCommission2019/Submissions">would cost less than 1% of the money already spent</a> on water infrastructure subsidies in the Basin. Unlike irrigation infrastructure subsidies, a water audit is value for money. </p>
<p>Importantly, independent water consumption accounts would allow the Inspector General for the Murray-Darling Basin to effectively manage our most critical nature resource, water.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122118/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Quentin Grafton is a signatory of the Murray-Darling Declaration. He received funding from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority in 2010.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>How can Australia’s new Inspector General be expected to inspect waterways without a firm grasp of how much water in in them?Quentin Grafton, Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityJohn Williams, Adjunct Professor Environment and Natural Resources, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1171972019-05-16T06:29:09Z2019-05-16T06:29:09ZHow should I vote if I care about preventing the extinction of nature?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274828/original/file-20190516-69213-3wyp4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1024%2C576&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Almost 9 in 10 Australians agree we should invest in restoring wildlife habitats and natural places. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/7914989@N06/11603532944/in/photolist-iFn95Q-nYK9aw-iFn9PW-7wUnoh-ogzbNy-8VyHnZ-dquATn-6dhdhB-iFpjas-fKrjJ-dfREQL-DCAJxw-ddUPVn-q2A9XV-bnSUKG-TVxsBJ-qC7dYn-boQNZk-qhkjiH-bse6jF-8oqzMg-5F4GgQ-bx9gji-4pmX98-6J8EAR-cHQTL-6zrPZe-8LdhPL-3noDjv-bZKvB7-NScaK3-Wk4PF3-aTsLcx-hd8irK-ovggpK-24CDK2M-2dRitHc-5xYDez-7ScYqT-V9t7BY-pa5CKw-UBQ5iY-UBQ5uu-UBQ5ro-dwrmTN-TVxsv1-dttKLz-bM58Kk-fKoom2-vWhLDF">Klaus/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Some voters heading to the polls this weekend may be casting their ballot with biodiversity in mind, after a major UN report released last week highlighted the global extinction crisis facing <a href="https://theconversation.com/revolutionary-change-needed-to-stop-unprecedented-global-extinction-crisis-116166">more than a million species</a>. </p>
<p>Australia is an extinction hotspot: we are second only to Indonesia when it <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-10-26/australia-biodiversity-loss-conservation/8987696">comes to biodiversity loss</a> and we have had <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-end-to-endings-how-to-stop-more-australian-species-going-extinct-111627">far more mammal species go extinct</a> than any other country over the past 200 years. <a href="https://theconversation.com/government-needs-to-front-up-billions-not-millions-to-save-australias-threatened-species-74250">Conservation spending</a> for threatened species recovery in Australia is <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature24295">woefully inadequate</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-major-parties-climate-policies-side-by-side-116896">Australia’s major parties' climate policies side-by-side</a>
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<p>However a <a href="https://www.wwf.org.au/ArticleDocuments/353/pub-backyard-barometer-australian-attitudes-to-nature-05jun18.pdf">recent survey</a> commissioned by WWF Australia found 89% of Australians agree we should invest in restoring wildlife habitats and natural places, and 68% of Australians believe a healthy environment and a prosperous economy go hand-in-hand.</p>
<p>So how should you cast your vote if you’re one of the many Australians who care about biodiveristy loss? </p>
<p>We’ve analysed policies, new investments, new initiatives and reforms from the Coalition, the Australian Labor Party, the Greens, One Nation, the United Australia Party, the Animal Justice Party and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.</p>
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<h2>The Coalition</h2>
<p>The Coalition, if returned to government, has <a href="https://www.liberal.org.au/our-plan-cleaner-environment">proposed</a> a <a href="http://nationals.org.au/policies/protecting-our-local-way-of-life-for-future-generations/">budget</a> of A$1.19 billion over the next four years related to environmental initiatives, which includes A$100 million for new biodiversity programs. Their proposed budget for agriculture includes an additional A$30 million for a pilot biodiversity agricultural stewardship program. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-australias-experience-contradicts-coalition-emissions-scare-campaign-117079">South Australia's experience contradicts Coalition emissions scare campaign</a>
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<p>Despite highlighting new funding for watershed restoration, the Coalition does not explicitly call for funding directed at the Murray-Darling restoration.</p>
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<h2>Australian Labor Party</h2>
<p>The Australian Labor Party has committed to invest $1.7 billion over the next 4 years, which includes $600 million in new environmental programs. It will also reallocate $400 million currently committed to the Great Barrier Reef fund to public agencies dedicated to reef protection, however as this is a reallocation we do not include it as additional funding. </p>
<p>New <a href="https://www.alp.org.au/media/1539/2018_alp_national_platform_constitution.pdf">initiatives</a> include a native species protection fund, a program to restore urban rivers and corridors, doubling the number of Indigenous Rangers, reforming current environmental laws, and funding of a new independent, federal Environmental Protection Agency.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fixing-the-gap-between-labors-greenhouse-gas-goals-and-their-policies-115550">Fixing the gap between Labor's greenhouse gas goals and their policies</a>
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<h2>One Nation</h2>
<p>Pauline Hanson’s One Nation <a href="https://www.onenation.org.au/policies/">advocates</a> a departure from the Paris Agreement, and contends that the Great Barrier Reef will adapt to a warmer climate – pointing instead to Crown-of-Thorns Starfish and Tropical Cyclones as key issues. </p>
<p>Perhaps most significantly for the diverse ecosystems of the Top End, the party advocates constructing <a href="https://theconversation.com/rush-to-dam-northern-australia-comes-at-the-expense-of-sustainability-61566">dams</a> in monsoonal regions of North Queensland to provide water to farmers in the Murray-Darling region. They also propose to eradicate cane toads. Costings are not provided.</p>
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<h2>United Australia Party</h2>
<p>The United Australia Party has no formal policies regarding biodiversity conservation, but advocates for several economic policies which have likely negative biodiversity implications. </p>
<p>Despite its commitment to meeting the Kyoto Protocol targets via <a href="https://www.unitedaustraliaparty.org.au/clive-palmer-welcomes-investment-in-renewable-fuels/">investment in renewable fuels</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/al-gore-joins-clive-palmer-to-back-emissions/5550692">advocacy for an emissions trading scheme</a>, the party supports continuing exploitation of <a href="https://www.unitedaustraliaparty.org.au/national_policy/">mineral resources (mining) in Queensland and Western Australia</a>, including supporting the controversial Adani mine and construction of a new <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-26/clive-palmer-seeks-approval-for-monster-mine-near-adani/9698680">Alpha North Coal Mine</a> in the Galilee Basin. No costings for these policies were indicated.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-adanis-finch-plan-was-rejected-and-what-comes-next-116525">Why Adani's finch plan was rejected, and what comes next</a>
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<h2>The Greens</h2>
<p>The Greens have committed to a A$2 billion (per annum) <a href="https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/auscon/pages/11281/attachments/original/1556329480/ACF_Climate_Election_2019_Scorecard_policy_background_190427.pdf?1556329480">Nature Fund</a> to protect and restore biodiversity across Australia. This plan aims to recover every threatened species through the creation of new havens, invasive species control and fire management. </p>
<p>Their initiates include doubling protected areas, increasing the number of Indigenous Rangers, and incentivising private land conservation. In addition, the Greens have committed to reform our current nature laws.</p>
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<h2>Animal Justice Party</h2>
<p>The Animal Justice Party has many <a href="https://animaljusticeparty.org/about/charter/">broad policies</a> directly related to biodiversity and wildlife, and are pushing for clean energy infrastructure. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-must-rip-up-our-environmental-laws-to-address-the-extinction-crisis-116746">We must rip up our environmental laws to address the extinction crisis</a>
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<p>Policies include land acquisition and habitat restoration and protection, strict penalties for harm to wildlife and an active stance <em>against</em> lethal control on invasive species. They will also encourage wildlife ecotourism, wildlife-sensitive education and investing in technology to reduce wildlife-human conflicts. They specify no costs for any of their policies.</p>
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<h2>Shooters, Fishers and Farmers</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.shootersfishersandfarmers.org.au/federal_policies-new">Shooters Fishers and Farmers</a> party promotes sustainable land use for farming and recreation, rather than “locking it away” for conservation. They express support for individual, community, and farm-based conservation programs if they do not impact recreational use. </p>
<p>However, their proposed expansions of recreational use of public conservation land (such as expanding park tracks, private game reserves and fishing) could negatively impact biodiversity. There are no expenditure details specified for these policies. </p>
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<h2>Investment in biodiversity conservation</h2>
<p>The figure below summarises the total budget spend across the four-year electoral cycle proposed by each of the parties.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274825/original/file-20190516-69189-b873kd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274825/original/file-20190516-69189-b873kd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274825/original/file-20190516-69189-b873kd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274825/original/file-20190516-69189-b873kd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274825/original/file-20190516-69189-b873kd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274825/original/file-20190516-69189-b873kd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274825/original/file-20190516-69189-b873kd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274825/original/file-20190516-69189-b873kd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">RMIT</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What about Adani?</h2>
<p>As the <a href="https://theconversation.com/queensland-coal-mines-will-push-threatened-finch-closer-to-extinction-55646">biodiversity issue</a> that has received the most attention this election campaign, readers may be interested on where the parties stand on the Adani development. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/interactive-everything-you-need-to-know-about-adani-from-cost-environmental-impact-and-jobs-to-its-possible-future-116901">Interactive: Everything you need to know about Adani – from cost, environmental impact and jobs to its possible future</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>While the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party have not commented specifically on the issue, the Coalition actively supports the development of the mine, as does One Nation and the United Australia Party (<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-26/clive-palmer-seeks-approval-for-monster-mine-near-adani/9698680">Clive Palmer is keen to open another big mine next to Adani</a>).</p>
<p>Labor has committed to not reviewing the approval, which amounts to tacit support. The Greens and the Animal Justice Party are the only parties actively opposing the mine.</p>
