77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting 16- 19 May 2021

COLLABORATION: CONNECTING CATCHMENTS AND COMMUNITIES

A hybrid event proudly presented in partnership with TRANSFORMING THE GREAT CHALLENGES OF OUR TIME!

Snowy 2.0 National inc. Energy Plan Some of the

National Climate Resilience extraordinary plans and Adaptation Strategy on the national agenda Murray-Darling Basin Plan for 2021 and a generation beyond. Achieving these

National Water Infrastructure plans succesfully will Development Fund require local leadership and collaboration.

2030 Agriculture Plan

The Murray Darling Association acknowledge and respect the enduring custodianship and expertise of the Barkindji Nation and the Traditional Owners of all lands in the Murray-Darling Basin.

CONFERENCE PASSES

This hybrid event will provide a range of attendance options. Meeting in Wentworth will provide those rich opportunities to reconnect with each other, while full digital connectivity will ensure that all options are covered seamlessly in the event of a Covid-19 interruption. If this event turns virtual due to emerging COVID-19 restrictions, in person ticket holders will be entitled to a refund of the difference between their in person package and a full conference pass virtual, less a 10% administration fee. The refund will be processed 1 week following the conference. Ticket holders impacted will also receive a 10% discount on next year’s fee. If you need a COVID-19 ticket transfer, please call our friendly team on (03) 5480 3805.

FULL CONFERENCE PASS DAY PASS VIRTUAL PASS Early Bird* Regular Early Bird* Regular Early Bird* Regular Members $699 $790 $405 $450 $175 $185 Non-Members $850 $890 $450 $475 $185 $200

Prices are GST exclusive * Early Bird pricing available until 31 March 2021 REGISTER HERE

2 MDA 77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting 77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting 16- 19 May 2021

SUMMARY OF EVENTS

SUNDAY 16 MAY

TIME EVENT DETAILS Arrive and feel welcome in Wentworth – settle in and enjoy a Welcome day range of sites and informal events Wentworth Civic Centre 2.30pm-3.30pm Early Registration Cnr Darling Street and Silver City Highway Wentworth Conference access via entry doors on Silver City Highway. On board PS Ruby 3.30pm-4.30pm Afternoon tea & meet the Board Moored at the Port of Wentworth Wharf in Wharf Street TBC Committee meeting CSIRO MDA Inaugural Steering Official Welcome from Mayor Susan Nichols 6.00pm-7.00pm Civic Reception Old Wentworth Gaol – Beverley Street Wentworth MONDAY 17 MAY

TIME EVENT DETAILS Guided tour of Menindee Lakes and Pooncarie from the 7.00am-6.00pm Study tour comfort of an air conditioned coach A wonderful exhibition of local and sponsored exhibits at the 10.00am-2.00pm Exhibition and Registrations conference venue, open to the community and late arrivals TUESDAY 18 MAY

TIME EVENT DETAILS 8.00am Registration Open Hear from a range of amazing speakers. 8.30pm-4.30pm Conference Speakers Day 1 See Conference Program (p5) for details 9.30pm-2.00pm Partners Tour A guided tour for partners Celebrate and socialise – on the magnificent PV Mundoo 5.00pm-9.30pm Gala Dinner Depart from the Port of Wentworth Wharf in Wharf Street WEDNESDAY 19 MAY

TIME EVENT DETAILS Hear from a range of amazing speakers. 8.30pm-2.30pm Conference Speakers Day 2 See Conference Program (p6) for details Delegates will consider a range of motions to set the agenda 3.00pm-4.30pm Annual General Meeting for the years ahead Don’t miss this historic opportunity for your contribution to be 4.45pm Group Photo at the Junction recorded in the history and the future of the Murray-Darling For those evenings when no formal events are provided, delegates and guests can enjoy an informal dinner and catch up with friends at one of the lovely Wentworth venues.

Full details of each event, along with speaker bios and notes are provided further in this program.

MDA 77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting 3 COLLABORATION: CONNECTING CATCHMENTS AND COMMUNITIES

