---

Murray Darling Basin Plan

What is the Murray Darling Basin Plan?

The Murray Darling Basin Plan (Basin Plan) will be a strategic plan for the integrated and sustainable management of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) is preparing the plan, as required by the Water Act 2007 (Cwlth). The plan is being prepared in consultation with Basin states (including NSW) and communities, and is expected to be released in mid-late 2010.

The Water Act 2007 specifies some content of the Basin Plan, including:

• limits on the amount of water (both surface water and groundwater) that can be taken from Basin water resources on a sustainable basis;
• identification of risks to Basin water resources, such as climate change, and strategies to manage those risks;
• requirements that state water resource plans will need to comply with if they are to be accredited under this Act;
• an environmental watering plan to optimise environmental outcomes for the Basin;
  a water quality and salinity management plan; and
• rules about trading of water rights in relation to Basin water resources.

The Basin Plan, amongst other things, will outline a Sustainable Diversion Limit (SDL) for each of the 19 Basin Catchments (see above map). These SDLs will determine how much water is available for consumptive uses in the Basin, after the needs of the environment have been fulfilled.

Map: Courtesy of Murray Darling Basin Authority

The Murray Darling Basin Planning Process

The NSW Farmers' Association (the Association) is committed to working with Government on water reforms that embrace triple bottom line sustainability principles. However, the Association is greatly concerned that the Murray Darling Basin Authority's approach to developing the Murray Darling Basin Plan does not embrace these principles.

The Association believes that the current planning process is fundamentally flawed. A sustainable outcome for the Basin demands:

• A collaborative planning process that engages local expertise and the farm sector at valley scale in a process of optimising water allocation;
• Explicit management of the social and economic impacts of any reductions of water available for agricultural production, or the security of that water;
• Integration of engineering works, specific watering strategies and land management practices  in setting the Basins environmental water requirements to ensure efficient and effective use of environmental water; and
• Consideration of tradeoffs between different environmental outcomes, and between environmental and communities needs. Rivers are no longer pristine or natural but managed systems.

If the current legislation does not require the MDBA to plan in this way, then the legislation must be changed.

NSW Farmers' Association Survey

The NSW Farmers' Association needs your help to better understand the potential impacts of the Murray Darling Basin Plan on farmers and rural communities. Please help us by completing the following short survey, which should take you no more than 10 minutes to complete.

The Murray Darling Basin Plan, being prepared by the Murray Darling Basin Authority on behalf of the Australian Government, will have serious implications for all Members within the Basin. It will include limits on the amount of water that can be extracted for consumptive uses (including agriculture), as well as new rules about the trading of water within the Basin.

It will not be clear until the draft is released just how severely impacted your farm and/or business may be. However, the Association will have an opportunity to provide feedback in response to the draft Plan, and will be lobbying strongly on your behalf for the best possible outcome for farmers and rural communities in the Basin. As part of that process, the Association is conducting a survey to better understand the needs of irrigation and dryland farmers in the Basin. The summary of responses will be used in the Association's submission in response to the draft Basin Plan, as well as in targeted media and lobbying strategies.

Whilst there are a range of complex issues relating to the Basin Plan, from the potential impacts on farm families to the potential impacts on regional development, the survey will focus on a General Farm Overview; the Basin Planning Process and Community Impacts; an Irrigation Overview; and concerns about the Plan and/or Planning Process.

 CLICK HERE to complete the survey...

Media and Documentation

Further Information

Click on the below links for further information on each point...