<hr>
<p>If we want to improve our depressing record of species extinctions in Australia, urgent action is needed. There appear to be substantial differences between initiatives, reforms and investment proposed by all of the parties you could vote for on Saturday. </p>
<p>While the details of initiatives and reforms can be difficult to interpret, international research has shown investment has a direct impact on biodiversity. In other words, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature24295">the more we spend, the fewer extinctions</a>. On this measure, the Greens are easily in front.</p>
<p>And don’t forget that with preferential voting, you are able to vote for your first preference without wasting your vote.</p>
<p><br></p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was updated to remove a chart that contained inaccurate policy information.</em> </p>
<p><em>The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of Thami Croeser and Michael Harrison to this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117197/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Bekessy receives funding from The National Environment Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub and the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub, the Australian Research Council Linkage Program (LP160100324) and the H2020 project UrbanGreenup. She is a Board member of Bush Heritage Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Kusmanoff receives funding from the National Environment Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub and is a member of the Australian Labor Party. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ascelin Gordon receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is also a member of the Ecological Society of Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily Gregg receives funding from the National Environment Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub, and is supported by an RMIT Research Stipend Scholarship.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Freya Thomas receives funding from The Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Georgia Garrard receives funding from the National Environmental Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub and the Australian Research Council. She is on the board of Trust for Nature Victoria, a not-for-profit conservation organisation that receives State but not Federal funding.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Holly Kirk received funding from the Australia Awards Endeavour Fellowships. Holly Kirk also works as a researcher for BirdLife Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeremy Ringma receives funding from The Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Berthon receives funding from The Australian Research Council, and is supported by an RMIT Research Stipend Scholarship.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lindall Kidd receives funding from the National Environment Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub. She also works for Birdlife Australia. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marco Gutierrez is supported by an RMIT Research Stipend Scholarship and a Mexican National Council of Science and Technology scholarship.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mathew Hardy is an employee of Trust for Nature Victoria.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Roshan Sharma is supported by an RMIT Research Stipend Scholarship</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Selinske does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Here are the promises and policies of the Coalition, Labor, the Greens, One Nation and more.Sarah Bekessy, Professor, RMIT UniversityAlex Kusmanoff, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Inter-disciplinary Conservation (ICON) Science Research Group, RMIT UniversityAscelin Gordon, Research Fellow, Global Studies, Social Science & Planning, RMIT UniversityEmily Gregg, PhD Candidate, RMIT UniversityFreya Thomas, Research Fellow, RMIT UniversityGeorgia Garrard, Senior Research Fellow, Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group, RMIT UniversityHolly Kirk, Post Doctoral Fellow, RMIT UniversityJeremy Ringma, Conservation Scientist, RMIT UniversityKatherine Berthon, PhD Candidate, RMIT UniversityLindall Kidd, PhD Candidate, RMIT UniversityMarco Gutierrez, PhD Student, RMIT UniversityMathew Hardy, Research Officer, RMIT UniversityMatthew Selinske, PhD Student in Conservation Science, RMIT UniversityRoshan Sharma, PhD student, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1142752019-04-04T19:14:12Z2019-04-04T19:14:12ZFriday essay: death on the Darling, colonialism’s final encounter with the Barkandji<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266032/original/file-20190327-139352-1a2ole4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An Aboriginal flag planted on the riverbed in front of the last stagnant pools of water that are now the Darling River at Wilcannia.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Janson-Moore</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Driving the 200-kilometre round trip from Broken Hill to Wilcannia, the country opens up before us; the sky fills most of the horizon, save for a few hills and in every direction, red dust devils, like mini-tornados, pepper the landscape. </p>
<p>Some whirl towards the bitumen strip, snatching at the car. The underbellies of the few high clouds are tinged pink by the swept-up dirt. Kangaroos, trampled and dragged by freight trucks, litter the road surface. Crows and eagles hover over their carcasses, parting only just in time for us to pass through.</p>
<p>In Wilcannia, we drive directly to see the much talked about Darling River. On the eastern side of town, we drive past the campsite caretaker cottage. It appears abandoned: the fence is missing panels and tall prickly weeds break through the bitumen and concrete drive. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267464/original/file-20190403-177199-aagnjz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267464/original/file-20190403-177199-aagnjz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267464/original/file-20190403-177199-aagnjz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267464/original/file-20190403-177199-aagnjz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267464/original/file-20190403-177199-aagnjz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267464/original/file-20190403-177199-aagnjz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267464/original/file-20190403-177199-aagnjz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>Out of the car, the sun is scorching. The air is quiet and still, save for the black cockatoos sitting high in the river gums gulping out an occasional half-hearted and awkward squawk. One solo, sun weary, white Australian traveller is a surprising sight. He sits by the door of his caravan making the most of the short shadow it casts. </p>
<p>Heading towards the river bank, we step gingerly around tall weeds and fallen gum branches. Leaves crunch and snap at each move we make. We wave and shout out hello to the traveller. Shaking his head in resignation, as if to prepare us for the sight about to be revealed, he warns: “There’s no water.”</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-darling-river-is-simply-not-supposed-to-dry-out-even-in-drought-109880">The Darling River is simply not supposed to dry out, even in drought</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The sandy river bed is baked dry. Freshwater mussels, the size of your outstretched hand, have withered and died in their shells, weeds cover parts of the bed and bits of glass from the colonial heyday are exposed in the sand. We repeat, “Jeezus”, under our breath to no one in particular.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266022/original/file-20190327-139380-1ct04mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266022/original/file-20190327-139380-1ct04mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266022/original/file-20190327-139380-1ct04mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266022/original/file-20190327-139380-1ct04mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266022/original/file-20190327-139380-1ct04mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266022/original/file-20190327-139380-1ct04mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266022/original/file-20190327-139380-1ct04mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266022/original/file-20190327-139380-1ct04mb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A sign of former times at Wilcannia: the Darling River recedes into the distance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Janson-Moore</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Bone dry</h2>
<p>In March 2019 the Darling River at Wilcannia, once “Queen of the Desert”, colonised by merino, from where millions of wool bales travelled under steam to South Australia and onto the global market, is bone dry. The nation’s longest river system (at 2750 kms) and 15th largest in the world, is lifeless. This river, the equivalent of several storeys deep, has supported Barkandji people for thousands of generations; the last five or so alongside Europeans. They say the river Barka is mother. </p>
<p>Along the Barwon-Darling, at the top end of the river system, the majority Aboriginal-populated towns despair at the state of the river and its heavy impact on their health, recreation, future and sense of being. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266019/original/file-20190327-139349-mwk2qr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266019/original/file-20190327-139349-mwk2qr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266019/original/file-20190327-139349-mwk2qr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266019/original/file-20190327-139349-mwk2qr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266019/original/file-20190327-139349-mwk2qr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266019/original/file-20190327-139349-mwk2qr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266019/original/file-20190327-139349-mwk2qr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266019/original/file-20190327-139349-mwk2qr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An aerial shot of Menindee Lakes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Janson-Moore</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When we visited, those towns were <a href="https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/rural/2019/03/09/wilcannia-the-town-with-no-water/15520500007800">without reliable, safe drinking water</a> but had a keen register of their limited social capital, political voice or economic power to affect change. </p>
<p>In the far west of NSW, Aboriginal people have engaged with the settler political-economy for a period of 150 years and not been eliminated. Still, the impact of colonisation cannot be measured as a moment, but rather as an enduring process. As we came to understand from Barkandji people, the crisis on the Barwon-Darling represents the biggest threat to their continued survival on country since the sheep invaded. It calls for a new order of government, with alternative economies and a central role for the Barkandji world view.</p>
<h2>Barkandji and the settler economy</h2>
<p>Colonial invasion over Barkandji and these far western lands is sometimes described as “invisible” – like a disease – and <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/6327289">“creeping”</a> in the way that waves of station owners, miners, itinerant labourers, Catholic nuns, Chinese market gardeners and South Asian cameleers <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/6327289">passed through</a>. Stories of settler violence struck fear in areas yet to feel the full brunt of it. From the 1850s, a more organised settler capitalist order emerged with the large pastoral stations’ highly profitable wool production. </p>