If we can take any positives from the adversity of droughts, If there is one benefit the COVID crisis has delivered, it is fires and Covid-19 it’s that the towns, regions and countries governments’ increased willingness to be guided in their emerging quickest and strongest are those with innovative, decisions by expert advice. connected local leadership. Coupled with a commitment by Basin governments to put It’s no surprise then that local government and the communities at the heart of the Basin Plan, it has never communities of the Murray Darling Basin are well placed been more timely for local government to come together to adapt and forge ahead in 2021 - and beyond. Basin to share our local knowledge to shape the future of the councils have, after all, spent years building connections Murray Darling Basin. across catchments and communities. We face many great challenges ahead. Demand for water With our rivers, our borders and even our attitudes in the Murray Darling Basin continues to be greater than increasingly fragmented, clever councils recognise the supply. Drought, bushfires, water security and climate importance of innovation to restore and build connectivity. change present escalating risks that must be managed and mitigated. Markets, agriculture, technologies, and Connectivity of communities is essential to our people. economies are changing rapidly. In the same way, a healthy river system must have connectivity of flows. There is no future on a dry system. Each of these great challenges presents a tremendous opportunity. Opportunities for our councils to collaborate Changing water availability, floodplain extractions and innovate. Opportunities for local government to not and changed flood flow distribution all impact Basin only survive but to adapt and thrive! connectivity, river health and even community connectivity. The MDA’s 77th National Conference & AGM is your Now, more than ever, we must be connected to succeed: opportunity to be part of the solution – to join the conversation, inform future policy and collaborate with the • Connecting catchments and river systems is at the innovators, scientists, educators and leaders of our time. heart of a healthy Basin.

• Connecting leaders - local, state, federal and First Nations - is essential to our shared success. This hybrid event will provide a range of attendance options. Meeting in Wentworth will provide those • Connecting the many great plans for our nation will rich opportunities to reconnect with each other, build confidence and prosperity. while full digital connectivity will ensure that all options are covered seamlessly in the event of a • And, most importantly, after the challenges of 2020, Covid-19 interruption. connecting with each other.

4 MDA 77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting PROGRAM OF EVENTS

DAY ONE – TUESDAY 18 MAY

TIME PERSPECTIVE PRESENTER Wentworth Civic Centre 8.00 Arrival and registrations Cnr Darling St and Silver City Highway Wentworth Conference access via entry doors on Silver City Hwy Mayor Susan Nichols Welcome to Wentworth Mayor, Council Uncle Badger Bates 8.30 Welcome to Country Barkindji Cr David Thurley OAM Welcome to Conference National President, Murray Darling Association Opening address The Hon. Melinda Jane Pavey, MP 9.00 * This presentation may change to session 2, Day 2 due to diary commitments Minister for Water, Property and Housing Ken Ross General Manager, Wentworth Shire Council 9.30 Our Plans and Projects – The Bold Vision Speaker Wentworth Shire Council 10.00 MORNING TEA Jane Doolan 10.30 Water Reform – The National Perspective Commissioner, Productivity Commission Making every drop count – smarter use of our water for Hilton Taylor 11.00 all users A/Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder 11.30 Petaurus – Student Presentation The Petaurus Education Group 12.00 LUNCH Stephen Blackadder, Facilitator CEO Blackadder Associates Scott Phillips CEO, LG NSW Local Leadership – a National Priority: Speaker 1.00 The role of local government in the national LGAQ decision-making framework Speaker Municipal Association of Victoria Speaker ALGA Breaking the Murray-Darling Basin Plan SDLAM impasse Claire Miller 2.00 – a proposal NSW Irrigators Council 2.30 AFTERNOON TEA Rod Hillman CEO The Visitor Economy – Connecting Basin Communities Ecotourism Australia 3.00 (or Tourism – The Basin Plan’s Silent Partner) Tony Sharley Owner River Murray Walk Grant Rigney, Ngarrindjeri. Chair, Murray Lower 3.30 The First Basin Plan Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN) End of System and Valley Specific Flow Targets Jane Coram – what the science can tell us Director, Land and Water Business Unit, CSIRO Water and environment research in the David Post 4.00 Murray-Darling Basin Research scientist, CSIRO Climate change, communities Francis Chiew and water resources adaptation Science leader, CSIRO 4.30 CLOSE

5.00 – GALA DINNER PV Mundoo Paddle Steamer 9.30 With dinner speaker and entertainment Board from the Port of Wentworth, NSW

MDA 77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting 5 PROGRAM OF EVENTS

DAY TWO – WEDNESDAY 19 MAY

TIME PERSPECTIVE PRESENTER Professor Mike Stewardson 8.30 A new era in collaboration, R&D and adoption Interim CEO, One Basin CRC Community, Connection and Meeting the Challenge of Change Shane Fitzsimmons AFSM 9.00 * Times for this presentation may change to session 1, Day 1 due to Commissioner of Resilience NSW diary commitments Tim Fisher Informing connections between catchments and Alluvium Group 9.30 communities – a multi-disciplinary approach Tony Webber Alluvium Group

10.00 MORNING TEA Hilton Taylor A/Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder Uncle Badger Bates Panel Session: Barkindji What are our options: a healthy, connected Barka or Celine Steinfeld 10.30 major social change in the Far West? Implications for Director, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists governments and communities. Rachel Strachan Menindee Speaker Water NSW Speaker 11.30 Delivering the National Water Grid National Water Grid Authority

