Residents of a small Victorian town realised that delicious water can be a curse as well as a blessing, when they lost a legal battle to stop a local farmer shipping groundwater to a nearby bottling plant.
An image from 1886 showing a group of Indigenous Australians posed around the lower Murray River in flood.
national_library_of_australia_commons/flickr
As the health of the Murray Darling Basin is in decline, fish ear bones recovered from ancient Aboriginal camp sites can provide vital data about river health in the past.
Traditional owners on the Wimmera River, western Victoria, conducting Aboriginal waterways assessment.
MLDRIN
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.
Jay Weatherill was seen as the better performer during the campaign when compared with Steven Marshall.
Morgan Sette/AAP
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.
The mouth of the Murray River delivers vital nutrients to marine life in the ocean beyond.
SA Water
Low flows in the Murray River in recent years have harmed tiny marine plants called phytoplankton, with consequences for local marine species and management.
Premier Jay Weatherill talks to the media about the Murray-Darling Basin rescue plan in Renmark in the Riverland of South Australia.
AAP
SA Premier Jay Weatherill has announced a Royal Commission into breaches of the Murray Darling Basin agreement. But will it solve the long running problems with river management?
Space isn’t just about rockets and missions to Mars: Australia must invest in space-based infrastructure to manage our resources.
David Moir/AAP
There are local, practical implications linked to failed advancement of infrastructure projects that rely on expertise in space. Protecting Australia’s water is just one example.
Under the proposal, irrigators would have to submit a statement that tallies with aerial images of their water use.
AAP Image/Cubbie Group
Allegations of water theft have thrown the Murray-Darling Basin Plan into crisis. The solution could involve users declaring their annual water use, subject to random audits - like a tax return.
The Murray-Darling Basin is an incredibly complex ecological system.
Mike Russell/Flickr
A recent report argues more water is needed to resurrect the Murray-Darling Basin. But simply increasing river flow alone could actually harm the Basin.
Turtle hatchlings could be released into the Murray River to manage the sudden influx of dead carp.
Ricky Spencer
Millions of dead carp will fill the Murray-Darling Basin after the government releases a targeted virus. Scavengers like turtles and crayfish might help – as long as we protect them.
Water markets are essential for many farmers to keep their crops alive.
Shutterstock.com
The market for water entitlements is worth tens of billions, encouraging investors to raise funds and get involved. But the data shows they aren’t having a big impact on prices.
The Murray-Darling is a complex freshwater ecosystem.
Murray River wetlands image from www.shutterstock.com
Malcolm Turnbull has promised key crossbencher Nick Xenophon closer monitoring of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Malcolm Turnbull goes into this final parliamentary week of the year in need of compromises on both the ABCC legislation and the tax rate for backpackers.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Earlier this week, footage aired of George Brandis speculating that Queensland's Liberal National Party might demerge. But Barnaby Joyce says this won't happen.
Spangled perch are one of Australia’s strongly migratory native fish. After storms in January 2015 these fish were actively travelling up a flooded road in outback Northern Territory.
Jessica Brown