<p>By the 1880s, Wilcannia was the third largest river port in NSW; many grand sandstone buildings from this era still stand in the town. After the 1890s drought and recession, struggling stations were portioned off. Later, the allocation of smaller soldier settlement grants, mostly family farmed, meant a shrinking demand for Aboriginal labour.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266035/original/file-20190327-139377-n5m551.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266035/original/file-20190327-139377-n5m551.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266035/original/file-20190327-139377-n5m551.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266035/original/file-20190327-139377-n5m551.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266035/original/file-20190327-139377-n5m551.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266035/original/file-20190327-139377-n5m551.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266035/original/file-20190327-139377-n5m551.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266035/original/file-20190327-139377-n5m551.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wilcannia, has a population of around 745, mostly Barkandji people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Janson-Moore</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>From the 1930s, Barkandji settled in more permanent camps and humpies, which stretched from Wilcannia for kilometres along the eastern (and lower, flood prone) side of the Darling, and to supervised government missions <a href="https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/11864/1/Prelims-Invasion-to-Embassy-Goodall.pdf">at Menindee</a>. As <a href="http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p70951/pdf/article011.pdf">anthropologist Jeremy Beckett has detailed</a>, Aboriginal men and women continued to work in the region’s settler pastoral economy. </p>
<p>But from the 1970s, for-profit sheep farming collapsed in the region, and Wilcannia in particular. This was caused in part by land degradation, the advent of equal wages, mechanisation and a decline in state-funded enterprises. Along with the emergence of the Department of Commonwealth Aboriginal Affairs, these factors <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/2201473X.2017.1363967">ushered in a welfare-based economy</a>. From the 1970s, white people literally shifted to greener pastures. Aboriginal houses were built on the north-west edge of town (locally known as “the Mallee”). At the same time, government initiatives to “relocate” Aboriginal families meant many moved to <a href="https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/11864/1/Prelims-Invasion-to-Embassy-Goodall.pdf">Albury and Cobar</a>.</p>
<h2>Defending the Darling</h2>
<p>In the last 18 months, Barkandji people have held three rallies during which they briefly blocked the Barrier Highway, which passes from the east through Wilcannia to Adelaide. But their campaign and concern for the river goes back decades (if not since 1850). In recent months they have grown increasingly despairing as they watch the water levels get lower and lower. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266031/original/file-20190327-139368-5kaoz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266031/original/file-20190327-139368-5kaoz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266031/original/file-20190327-139368-5kaoz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266031/original/file-20190327-139368-5kaoz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266031/original/file-20190327-139368-5kaoz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266031/original/file-20190327-139368-5kaoz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266031/original/file-20190327-139368-5kaoz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266031/original/file-20190327-139368-5kaoz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Banners from the day’s protest march at Wilcannia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Janson-Moore</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-01-16/what-caused-menindee-fish-kill-drought-water-mismanagement/10716080">mass fish kills downstream at Menindee Lakes</a> in late January brought the horror to a national audience. Television images of cod fish cradled as if slain children in the arms of grieving farmers reverberated with a concerned public. But for Barkandji people, this underscored their powerlessness in the debate over their river.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267459/original/file-20190403-177163-g14dx1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267459/original/file-20190403-177163-g14dx1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267459/original/file-20190403-177163-g14dx1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267459/original/file-20190403-177163-g14dx1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267459/original/file-20190403-177163-g14dx1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267459/original/file-20190403-177163-g14dx1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267459/original/file-20190403-177163-g14dx1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/267459/original/file-20190403-177163-g14dx1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dead fish in the Menindee weir pool in January.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied by Graeme McCrabb/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As Wilcannia Local Aboriginal Land Council’s Kevin Cattermole told us,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s so sad that it took a million or more fish to die for people to really listen, when we’ve been saying this, we’ve been fighting for this for a number of years now. Well before the fish kill in Menindee. Well before that we tried to get people to listen…</p>
</blockquote>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/91XLOHPZhrY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Interview with Kevin Cattermole.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>He went on to say, “We have no water … there’s nothing there … All the water gets taken out of Bourke and us poor buggers in the middle, we’ve got nothing. That’s why we jumped up and down. We’re tired of having no water”.</p>
<p>Wilcannia has a <a href="http://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC14290">population of around 745</a>. The land council, and everyone we spoke to including workers at the petrol station, supermarket and café shared the same view as to the cause of this problem. They say upstream big irrigators are <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Martin_Thoms2/publication/265148394_Ecological_Sustainability_of_Rivers_of_the_Murray-Darling_Basin/links/545220660cf24884d8874ac0/Ecological-Sustainability-of-Rivers-of-the-Murray-Darling-Basin.pdf">storing water on feeder rivers and over extracting</a>. Low rainfall and <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm#inbox/FMfcgxwBWKWhPvXmFvBHzGqnvFmTCqzp?projector=1&messagePartId=0.1">record temperatures</a> (48.5 degrees in January, 2019) were also cited as factors but secondary to water regulation. A “man-made disaster” was the shared view.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rw_Ovj9qZbM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Interview with Jenny Thwaites.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Long-time Wilcannia resident and Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO, Jenny Thwaites observed that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A few years back we had two years in a row where we had high rivers. In the time that I lived here, when we had a high river it used to last for months, now it’s up for a couple of weeks and then it’s gone. And since then, we’ve gradually seen the water getting lower and lower and lower …</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266025/original/file-20190327-139345-y87yoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266025/original/file-20190327-139345-y87yoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266025/original/file-20190327-139345-y87yoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266025/original/file-20190327-139345-y87yoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266025/original/file-20190327-139345-y87yoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266025/original/file-20190327-139345-y87yoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266025/original/file-20190327-139345-y87yoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266025/original/file-20190327-139345-y87yoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Members of the King family from Wilcannia stand under a river gum beside the Darling River, which they may never see in flow again.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Janson-Moore</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The impact on Barkandji worlds was explained as social and cultural.</p>
<p>Michael Kennedy, chair of Wilcannia Local Aboriginal Land Council, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… all along the river there were families. Every day of the week there were people fishing on the river… Everyone was happy. You had something to do, something that you loved… Traditional food, it was always eaten … it’s just not there anymore. It’s like … everything is dying out.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Both Kennedy and Cattermole are at pains to detail the non-human impact too. Kennedy said, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Everything’s dying with it … The fish, the mussels the yabbies; the bird life isn’t here anymore like it used to be. You hear a few birds chirping now but that’s nothing compared to what it used to be. Everything, it’s affecting everything. Kangaroos, emus, the people. Everything.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Cattermole says local parrots and kingfishers are gone now. “Even our kookaburras have gone quiet.”</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DOV4ksc1vRk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Interview with Michael Kennedy.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Kennedy recalls the river when he was a child:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>For me growing up, it always had … flowing water in it; you could always come down to the river and catch a feed of fish or yabbies or duck eggs. It was so easy to find duck eggs. But now, I haven’t had a feed of fish in probably 12 months.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>He bows his head in grief as he recites, yet again, the conditions on the river. We stand in the dry river bed, pushing the coarse sand around with our feet. It is baking hot. We stand close, listening intently to each other. He gestures to the desolate chasm,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>…our people lived here for thousands of years. They drank the water from out of this river, they lived off this river, this river fed us. It gave us water, it gave us life. And now, you know in the last 200 years, it’s gone to nothing, it’s just a dry, dead river bed.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266023/original/file-20190327-139368-10ujmix.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266023/original/file-20190327-139368-10ujmix.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266023/original/file-20190327-139368-10ujmix.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266023/original/file-20190327-139368-10ujmix.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266023/original/file-20190327-139368-10ujmix.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266023/original/file-20190327-139368-10ujmix.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266023/original/file-20190327-139368-10ujmix.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266023/original/file-20190327-139368-10ujmix.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Michael Kennedy, chairperson of the Wilcannia Local Aboriginal Land Council, on the Darling riverbed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Janson-Moore</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Kennedy regularly returns in our conversation to his memories of the river as a child. He explains how “heaps of us” would build fish traps and haul the fish out by hand at the weir, before and after school. He laments the inability to do this with his own son.</p>
<h2>The Future</h2>
