We recently made a submission to the review of the Water Act, the Commonwelath law that governs how water is managed in the Murray-Darling Basin.
The Act provides an important framework for protecting and restoring rivers and wetlands and the review is a critical opportunity to restore life to Basin ecosystems and support thriving communities.
Some of our highest priority recommendations for the review are:
- Retain the strength and environmental focus of the Water Act and refine definitions and requirements to make sure the next version of the Basin Plan delivers on the objects of the Water Act.
- Address the unsustainable level of water extraction by tightening the definition of Environmentally Sustainable Level of Take and ensuring climate change impacts and projections are considered in setting the level of water extraction.
- Implement in full, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People within the Water Act to advance First Nations rights and interests.
- Address serious failings in governance and data integrity by requiring state hydrological models to be independently verified, published and tested against flow gauge data.
- Set a target in the Water Act of protecting and restoring at least 60% of Basin wetlands and ensuring they receive the water they need to thrive, and measure and report progress.