12.00 LUNCH

Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret’d) 1.00 Climate Change and the Murray Darling Basin Plan Chair, Murray-Darling Basin Authority Phillip Glyde Chief Executive, Murray-Darling Basin Authority Rosalie Auricht 1.30 Irrigation and Great Water Stewardship General Manager, Renmark Irrigation Trust Emma Bradbury “If there’s one thing the Basin needs as much as rain, CEO, MDA 2.00 it’s leadership” Murray-Darling Basin Community Leadership Program Graduate Presentation 2.20 Conference 2022 Announcement and Host Presentation Hosting Council 2.30 Conference close

2.30 AFTERNOON TEA

Jim Bentley 3.00 Opening address CEO, NSW Water Sector

Murray Darling Association Agenda will be available online on or before 3.30 77th Annual General Meeting Monday the 3rd of May.

4.45 CLOSE AND PHOTO OF ALL DELEGATES AT THE JUNCTION

6 MDA 77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting 77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting 16- 19 May 2021

REGIONAL STUDY TOUR – MONDAY 17 MAY TOUR

The Menindee Lakes is an integral point of the system linking the Barwon Darling, Northern Basin and Southern Connected Basin. Join us as we tour this complex part of the system to better understand its role in acheiving connectivity and sustainability for basin communities and systems.

SCHEDULE

7am Depart Wentworth Civic Centre

10am - 10.30am Stop at Menindee for morning tea Speaker and morning tea under the trees

10.30am - 12.30pm Menindee Lakes Tour with local guides Graeme McCrabb and others

12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch at the Menindee Pub with speaker

2pm - 3.15pm Bus trip to Pooncarie

3.15pm - 4pm Pooncarie stopover with speaker

4pm - 6pm Travel back to Wentworth Civic Centre

MDA 77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting 7 SOCIAL EVENTS

RUBY EXPERIENCE – INFORMAL AFTERNOON TEA SUNDAY 16 MAY, 3.30PM

On board PS Ruby moored at the Port of Wentworth Wharf in Wharf Street

A great opportunity to meet and connect with MDA board members, fellow delegates and guests while enjoying some nibbles at the junction of the mighty Murray and the .

Built in Morgan, SA in 1907, the PS Ruby is currently the flagship of the historic Port of Wentworth. After an industrious life as a cargo and passenger vessel operating between Echuca, , Wentworth and Goolwa, the PS Ruby now rests in dry dock. The Rotary Club of Wentworth purchased the neglected PS Ruby in 1968, and completed an extensive restoration process. Ownership of the Ruby was handed to the Wentworth Community in the trusteeship of the Wentworth Shire Council.

CIVIC RECEPTION – OLD WENTWORTH GAOL SUNDAY 16 MAY, 6.00PM, BEVERLEY ST WENTWORTH Wentworth Shire Council Mayor Susan Nichols will officially welcome delegates and guests to Wentworth at the Civic Reception, located at the historical landmark of the old Wentworth Gaol. Built in 1879-1881, the small single storey brick gaol with bluesont trim was designed by colonial architect James Barnett. It was the first of the Australian designed gqols (Hay & Dubbo gaols followed this one). The bricks were made from the local clay (on-site), by Joseph Firth, and the bluestone was transported from Malmsbury, ictoria. The gaol replaced over-crowded lock-ups and twas utilised until its closure in 1927. After its closure as a gaol, the building was utilised as extra classrooms for the Wentworth Central School until 1963 and today, because of its remarkable condition, is a major tourist attraction.

GALA DINNER TUESDAY 18 MAY, 5.00PM Celebrate and socialise with delegates and guests at this year’s gala dinner on the magnificent PV Mundoo, departing from the Port of Wentworth Wharf in Wharf Street. The PV Mundoo is of steel hull construction, 34.9 metres long, with modern conveniences, kitchen and dining facilities to cater for up to 180 passengers, in one comfortable area featuring attractive quality timber ceilings and bar facilities

8 MDA 77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting PARTNER EVENTS

AUSTRALIAN INLAND BOTANIC GARDENS TOUR - TUESDAY 18 MAY In 1983 Scientists from the CSIRO were credited with the idea to form the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens – an ambitious garden scene which today covers 124 acres of arid-adapted plant species that is unique among Botanic Gardens world wide. Our tractor train tour will transport you around the gardens to view the splendid variety of native and foreign plants. With our expert tour leaders you will discover the fascinating history of the plants and people associated with the first semi-arid botanic garden in the Southern hemisphere. Reconnect with nature and spend quality time exploring features in the gardens such as The WOW Tree, The Nature Trail, The Seed Pod Ceiling, Peaka Homestead, Magenta in the Gardens, Garnpang Homestead and the magnificent Rose and Sturt Desert Pea garden beds.