<p>Cattermole fears for the future of the town and for the Barkandji. He says,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If nothing gets done with this river, I think this place will end up becoming a ghost town … If this river doesn’t get fixed a lot of people … they’ll just drift off to other places where they used to be before. Probably down to Lake Cargelligo or Broken Hill … What’s the good of staying here when there’s no water? You can’t live without water!</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266029/original/file-20190327-139368-19qsq9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266029/original/file-20190327-139368-19qsq9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266029/original/file-20190327-139368-19qsq9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266029/original/file-20190327-139368-19qsq9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266029/original/file-20190327-139368-19qsq9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266029/original/file-20190327-139368-19qsq9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266029/original/file-20190327-139368-19qsq9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266029/original/file-20190327-139368-19qsq9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A view from the highway bridge at Wilcannia of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the Darling River, symbolically set up on the day of action in March this year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Janson-Moore</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And, on the impact on Aboriginal stories of place, Cattermole says,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’ll die out. It’ll die. There will be no stories for the kids. All they’ll be hearing is how the white people destroyed our culture, our way of life, our self-being. There will be nothing for them. They won’t be able to pass stories on because they won’t have nothing to tell about the river. </p>
</blockquote>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/phtXl7CJZ0U?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A protest in Wilcannia on March 3.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The future for anyone living in Wilcannia today is uncertain. Still Kennedy, sensing the possibility of forced departure, was emphatic in saying, “We can’t move from here because this is our Country, this is where we belong, this is where we live. It breaks our heart.”</p>
<p>He connects the condition of the river to his own health, saying:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>When you look at the river and you see how sick it is, and how disheartening it looks: that’s exactly how we feel. But when the river’s got plenty of water in it and it’s healthy and it’s flourishing, that’s how we feel. We feel happy, we feel good, we feel healthy.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Alternate economies</h2>
<p>There are very few prospects of the Barwon-Darling river recovering any time soon. The collapse of the river system now almost certainly ends farming along the mid Darling and any remaining jobs. Surviving industries, cotton mostly, are largely mechanised and draw heavily on upstream water thereby exacerbating the mid-Darling water crisis.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266028/original/file-20190327-139352-npdi18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266028/original/file-20190327-139352-npdi18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266028/original/file-20190327-139352-npdi18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266028/original/file-20190327-139352-npdi18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266028/original/file-20190327-139352-npdi18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266028/original/file-20190327-139352-npdi18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266028/original/file-20190327-139352-npdi18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266028/original/file-20190327-139352-npdi18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Exposed water height markers on the Darling River reveal the depth of the crisis at Wilcannia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Janson-Moore</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Prospects of Aboriginal land repossession under the 1983 NSW Aboriginal Land Rights laws sustaining an economy in far western NSW are also limited. Properties held by the Wilcannia land council, including Weinteriga sheep station, were purchased in the late 1980s. With Darling River frontage it had been celebrated as offering employment and training opportunities and profitable enterprise, <a href="https://aiatsis.gov.au/news-and-events/news/what-do-we-want-political-history-aboriginal-land-rights-new-south-wales">not unlike the old pastoral station days</a>. </p>
<p>With no water in the river, the property has been emptied of sheep and the sole caretaker runs a feral goat enterprise. Tough and hardy, the goats will eat anything – and everything – and need little water. But their voracious and indiscriminate appetite carries environmental risks.</p>
<p>Says Kennedy:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s almost like when your mum or your dad is laying in hospital sick, ready to pass on and there is nothing you can do about it. And you just sit there with them and watch them pass on. It’s the same way we feel about the river. Our river is dying and we’re dying with it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>At the headwaters of the Barwon-Darling down to Wilcannia, the towns that sit along the river are majority Aboriginal populations: Mungindi, Walgett, Brewarrina, Bourke and Wilcannia. </p>
<p>At the recent NSW election, the electorate of Barwon, which includes these towns and covers some 44% of the state, was wrestled from the National Party by The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/nsw-election-2019/the-wunderkind-behind-the-rise-of-shooters-fishers-and-farmers-party-20190326-p517k6.html">with a swing of 17.8%</a>. Within Barwon, Aboriginal people make up nearly 17% of the population. </p>
<p>In 2015, after 18 years of litigation, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-16/nsw-largest-native-title-claim-determination/6549180">the Federal Court recognised Barkandji people’s connection to country in far western NSW</a> covering 128,000 square kilometres. This Native Title determination, while significant, delivers limited land interest or repossession. But it does reference water rights and the potential to recognise a form of Aboriginal government and with the right resources and capacity, perhaps the ability to engage new economies on damaged landscapes.</p>
<p>The environmental catastrophe of the river holds in its grip the future of Barkandji people. The dystopia is now and they need the support of all Australians in order to survive with and on their Country.</p>
<p><em>Author Heidi Norman and filmmaker John Janson-Moore acknowledge the generous assistance of Barkandji people and Wilcannia Local Aboriginal Land Council and community.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/114275/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heidi Norman receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Janson-Moore does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>For the Barkandji people, the crisis on the Barwon-Darling represents the biggest threat to their continued survival on country since the sheep invaded.Heidi Norman, Professor, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology SydneyJohn Janson-Moore, Filmmaker, Media Specialist and Academic, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1109902019-02-04T05:51:31Z2019-02-04T05:51:31ZMurray-Darling report shows public authorities must take climate change risk seriously<p>The tragic recent events on the Darling River, and the political and policy furore around them, have again highlighted the severe financial and environmental consequences of mismanaging climate risks. The Murray-Darling Royal Commission demonstrates how closely boards of public sector corporate bodies can be scrutinised for their management of these risks. </p>
<p>Public authorities must follow private companies and factor climate risk into their board decision-making. Royal Commissioner Brett Walker has delivered a damning indictment of the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s management of climate-related risks. His <a href="https://www.mdbrc.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/murray-darling-basin-royal-commission-report.pdf?v=1548898371">report</a> argues that the authority’s senior management and board were “negligent” and fell short of acting with “reasonable care, skill and diligence”. For <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/media/mr/mdba-response-south-australian-royal-commission-final-report">its part</a>, the authority “rejects the assertion” that it “acted improperly or unlawfully in any way”. </p>
<p>The Royal Commission has also drawn attention to the potentially significant legal and reputational consequences for directors and organisations whose climate risk management is deemed to have fallen short of a rising bar. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/damning-royal-commission-report-leaves-no-doubt-that-we-all-lose-if-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-fails-110908">Damning royal commission report leaves no doubt that we all lose if the Murray-Darling Basin Plan fails</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>It’s the public sector’s turn</h2>
<p>Until recently, scrutiny of how effectively large and influential organisations are responding to climate risks has focused mostly on the private sector. </p>
<p>In Australia it is widely acknowledged <a href="https://theconversation.com/company-directors-can-be-held-legally-liable-for-ignoring-the-risks-from-climate-change-68068">among legal experts</a> that private company directors’ duty of “due care and diligence” requires them to consider foreseeable climate risks that intersect with the interests of the company. Indeed, Australia’s companies regulator, ASIC, has called for directors to take a “<a href="https://asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/speeches/climate-change/">probative and proactive</a>” approach to these risks. </p>
<p>The recent focus on management of the Murray-Darling Basin again highlights the crucial role public sector corporations (or “public authorities” as we call them) also play in our overall responses to climate change – and the consequences when things go wrong.</p>
<p>Australia’s economy, once dominated by publicly owned enterprises, was reshaped by waves of privatisations in the late 20th century. However, hundreds of public authorities continue to play an important role in our economy. They build and maintain infrastructure, generate energy, oversee superannuation portfolios, provide insurance and manage water resources, among many other activities.</p>
<p>This means that, like their counterparts in the private sector, many face risks associated with climate change. Take Melbourne Water, for instance, a statutory water corporation established to manage the city’s water supply. It will have to contend with increasingly hot summers and reduced rainfall (a physical risk), and also with the risk that government policy in the future might impose stricter conditions on how water is used (a transition risk). </p>
<h2>What duties do public authorities owe?</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://cpd.org.au/2019/02/public-authorities/">new research</a> from the Centre for Policy Development, shows that, at the Commonwealth and Victorian level (and likely in other Australian jurisdictions), the main laws governing officials in public authorities are likely to create similar obligations to those imposed on private company directors. </p>
<p>For instance, a <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2013A00123">2013 federal act</a> requires public authority board members to carry out their duties with the degree of “due care and diligence” that a reasonable person would exercise if they were a Commonwealth official in that board position.</p>
<p>The concept of a “reasonable person” is crucial. There is ever-increasing certainty about the human contribution to climate change. New tools and models have been created to measure the impact of climate change on the economy. Climate risks are therefore reasonably foreseeable if you are acting carefully and diligently, and thus public authority directors should consider these risks. </p>
<p>The obligations of public authority directors may, in some cases, go beyond what is required of private company directors. The same act mentioned above requires Commonwealth officials to promote best practice in the way they carry out their duties. While there is still wide divergence in how <a href="https://www.asic.gov.au/regulatory-resources/corporate-governance/corporate-governance-articles/disclosing-climate-risk">private companies manage climate change</a>, best practice in leading corporations is moving towards more systematic analysis and disclosure of these risks. Accordingly, a “best practice” obligation places an even higher onus on public sector directors to manage climate risk.</p>
