TOWARDS A HEALTHY, WORKING MURRAY–DARLING BASIN Basin Plan annual report 2015–16 i Basin Plan annual report 2015–16 Acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners In the spirit of respecting and strengthening partnerships with Australia’s First Peoples, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority would like to acknowledge all Traditional Owners of this land. The MDBA pays its respects to the Nations and their Elders past and present who hold the authority, memories, knowledge and traditions of a living Aboriginal culture. The MDBA offers its deepest appreciation and respect for the First Peoples continued connection and responsibility to the land and waters of the Murray– Darling Basin, including their unique role in the life of the Basin. The past year has provided many opportunities to work with the First Peoples of the Basin to make sure Aboriginal scientific and cultural knowledge is included in water management. The MDBA thanks the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN), the Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations (NBAN) and all the Basin Nations for their willingness to be involved in the implementation of the Basin Plan. ii BasinMLDRIN Plan and annual NBAN report delegates 2015–16 with friends in Canberra, August 2016 Contents 02 About this report 37 A healthy Basin environment 07 The year in review 38 Basin-wide environmental watering 10 Working together 40 Delivering water to priorities 11 Implementing the Basin Plan 47 Looking ahead 13 Recovering water 48 Towards 2026 14 Adapting the sustainable diversion limits 18 Water resource planning 22 Maintaining water quality 25 Basin communities and industries 26 Water recovery and communities 26 Water recovery and infrastructure 32 Water markets Socio-economic benefits of 36 environmental watering Basin Plan annual report 2015–16 1 About this report This is the third annual report on how implementation The report draws from information provided by Basin of the Basin Plan and associated reforms are tracking state governments, the Commonwealth Environmental against social, economic and environmental outcomes. Water Office, the Department of Agriculture and The report provides an update on how governments, Water Resources, the MDBA and other Australian industry and communities have been working Government agencies. together to implement the Basin Plan. A more detailed five-year evaluation of the Basin The report focuses on progress made during 2015–16 Plan will occur in 2017. The evaluation will look at as well as providing some information on emerging whether implementation is on track, report on the trends. The report also covers some important outcomes and impacts so far, and where appropriate activities that occurred in the second half of 2016 — identify if there are any areas or ways that future to provide a more complete picture of recent progress implementation could be improved. with implementation. The report uses three themes to describe progress: Working Basin communities A healthy Basin together and industries environment Looking west over the River Murray above Albury 2 Basin Plan annual report 2015–16 The Murray–Darling Basin The Murray–Darling Basin is one of Australia’s most The climate of the Murray–Darling Basin is highly productive agricultural regions, producing more than variable, and run-off into its rivers is very low one-third of the nation’s food. The Basin spans five compared with other major river systems around jurisdictions and extends over one million square the world. The importance of water for sustaining kilometres of south-eastern Australia, see Figure 1. communities, industries and the environment, along The Basin provides water for over three million with a variable climate and low in-flows makes water people, is culturally management in the Basin challenging and important. significant to Aboriginal people, and supports a diverse range of ecosystems, plants Charleville and animals. Roma BRISBANE Toowoomba Cunnamulla St George Currawinya Lakes NORTHERN Goondiwindi BASIN Dirranbandi Narran Lake Moree Bourke Gwydir Wetlands Paroo River Narrabri Wetlands Tamworth Macquarie Marshes Broken Hill Dubbo Ivanhoe Banrock Station Forbes Orange Wetland Complex Riverland SOUTHERN Cowra SYDNEY Renmark Wentworth BASIN Griffith Fivebough-Tuckerbil Mildura Hattah-Kulkyne NSW Central ADELAIDE Murray Lakes Murray State Forests Wagga Bridge Leeton Wagga Pinnaroo Swan Hill CANBERRA Ginini Flats Lake Albacutya Deniliquin wetland Barmah Forest Coorong and Lakes complex Alexandrina and Albert Echuca Albury Horsham Bendigo Shepparton Irrigation area (indicative) Seymour Ramsar site Gunbower Forest MELBOURNE Figure 1: Murray–Darling Basin Kerang Wetlands Basin Plan annual report 2015–16 3 The history of Basin Snapshot water