Water in the Murray-Darling Basin
Part of a series of papers on key issues for the 58th Parliament
Managing the water resources of the Murray-Darling Basin is a contentious topic involving significant disagreements between Australian and state governments, upstream and downstream communities, irrigators, environmental advocates, water traders, and other stakeholders. Major legislative and policy reforms have aimed to restore environmental health and better manage competition for water in the Basin. This paper provides an overview of 3 current issues related to these reforms:
- Water recovery targets
- Water markets
- NSW compliance with the Basin Plan, including water resource plan accreditation and floodplain harvesting.
Cristy Gelling, BSc (Hons), MA, PhD
Research Analyst, Parliamentary Research Service
Research Paper 7, 2023
Read the paper
Published: 24 May 2023