<p>The specific legislation that governs certain public authorities may introduce different and more onerous requirements. For instance, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s governing legislation, the Water Act 2007, imposes a number of additional conditions on the authority. This includes the extent to which the minister can influence board decision-making. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, our laws set out a widely applicable standard for public authority directors.</p>
<h2>Approaches to better manage public authority climate risks</h2>
<p>While some public authorities are already carefully considering how physical and transition climate risks affect their work, our research suggests that standards vary widely. </p>
<p>As with the private sector, a combination of clear expectations for better climate risk management, greater scrutiny and more investment in climate-related capabilities and risk-management frameworks can all play a role in raising the bar. Our research highlights four steps that governments should consider:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>creating a whole-of-government toolkit and implementation strategy for training and supporting directors to account for climate-risk in decision-making </p></li>
<li><p>using existing public authority accountability mechanisms – such as the public sector commissioner or auditor general’s office – to more closely scrutinise the management of climate-related financial risks</p></li>
<li><p>issuing formal ministerial statements of expectations to clarify how public authorities and their directors should manage climate-related risks and policy priorities</p></li>
<li><p>making legislative or regulatory changes to ensure consistent consideration, management and disclosure of climate risk by public sector decision-makers.</p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/company-directors-can-be-held-legally-liable-for-ignoring-the-risks-from-climate-change-68068">Company directors can be held legally liable for ignoring the risks from climate change</a>
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<p>Measures such as these would set clear expectations for more consistent, sophisticated responses to climate risks by public authorities. However, even without any changes, it should be clear that public authority directors have legal duties to consider climate risks – and that these duties must be taken seriously even when doing so is complicated, controversial or politically sensitive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110990/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Arjuna Dibley is affiliated with the Centre for Policy Development.</span></em></p>A scathing report about the Murray Darling Basin Authority highlights the importance of climate change risks to public sector companies.Arjuna Dibley, Graduate Fellow, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, Stanford UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1109082019-02-01T02:24:20Z2019-02-01T02:24:20ZDamning royal commission report leaves no doubt that we all lose if the Murray-Darling Basin Plan fails<p>In the wake of revelations of water theft, fish kills, and towns running out of water, the South Australian Royal Commission into the Murray-Darling Basin has <a href="https://www.mdbrc.sa.gov.au/">reported</a> that the Basin Plan must be strengthened if there is to be any hope of saving the river system, and the communities along it, from a bleak future.</p>
<p>Evidence uncovered by the Royal Commission showed systemic failures in the implementation of the <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan/plan-murray-darling-basin">Murray-Darling Basin Plan</a>. The damning report must trigger action by all governments and bodies involved in managing the basin. </p>
<p>The Basin Plan was adopted in 2012 to address overallocation of water to irrigated farming at the expense of the environment, river towns, Traditional Owners, and the pastoral and tourism industries. </p>
<p>The Commission has made 111 findings and 44 recommendations that accuse federal agencies of maladministration, and challenge key policies that were pursued in implementing the plan.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/aboriginal-voices-are-missing-from-the-murray-darling-basin-crisis-110769">Aboriginal voices are missing from the Murray-Darling Basin crisis</a>
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<h2>What did the report find?</h2>
<p>The commission found that the Basin Plan breached <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2017C00151">federal water laws</a> by applying a “triple bottom line” trade-off of environmental and socioeconomic values, rather than prioritising environmental sustainability and then optimising socio-economic outcomes. </p>
<p>I and my colleagues in the <a href="http://wentworthgroup.org/">Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists</a> provided evidence to the commission from our <a href="http://wentworthgroup.org/2017/11/review-of-water-reform-in-the-murray-darling-basin/2017/">independent assessment</a> of the Basin Plan in 2017, which the commission’s findings reflect. </p>
<p>Contrary to current government practices, the Commission recommendations include: </p>
<ul>
<li>prioritising environmental sustainability</li>
<li>basing the plan on transparent science</li>
<li>acquiring more water for the environment through direct purchase from farmers</li>
<li>meeting the water needs of <a href="https://theconversation.com/aboriginal-voices-are-missing-from-the-murray-darling-basin-crisis-110769">the Basin’s 40 Indigenous nations</a></li>
<li>ensuring that state governments produce competent <a href="http://wentworthgroup.org/2018/11/wrp-accreditation-criteria/2018/">subsidiary plans</a> and comply with agreements to <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/publications/mdba-reports/constraints-management-strategy">remove constraints</a> to inundating floodplain wetlands</li>
<li>addressing the impacts of climate change</li>
<li>improving monitoring and compliance of Basin Plan implementation. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Resilience in decline</h2>
<p>The Murray-Darling Basin is not just a food bowl. It is a living ecosystem that depends on interconnected natural resources. It also underpins the livelihoods of 2.6 million people and agricultural production worth more than <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan/plan-murray-darling-basin">A$24 billion</a>.</p>
<p>The continued health of the basin and its economy depends on a healthy river – which in turns means healthy water flows. Like much of Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin is subject to periods of “droughts and flooding rains”. But over the past century the extraction of water, especially for irrigation, has reduced river flows to a point at which the natural system can no longer recover from these extremes.</p>
<p>That lack of resilience is evidenced by the current <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-darling-river-is-simply-not-supposed-to-dry-out-even-in-drought-109880">Darling River fish kills</a>. More broadly, overextraction risks the health of the entire basin, and its capacity to sustain productive regional economies for future generations.</p>
<p>From the perspective of the Wentworth Group, we support the commission’s main recommendations, including increasing pressure on recalcitrant state governments to responsibly deliver their elements of the plan, and to refocus on the health of the river. </p>
<p>We particularly support recommendations related to the use of the best available science in decision-making, including for managing <a href="https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84882238753&doi=10.1002%2fwcc.230&origin=inward&txGid=9e93db24280752ba77a3e187f1c4c142">declining water availability under a changing climate</a>. </p>
<p>We welcome the recommendation to reassess the sustainable levels of water extraction so as to comply with the Commonwealth Water Act. These must be constructed with a primary focus on the environment. </p>
<p>In line with this, the <a href="http://wentworthgroup.org/2018/01/advice-on-basin-plan-amendment-instrument-2017/2018/">70 billion litre reduction in environmental water</a> from the northern basin adopted by parliament in 2018 should be immediately repealed. So should the ban on direct buyback of water from farmers for the environment. </p>
<p>We also recognise that the Basin Plan’s water recovery target is insufficient to restore health to the environment and prevent further damage, and would welcome an increase in the target above 3,200 billion litres.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-good-plan-to-help-darling-river-fish-recover-exists-so-lets-get-on-with-it-110168">A good plan to help Darling River fish recover exists, so let's get on with it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has taken a welcome first step in calling for a Council of Australian Governments meeting to discuss the commission’s findings. Our governments need to avoid the temptation to legislate away the politically inconvenient failings exposed by the commission, and instead act constructively and implement its recommendations. </p>
<p>This is not only a challenge for the current conservative federal government. The Labor side of politics needs to address its legacy in establishing the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Basin Plan, as well as the Victorian government’s role in frustrating the plan’s implementation by failing to remove constraints to environmental water flows. </p>
<p>Now, more than ever, we need strong leadership. If the Murray-Darling Basin Plan fails, we all lose.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110908/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie Pittock received funding for research in the Basin from the former National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility. He is a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and a scientific adviser to WWF Australia.</span></em></p>The Murray-Darling is not just a food bowl, yet the South Australian Royal Commission has found the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is failing its mission to protect the environment as well as irrigators.Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/935682018-04-30T20:17:00Z2018-04-30T20:17:00ZIt will take decades, but the Murray Darling Basin Plan is delivering environmental improvements<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216610/original/file-20180427-137525-7pn9i5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Murrumbidgee River is one of several sites in the Murray-Darling Basin where improvements are being detected.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSIRO_ScienceImage_11557_Farmland_on_the_Murrumbidgee.jpg">CSIRO/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Amid the politics, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the <a href="https://theconversation.com/finally-murray-darling-basin-plan-signed-into-law-10939">Murray-Darling Basin Plan</a> was originally designed primarily to restore the rivers’ environment. While questions have been raised over the plan’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-royal-commission-into-water-theft-may-be-just-the-tip-of-iceberg-for-the-murray-darling-basin-88166">governance</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-murray-darling-basin-plan-is-not-delivering-theres-no-more-time-to-waste-91076">economics</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/states-dummy-spit-over-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-clouds-the-real-facts-91913">political commitment by the states</a>, it is important to note that, more than five years after the plan’s adoption, the environmental benefits are slowly but surely being seen.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/monitoring/ltim-project">Long-Term Intervention Monitoring Project</a> began in 2014 to monitor and evaluate environmental outcomes from Commonwealth environmental water – the water being delivered into the Murray-Darling Basin by the plan. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-behind-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-4502">The science behind the Murray-Darling Basin plan</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We are leading independent teams of researchers and consultants in monitoring seven selected areas across the Murray-Darling Basin, and then scaling up those results to deduce the health of the basin as a whole.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216603/original/file-20180427-175047-1mbewa4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216603/original/file-20180427-175047-1mbewa4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216603/original/file-20180427-175047-1mbewa4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216603/original/file-20180427-175047-1mbewa4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216603/original/file-20180427-175047-1mbewa4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216603/original/file-20180427-175047-1mbewa4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=709&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216603/original/file-20180427-175047-1mbewa4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=709&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216603/original/file-20180427-175047-1mbewa4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=709&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The seven monitoring sites.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Three and a half years into an initial five-year program, we are generally seeing <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan-roll-out/2017-basin-plan-evaluation">environmental changes of the types and magnitudes expected</a> at this stage of the plan.</p>