reform Murray–Darling Basin Basin governments have long grappled with the The Murray–Darling Basin is home to more complex issue of sharing the water of the Basin. than two million people, including more than As communities and agriculture have developed, 46 Aboriginal Nations. there have been many agreements and plans for Outside the Basin, a further 1.3 million people extracting and sharing water from the River Murray depend on its water resources. and the Basin as a whole. In 2014–15*, the gross value of agricultural Leading up to the new millennium, there was production was $20.6 billion significant progress in the reform of water (of this $7 billion was from irrigation). sharing and water management, however the fundamental issue of over-extraction remained. In 2014–15*, 46% of the gross value of The millennium drought — a significant drought Australia’s irrigated production came from the across much of the Basin, from the late 1990s Basin — from an area of 1.4 million hectares. to 2010 — exposed the limits and weaknesses of Irrigated production in the Basin accounts for: existing water management and highlighted the need for further reform to ensure ongoing river nearly 100% of Australia’s rice health and sustainability. 93% of Australia’s cotton The drought led to the Australian Government passing the Water Act 2007 with bipartisan 76% of Australia’s grapes support. The Water Act required the Murray–Darling Basin Authority to prepare a Basin Plan to manage 29% of Australia’s dairy the Basin water resources in the national interest, and in a way that optimises economic, social and nearly 100% of Australia’s oranges. environmental outcomes. There are over 30,000 wetlands of which In 2008, the governments of South Australia, 16 are listed as internationally significant Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and (Ramsar sites). the Australian Capital Territory committed to implementing the Basin Plan through an The Basin is home to a diverse range of intergovernmental agreement, and referred relevant ecosystems, plants and animals, including powers to the Australian Government to do so. threatened species such as silver perch and The Basin Plan was then passed by parliament in the Murray hardyhead, waterbirds and the 2012, again with bipartisan support. The Australian iconic river red gum. Government is investing $13 billion dollars in the * Most recent data available. Murray Darling Basin to facilitate the transition to the new water sharing arrangements. 4 Basin Plan annual report 2015–16 About 45,000 BP (Before Present) Archaeological evidence of the First Nations Peoples of Australia in the Basin. First Nations connection to ancestral lands continues today and is conveyed through stories, totems and law 1870 Highest recorded flood in 1880 Severe drought through 2003 Governments agree to recover the Murray system southern and eastern states, 500 GL of water for the environment lasting six years under the Living Murray initiative 1917 The River 1914 First River Murray Murray Commission Agreement signed is established 1956 Highest Basin 1997 Governments inflows in recent implement a cap on the 2004 National Water history cause volume of water use, and the Initiative signed by all widespread flooding longest drought in Australia’s Australian governments recorded history begins and aims to improve the 1981 Murray Mouth (1997–2010) way Australia protects, closes for the first time manages, plans for, in recorded history prices and trades water 1992 Murray–Darling Basin Commission replaces the River Murray Commission 2006 Lowest Basin water inflows on 2008 Murray– record (9,300 GL) Darling Basin Authority takes over Early 2007 The Australian the functions of 2016 Government announces a the Murray–Daring Findings of $10 billion plan to make Basin Commission the Northern Drought water use more sustainable Basin Review Flood released 2012 The Basin Plan becomes 2010 Late 2007 The Water Act law, providing for the first time a Figure 2: The 2007 sets out water reforms, history of Basin coordinated sustainable approach to including requirements for water reform water use across the Basin states the Basin Plan The Basin Plan The purpose of the Basin Plan is to ensure that water appropriate monitoring and evaluation is shared between all uses, including environmental improvements in water quality and cultural uses, in a sustainable way. The goal is to ensure that the Basin’s rivers can continue to support The Basin Plan is adaptive and can be refined and communities and industries in the long term as they updated with the knowledge gained from reviews adapt to changes, including a changing climate. The and evaluations. The Basin Plan is also being Basin Plan is the result of several years of research, implemented gradually over a long period