Our vision
We want a healthy and flourishing Murray-Darling Basin, where rivers are flowing from their source to the sea; Traditional Owners own and manage land and water; wetlands support abundant life and regional communities are supported with diverse and resilient economies.
The Problem
The Murray-Darling is Australia’s largest river system—stretching thousands of kilometres across south-eastern Australia. Its rivers are the lifeblood of communities, sustaining towns, farms, culture and unique ecosystems. For the Traditional Owners, these waters are sacred and central to responsibilities, identity, culture, cultural economies and wellbeing. For farmers, they are a vital source of livelihood. For millions of Australians, they provide clean drinking water and places of recreation, reflection and connection with nature.
The lands and waters of the Murray-Darling have high ecological value, supporting a diverse range of animals, plants and ecosystems that are nationally and internationally significant. There are around 30,000 wetlands across the Basin, including 16 wetlands that are listed under the Ramsar Convention as wetlands of international importance. The health of these ecosystems is fundamental for providing clean water and thriving landscapes to enable Basin communities to prosper.
But the Murray-Darling river system is in trouble. Despite some progress since the 2012 Basin Plan, too much water is still being taken from rivers and aquifers for irrigation and not enough water is reaching important wetland, aquifers and floodplain ecosystems. The health of the river system continues to decline.
Where environmental water has been restored, we’ve seen real improvements but too little water has been returned to the environment overall, and these ecosystems still remain at risk. Many infrastructure projects have stalled, and barriers to natural flooding that sustains wetlands and floodplains remain in place. This situation is now being made worse due to climate change, as higher temperatures and reduced inflows place further pressure on the Basin.
The Solution
- Protect and restore wetlands to provide vital habitat for plant and animal species, respect the cultural significance of sites and improve ecosystem health, water quality and community wellbeing.
- Connect rivers with floodplains and wetlands by restoring a more natural flow regime to bring life back to wetlands and floodplains that have been starved of water for too long.
- Connect rivers along their length by keeping them flowing all year round and removing barriers to make sure fish and other species can travel between habitats and survive dry times.
- Return water to nature to address the over-allocation of water that is depleting ecosystems, pushing species to the brink of extinction and putting the long-term viability of Basin communities and industries at risk.
- Deliver First Nations water justice by securing water rights, implementing cultural flows as advised by First Nations, enabling Traditional Owner participation in water management and returning lands and waters to Traditional Owners.
- Improve water quality for the environment and Basin communities by revegetating river banks, establishing a water reserve to respond to water quality crises and improve water quality monitoring and reporting.
- Prepare for the impacts of climate change to give species and ecosystems the best chance of survival, manage risk and uncertainty and protect the health of the system in a drying climate.
- Reduce the impacts of floodplain harvesting to keep rivers flowing and protect important first flush flows by reducing the volume of water taken by floodplain harvesting.
- Deliver world-leading governance to deliver better outcomes for the environment, improve transparency and rebuild trust.
- Invest in regional communities to support Basin communities with the changes that will be needed to adapt to climate change, alongside other major changes such as mechanisation and market fluctuations.