<h2>Plans, predictions and possibilities</h2>
<p>It’s not widely known what environmental water can and cannot do, and how different environmental indicators will respond at different rates. The Basin Plan’s <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2012L02240">objectives</a> focus on fish, bird and vegetation communities – and in all of these areas, the changes will take time.</p>
<p>Under the plan, we expect that it will take <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/7eff9495-57b3-4ffe-ab60-a948c2c96b31/files/long-term-intervention-monitoring-project.doc">more than a decade from the start of flow delivery</a> before large-scale changes become evident. Detecting these changes will require both time and high-quality data.</p>
<p>What’s more, Commonwealth environmental water is a relatively small proportion of what once flowed through these systems. The government currently holds entitlements to <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/about/water-holdings">1,836 billion litres</a>, which is less than 6% of <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/discover-basin/water/discover-surface-water">average system inflows</a> (the rainfall that makes it into the river system). </p>
<p>This is not enough water to restore natural flow patterns. Along with other constraints, such as the pressure to keep water off floodplains, this means that managers need to be extremely selective about where, when and how water is delivered for environmental benefits.</p>
<h2>What are we monitoring?</h2>
<p>While we are monitoring fish, birds and vegetation to allow us to measure progress towards the Basin Plan’s objectives, we are also monitoring shorter-term responses. These responses provide data on environmental processes that will allow us to predict whether we can expect the Basin Plan ultimately to deliver on the promised long-term improvements.</p>
<p>A good example of this is golden perch, a threatened and iconic native fish species in the Murray-Darling Basin. Long-term changes in the adult population will only be seen if shorter-term processes, such as migration and spawning, occur. Environmental water should help these processes, and we are monitoring those outcomes. </p>
<p>Adult fish respond to high flows in spring, <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0096044">moving downstream</a> to spawn. Eggs and larvae are washed further downstream, so to bring new fish into the local population, high flow events in autumn can be used to <a href="https://www.ari.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0024/90348/VEFMAP-Stage-6-2017-Project-Update-Northern-Rivers-Fish.docx">attract juvenile fish back into a river</a>. Golden perch move over very large distances, and as adults they may end up living in a <a href="http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/248131/Golden_Perch_Murray_Darling_Basin_Report_-_FINAL_.pdf">different river from where they were spawned</a>. </p>
<p>If environmental water is used to achieve all these processes, then over years to decades, we will see an increase in adult golden perch numbers.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216605/original/file-20180427-135538-17ka5au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216605/original/file-20180427-135538-17ka5au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216605/original/file-20180427-135538-17ka5au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216605/original/file-20180427-135538-17ka5au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216605/original/file-20180427-135538-17ka5au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216605/original/file-20180427-135538-17ka5au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216605/original/file-20180427-135538-17ka5au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216605/original/file-20180427-135538-17ka5au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Adult golden perch fitted with a tag to track its movements.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wayne Koster/Arthur Rylah Institute</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Quicker results</h2>
<p>Not everything takes decades, however. We have already been able to detect some shorter-term benefits from the plan. Here are some examples from around the Basin:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>Lower Murray</strong>: environmental water has <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/publications/lower-murray-ltim-report-2015-16">reduced salinity</a> in the Coorong and increased salt export through the Murray mouth</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Edward-Wakool</strong>: environmental water has provided refuges for aquatic fauna during low-oxygen “black water” events caused by floods in <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00267-017-0941-1">2010</a> and <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/catchment/mid-murray/edward-wakool-ewrg">2016</a>, reducing impacts on fish populations</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Murrumbidgee</strong>: environmental water has been crucial in <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/publications/murrumbidgee-ltim-report-2015-16">helping endangered populations of the vulnerable southern bell frog</a> to recover</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Gwydir</strong>: environmental water allowed the production of <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/publications/gwydir-ltim-report-2015-16">1,000 tonnes of zooplankton over 90 days</a>, in turn providing food for fish and higher predators</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Warrego-Darling</strong>: environmental water has <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/publications/warrego-darling-ltim-report-2015-16">maintained flows</a> in a system that would have otherwise dried to a series of isolated pools, maintaining food webs and stimulating fish breeding.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Alternative outcomes</h2>
<p>Besides reporting progress, our monitoring program also allows us to make predictions of what the system might have looked like with different environmental flows, or with no environmental flows at all. </p>
<p>In the Lachlan River in New South Wales, environmental water has been used to support a <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo/publications/ltim-lachlan-annual-report-2016-17">major bird breeding event</a> by extending the period of flooding. Without this water, nests would have been abandoned, leaving thousands of fledglings to die.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216607/original/file-20180427-175077-1rwhx2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216607/original/file-20180427-175077-1rwhx2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216607/original/file-20180427-175077-1rwhx2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216607/original/file-20180427-175077-1rwhx2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216607/original/file-20180427-175077-1rwhx2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216607/original/file-20180427-175077-1rwhx2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216607/original/file-20180427-175077-1rwhx2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216607/original/file-20180427-175077-1rwhx2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Straw necked Ibis chicks from the Lachlan River.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mal Carnegie/Lake Cowal Association</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We also share our results with environmental water managers to help improve the effectiveness and efficiency of environmental water delivery – a process called <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00267-017-0981-6">adaptive management</a>. In the Goulburn River in Victoria, we have learned that the release of environmental water to help riverbank vegetation is more effective if delivered earlier in spring. Riverbank vegetation has now improved so much that metal pins being used to monitor erosion and sediment deposition can’t be found without a metal detector.</p>
<h2>In it for the long haul</h2>
<p>One <a href="http://wentworthgroup.org/2017/11/review-of-water-reform-in-the-murray-darling-basin/2017/">criticism</a> of the Basin Plan is that there is no evidence yet of basin-wide improvements. For some indicators this is to be expected because of the long time frames of response of the Basin Plan objectives. However, we have already reported on basin scale changes of other indicators, such as <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/6f6589ec-ff05-45f5-9fdd-d9f7071e2c78/files/2015-16-basin-evaluation-app-e-vegetation-diversity.pdf">vegetation</a>. </p>
<p>Also, the <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/6f6589ec-ff05-45f5-9fdd-d9f7071e2c78/files/2015-16-basin-evaluation-app-b-hydrology.pdf">assessment of Commonwealth environmental water delivery</a> shows that across the basin, we are creating the types of flow events expected to lead to beneficial environmental outcomes at broad scales.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216606/original/file-20180427-137525-1mj0jlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216606/original/file-20180427-137525-1mj0jlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216606/original/file-20180427-137525-1mj0jlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216606/original/file-20180427-137525-1mj0jlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216606/original/file-20180427-137525-1mj0jlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216606/original/file-20180427-137525-1mj0jlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216606/original/file-20180427-137525-1mj0jlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216606/original/file-20180427-137525-1mj0jlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Environmental water release to improve water quality in the Edward-Wakool system.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Commonwealth Environmental Water Office</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-broken-81613">Is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan broken?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The politics of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan will probably always be fraught. But as the group charged with assessing environmental progress, we want the debate on its effectiveness to be underpinned by sound evidence from independent experts. </p>
<p>The Long-Term Intervention Monitoring Project, along with <a href="https://www.mdfrc.org.au/projects/ewkr/about/">other research</a> and <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/news/monitoring-basins-environment">monitoring</a>, is providing that evidence.</p>
<p>So, while the Basin Plan’s objectives will take a long time to be realised, there are positive signs that it is slowly achieving its major goal of improving environments in the Murray-Darling Basin, underpinning more sustainable social, environmental and economic outcomes into the future.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was coauthored by Mark Southwell, Geomorphologist, Eco Logical Australia; and Shane Brooks, Director, LitePC Technologies.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/93568/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Angus Webb receives funding from the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office through the Long-Term Intervention Monitoring Project. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Darren Ryder receives funding from the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office through the Long Term Intervention Monitoring and the Environmental Water Knowledge and Research Programs. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona Dyer receives funding from the Commonwealth Environmental Office through the Long Term Intervention Monitoring Program. She also receives research funding from a variety of sources including the ACT Government and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) . </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Stewardson consults to the Commonwealth Environmental Office (CEOW) as a team member of the Long Term Intervention Monitoring Program. He receives funding for research from wide variety of water management agencies including Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) and CEWO. He is a member of the MDBA's Advisory Committee on Social, Economic and Environmental Science. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mike Grace consults to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (CEWO) as a team member of the Long Term Intervention Monitoring Program. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nick Bond leads the Basin Evaluation Team as part of the Long Term Intervention Monitoring Program, which is funded by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (CEWO). He is also a member of the Edward-Wakool Monitoring and Evaluation Team. He is also involved with several other related projects, including the Environmental Water Knowledge and Research Project (funded by the CEWO), and a project funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Frazier receives funding from the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office through the Long-Term Intervention Monitoring Project.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Qifeng Ye receives funding from the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, South Australian Department for Environment and Water, and Fisheries Research and Development Corporation for a range of monitoring/research projects. She is affiliated with Flinders University. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rick Stoffels undertakes research for, is a consultant to, and receives funding from the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robyn Watts receives funding from the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office through the Long-Term Intervention Monitoring Program.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samantha Capon receives funding from the Department of Environment and Energy, including the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, and the Cotton Research and Development Corporation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Skye Wassens receives funding from Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Murray Local Land Services, Murrumbidgee Irrigation Corporation, CSIRO Flagship </span></em></p>The Murray-Darling Basin Plan has been politically fraught and mired in scandal. But environmental monitoring suggests that the health of the rivers is indeed improving – even if it will take decades.Angus Webb, Senior Lecturer and quantitative ecologist, The University of MelbourneDarren Ryder, Professor of Aquatic Ecology and Restoration, University of New EnglandFiona Dyer, Associate professor, University of CanberraMichael Stewardson, Professor, The University of MelbourneMike Grace, Associate Professor, Monash UniversityNick Bond, Professor, La Trobe UniversityPaul Frazier, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, University of New EnglandQifeng Ye, Principal Scientist, Inland Waters and Catchment Ecology ProgramRick Stoffels, Senior Scientist, CSIRORobyn J Watts, Professor of Ecology, Charles Sturt UniversitySamantha Capon, Research Fellow in Ecology, Griffith UniversitySkye Wassens, Associate Professor in Ecology, Charles Sturt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/919132018-02-15T17:56:25Z2018-02-15T17:56:25ZStates’ dummy-spit over the Murray-Darling Basin Plan clouds the real facts<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206513/original/file-20180215-124914-66e0k7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Darling River near Menindee, NSW.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AAerial_view_of_the_Darling_River.jpg">Tim Keegan/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Given the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-15/murray-darling-basin-plan-changes-blocked/9448280">outraged reaction from some state water ministers</a> to the disallowance of an <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan-roll-out/basin-plan-amendments/basin-plan-amendments-northern-basin">amendment</a> to the <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan">Murray Darling Basin Plan</a>, you would be forgiven for thinking that a heinous crime had been committed against farmers in upstream states. </p>
<p>In fact, what happened was that the Senate voted for the Basin Plan to continue unchanged, rather than allow a modest increase in the water available to farms in the Murray Darling’s Northern Basin. </p>
<p>NSW water minister Niall Blair reacted by declaring that his state “will now start the process of withdrawing ourselves from the plan”, while his Victorian counterpart Lisa Neville <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/vic-declares-murray-darling-plan-over">angrily declared</a> that “the plan is over” (despite Victoria not even being in the Northern Basin).</p>
<p>The political friction is generating a lot of heat, but precious little light. The debate could use a few more facts, so here they are.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-broken-81613">Is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan broken?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>First of all, the amount of water involved in the amendment represents less than 1% of the average annual surface water extractions allowed by the Basin Plan. This is roughly equivalent to a single day’s irrigation use throughout the basin during the growing season. </p>
<p>In other words, irrigators already use huge amounts of water, and ensuring that environmental water recovery on the Darling River is not reduced by 70 billion litres will make very little difference to irrigators.</p>
<p>Second, the delivery of the environmental water target of 390 billion litres in the Northern Basin, rather than 320 billion litres as proposed in the amendment, will be undertaken with full compensation. In other words, no individual irrigator will be made worse off by allowing the original target to be delivered. No one is “taking water” from anyone.</p>
<p>Third, let’s just reiterate that no one has changed the Basin Plan, so the “loss” of 70 billion litres simply represents 70 billion litres less in diversions that farmers were hoping to receive in future, but now won’t.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, there is <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan-roll-out/proposed-adjustment-sustainable-diversion-limits">another amendment under consideration</a>, to be decided by May 7, that will potentially allow farmers across the Basin to divert an extra 605 billion litres from the river. These amendments are political compromises and not part of the scientific and economic assessments that led to the Basin Plan. </p>
<p>Fourth, the <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/pubs/S%26E-economic-modelling-report-KPMG.pdf?">claims</a> by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority that the reduction in the environmental water recovery will save 200 jobs does not bear scrutiny. Jobs in agriculture have everything to do the weather, with commodity prices and the value of the Australian dollar, and very little to do with environmental water recovery. We should not spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a consultant to get an “answer” that does not pass proper peer review in academic journals if we want good public policy outcomes.</p>
<p>Fifth, and finally, it’s time for some maths. The Basin Plan that was passed in 2012 had, on average, a surface water diversion limit (that is, the total amount that farmers and other water users were allowed to take) of 10,873 billion litres per year. Before surface water diversions were controlled in the mid-1990s, the average annual surface water diversions in the Basin were 10,684 billion litres per year. Between 2000-01 and 2014-15, the average was 7,956 billion litres per year. </p>
<p>In other words, the water limits allowed by the existing Basin Plan represent an increase, rather than a reduction, on what water users have been taking, on average, for the past 30 years. For this reason alone, we should be very careful about letting them have even more.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-murray-darling-basin-plan-is-not-delivering-theres-no-more-time-to-waste-91076">The Murray Darling Basin Plan is not delivering – there's no more time to waste</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>Politicians and vested interests are playing fast and loose with the facts.
Let’s be clear, the Basin Plan will not keel over because of this disallowed amendment. But it will die if the irrigators who have already received billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money, and who have billions allocated for them in the forward estimates, stop the Basin Plan from delivering on its original intentions.</p>
<p>It’s time our federal government stood up and defended the national interest and faithfully delivered on the original intent of the Basin Plan, and actually increase stream flows in the Basin by 2,750 billion litres per year.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-murray-darling-basin-plan-is-not-delivering-theres-no-more-time-to-waste-91076">we and our colleagues argued earlier this month</a>, that means establishing a truly independent scientific and expert body to evaluate the Basin’s health and what has been delivered in terms of increased net stream flows with the Basin Plan. It also means an end to further infrastructure subsidies and efficiency projects until the full facts are publicly known and scrutinised about what public benefits they provide.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91913/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Quentin Grafton is a signatory to the Murray-Darling Declaration (see <a href="https://murraydeclaration.org/">https://murraydeclaration.org/</a>) . In the past, he has recieved funding from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to work on Basin issues. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Williams is a signatory to the Murray-Darling Declaration (see <a href="https://murraydeclaration.org/">https://murraydeclaration.org/</a>). He has worked as consultant through ANU for Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).</span></em></p>New South Wales has pledged to walk away from the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, while Victoria’s water minister has declared the plan ‘over’.Quentin Grafton, Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityJohn Williams, Adjunct Professor Environment and Natural Resources, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/910762018-02-04T18:06:28Z2018-02-04T18:06:28ZThe Murray Darling Basin Plan is not delivering – there’s no more time to waste<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204562/original/file-20180202-162104-yq76fn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Despite billions spent on trying to save water in the Murray Darling Basin, results have been disappointing.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Williams</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>More than five years after the <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan">Murray Darling Basin Plan</a> was implemented, it’s clear that it is not delivering on its key objectives. </p>
<p>The Basin Plan, at its core, is about reducing the amount of water that can be extracted from its streams, rivers and aquifers. It includes an environmental water strategy to improve the conditions of the wetlands and rivers of the basin.
The Productivity Commission will conduct a five-yearly inquiry into the effectiveness of the Basin Plan in 2018. </p>
<p>It is high time to explain what is really going on in the Basin and water recovery. For this reason we have all signed the <a href="https://murraydeclaration.org">Murray-Darling Basin Declaration</a> to explain what has gone wrong, to call for a freeze on funding for new irrigation projects until the outcomes of water recovery has been fully and independently audited, and to call for the establishment of an independent, expert body to deliver on the key goals of the Water Act (2007).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-the-murray-darling-basin-plan-broken-81613">Is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan broken?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Until the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/pumped/8727826">ABC’s 4 Corners program</a> in July last year, many Australians were unaware of alleged water theft and grossly deficient compliance along the Darling River. The true situation stands in stark contrast to the official view that all was well.</p>
<p>Some A$6 billion has been spent on “water recovery” in the Murray-Darling Basin. Of this, A$4 billion was used to subsidise irrigation infrastructure. This water recovery and the 2012 Basin Plan have been presented as a comprehensive solution to the environmental and economic problems of the Murray-Darling. But what has this huge public expenditure actually bought us?</p>
<p>The basin remains in a poor state. While there have been environmental improvements at specific sites, these have not been replicated basin-wide. Indeed, the federal government’s own <a href="https://soe.environment.gov.au/download">State of the Environment Report 2016</a> gives a “poor” assessment on inland water flows in the basin. It reports long-term downward trends in flows since 2011 and a widespread loss of ecosystem function. Other <a href="http://wentworthgroup.org/2017/11/review-of-water-reform-in-the-murray-darling-basin/2017/">evidence</a> tells the same story.</p>
<p>Water recovery infrastructure projects have benefited irrigators, but for many of these projects there is <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Standing_Committee_on_Agriculture_and_Water_Resources/Wateruseefficiency/Report">no scientific evidence that they have actually increased net stream flows</a>. Flows at the Murray River mouth remain inadequate. The federal government’s <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/pubs/Final-BWS-Nov14_0816.pdf">objective</a> to keep the mouth open to the sea 90% of the time will almost certainly not be achieved. </p>
<p>The Murray mouth remains in a <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-21/coorong-wetlands-bird-numbers-low-algae-spreading/9345814">dire state</a> – <a href="http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/murray-mouth-dredging-reduced/news-story/cf93d6eb5089d482e3226046fe24e3bd">dredging</a> to keep it open is the norm rather than the exception, even without a drought.</p>
<p>How is it possible to spend A$6 billion on water recovery in the basin and have so little to show for it? It is now more than 11 years since the A$10 billion National Plan for Water Security was announced, seven years since the Millennium Drought ended, and the Australian government is already 70% towards achieving its water recovery goal. Surely, by now, Australian taxpayers – not to mention the river’s ecosystems – should be seeing a better return on this bold environmental investment?</p>
<h2>Bad decisions</h2>
<p>We have spent much of our working lives investigating water reforms and the health of the Murray-Darling Basin. We deplore the diversion of funds for environmental recovery into irrigation upgrades – a decision that simply represents poor public policy. Much more could have been <a href="http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p89361/pdf/murray_darling.pdf">achieved for far less</a>, as <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/docs/detailed-environmental-water-recovery-estimates-as-at-30-september-2017.pdf">federal government data</a> show that buying water from willing sellers is 60% cheaper than building questionable engineering works.</p>
<p>To make matters worse, just two months ago the Murray-Darling Basin Authority recommended to parliament that buying back of environmental flows be <a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan-roll-out/sustainable-diversion-limits/sustainable-diversion-limit-adjustment-mechanism">reduced by 22% by July 1, 2019</a>. This is an average annual reduction that exceeds the volume of water in Sydney Harbour. </p>
<p>Instead, 36 water supply projects are planned to deliver this water recovery goal. Yet 25 of them fail to satisfy the Basin Plan’s own conditions of approval such as environmental risks are adequately mitigated. </p>
<p>Plans are also afoot to “invest” A$1.5 billion in yet more infrastructure projects that will supposedly be the equivalent of 450 billion litres per year of water by 2024. South Australia demanded this extra water before it would approve the 2012 Basin Plan.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204542/original/file-20180202-162104-82zw0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204542/original/file-20180202-162104-82zw0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204542/original/file-20180202-162104-82zw0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204542/original/file-20180202-162104-82zw0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204542/original/file-20180202-162104-82zw0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204542/original/file-20180202-162104-82zw0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204542/original/file-20180202-162104-82zw0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204542/original/file-20180202-162104-82zw0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An algal bloom in the Darling River at Louth.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Williams</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite spending A$4 billion to reduce water losses from irrigation over the past decade, we still do not know what impact this has had on the water that previously flowed from farmers’ paddocks and returned to wetlands, rivers and aquifers. The decline in these flows might have completely offset increases in environmental flows from water rights acquired through subsidies.</p>
<p>It is time to call it like it is. Australia is paying the price of alleged water theft, questionable environmental infrastructure water projects, and policies that subsidise private benefits at the expense of taxpayers and sustainability. </p>
<p>Accountability requires transparency in reporting and monitoring. So far we have failed to redirect public money away from wasteful subsidies while the rivers suffer. This is why we have signed the Murray-Darling Declaration, to highlight our concerns and to offer solutions.</p>
<h2>Steps to change</h2>
<p>Many aspects of water reform need to change, but three steps are necessary to deliver fully on the key objectives of the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2012L02240">Water Act 2007</a>. These are:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Stop</strong> any further expenditures on subsidies or grants for irrigation infrastructure in the Murray-Darling Basin until there is an independent, scientific and economic audit of what A$4 billion delivered in volumes of water and environmental outcomes.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Audit</strong> all water recovery and planned sustainable diversion limit (SDL) adjustments in the basin, including details of environmental water recovered, expenditures and actual environmental outcomes, especially in terms of stream flows at all special environmental assets, including the Murray Mouth.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Establish</strong> an independent expert scientific advisory body to monitor the basin’s health and to publicly guide all governments to ensure the full achievement of key objectives of the Water Act 2007. These are: to restore overallocated resources to environmentally sustainable levels of extraction; and to protect, restore and provide for the ecological values and ecosystem services of the Murray-Darling Basin.</p></li>
</ol>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/drought-on-the-murray-river-harms-ocean-life-too-88637">Drought on the Murray River harms ocean life too</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There is no time to waste for the Murray-Darling Basin, its rivers, environments, traditional owners, and communities. Our declaration makes it clear what must be done. The federal and state governments must be held to account and actually deliver what is needed for the basin, before the next big drought causes irreversible damage.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was co-authored by <a href="https://waterpartnership.org.au/about/leadership/richarddavis/">Richard Davis</a>, a former chief science adviser to the National Water Commission.</em></p>
<p><em>This article is <a href="https://www.policyforum.net/fixing-the-murray-darling-basin/">co-published</a> with <a href="https://www.policyforum.net/">Policy Forum</a> at the Crawford School of Public Policy.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91076/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Quentin Grafton has received, in the past, funding from the Australian Research Council and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority in relation to research on the Basin. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Darla Hatton MacDonald has received funding from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Goyder Institute for Research in Water.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Paton has received funding from the Murray Darling Basin Authority and the South Australian Department of environment, Water and Natural Resources. He is a director of the not-for-profit organisation BioR, which undertakes research, education and habitat restoration projects.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Graham Harris worked for CSIRO for many years and in that role worked with, and, after retirement, was a consultant to, both the Murray Darling Basin Authority and the National Water Commission. He was a Board member of the CRC for Freshwater Ecology and a member of numerous other relevant Commonwealth committees and bodies. He is now fully retired and receives no relevant external funding or grants. He is an honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Wollongong and is an honorary Vice-President of the UK Freshwater Biological Association.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Henning Bjornlund receives funding from the AUstralian Centre fot International Agricultural. He is affiliated with the International Water Resources Association, board member and chair of their Science, Technologu and Publication Commuttee.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeffery D Connor receives funding from The South Australian Government Goyder Institute for Water Research. He has also received past funding from The Murray Darling Basin Authority, the State of South Australian and From Goulburn Murray Water for research on Murray Darling Water Research. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Quiggin has received funding from the Australian Research Council for work on the management of the Murray Darling Basin.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Williams has worked as consultant through ANU for Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Kingsford receives funding from the Australian Government through the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder as well as conservation agencies of the New South Wales, Queensland and South Australian Government. He is also a member of the board of the Society for Conservation Biology (Oceania). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Ann Wheeler currently receives funding from Australian Research Council for work on water use and outcomes in the Murray-Darling Basin. She has also previously received funding to work on Murray-Darling Basin water recovery and irrigator water use issues from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Department of Environment and Energy, National Water Commission, NCCARF and RIRDC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lin Crase does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A dozen leading researchers have issued an urgent call to action for the Murray-Darling Basin, arguing that the billions spent on water-efficient irrigation have done little for the rivers’ health.Quentin Grafton, Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityDarla Hatton MacDonald, Associate Professor, University of TasmaniaDavid Paton, Associate Professor, University of AdelaideGraham Harris, Professorial Fellow, University of WollongongHenning Bjornlund, Professor, University of South AustraliaJeffery D Connor, Professor in Water Economics, University of South AustraliaJohn Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of QueenslandJohn Williams, Adjunct Professor Environment and Natural Resources, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityLin Crase, Professor of Economics and Head of School, University of South AustraliaRichard Kingsford, Professor, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW SydneySarah Ann Wheeler, Professor in Water Economics, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.