9.30am Bus departure from the Wentworth Visitor Information Centre, 66 Darling Street, Wentworth NSW 10.00am Arrive at the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens 10.10am Meet Gardens Tour Guide at Garpang Homestead for pre tour purchases tea, coffee etc. 10.30am Guided Tractor Train Tour to begin 11.45am Arrive back at Garpang Homestead for luncheon 12 noon BBQ Lunch and free time to wander the gift shop and gardens 1.30pm Board Bus to depart AIB Gardens for Wentworth 2.00pm Arrive at the Wentworth Visitor Information Centre

EVENT DATE PRICING

PS Ruby Sunday 16 May Complimentary & Civic Reception Menindee Lakes Monday 17 May $150 Study Tour Australian Inland Tuesday 18 May $55 Botanic Gardens Tour Gala Dinner Tuesday 18 May $95

Prices are GST exclusive

MDA 77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting 9 WENTWORTH PLACES OF INTEREST

Welcome to Wentworth, where the Murray and Darling Rivers meet. This heritage rich district consists of several small community townships that each celebrate the history, culture and natural beauty of Australia’s Murray Darling Heartland. The following map includes key venues for the 2021 National Conference and AGM as well as various social events.

CONFERENCE LOCATIONS

1 Wentworth Civic Centre: Conference Venue WENTWORTH AERODROME POONCARIE 116km 2 Port of Wentworth Wharf: MUNGO NATIONAL PARK 146km TownAfternoon of tea on board PS Ruby OLD RENMARK RD. LAKE VICTORIA 65km Gala Dinner departure location PV Mundoo 12 PERRY SANDHILLS SILVER CITY HIGHWAY Wentworth 3 Old Wentworth NSW Gaol: Civic Reception THEGOA 4 Junction Park LAGOON 5 NORTH Wentworth Visitor Information Centre

0 200 400

PERRY ST. Scale (metres)

BURNS ST. Rifle Range

ADAMS ST. WENTWORTH SMITH ST. AERODROME POONCARIE 116km Showgrounds MUNGO NATIONAL PARK 146km & Racecourse Map -NEVIL To ST. be supplied Town of

OLD RENMARK RD. WENTWORTH ST. LAKE VICTORIA 65km RUBY ST. 12 JANE ST. PERRY SANDHILLS SILVER CITY HIGHWAY Wentworth NSW

SHANNON ST. THEGOA EMILY ST. FRANCIS ST. LAGOON WILLIAM ST. NORTH

DARLING STREET 3 OLD WENTWORTH RD. ARTHUR ST. GUNN ST. 0 200 400

WILKES ST.

BEVERLEY ST. PERRY ST. RYDER CRES.. Scale (metres)

ARMSTRONG AVE Wentworth WILLIAM ST. Sporting Complex ADAMS ST. Wentworth HELENA ST. 5 1 BURNS ST. Rifle Range Services Golf Club Simming Pool WHARF ST. FOTHERBYADAMS ST. SANDWYCH ST. PARK TUCKERS CREEKSMITH ST. Oval 2 Showgrounds & Racecourse Map -NEVIL To ST. be supplied ST. SILVER CITY HIGHWAY

WILMONT ST. WENTWORTH ST.

BEVERLEY ST.

RUBY ST. JANE ST.

Cemetery CLUB ROWING WENTWORTH

LOUISAST. MURRAY ST.

ALICE ST.

MURRAY CT. ST. SHORT BERKELEY ST. BERKELEY DISTRICT HOSPITAL SHANNON ST. EMILY ST. WILLIAM ST. CADELL ST. FRANCIS ST.

CARAVAN PARK Lock 10

7 DARLING STREET 4 TWO RIVERS OLD WENTWORTH RD. SKI RESERVE ARTHUR ST. GUNN ST. DARLING RIVER WILKES ST. BEVERLEY ST. RYDER CRES.. NATURE RESERVE ARMSTRONG AVE Wentworth WILLIAM ST. Sporting Complex ADAMS ST. Wentworth HELENA ST. Services Golf Club Simming Pool WHARF ST. FOTHERBY SANDWYCH ST. PARK TUCKERS CREEK Oval

ADELAIDE ST. SILVER CITY HIGHWAY 10 MDA 77th National Conference and Annual GeneralWILMONT ST. Meeting

BEVERLEY ST.

Cemetery CLUB ROWING WENTWORTH

LOUISAST. MURRAY ST.

ALICE ST.

MURRAY CT. ST. SHORT BERKELEY ST. BERKELEY DISTRICT HOSPITAL

CADELL ST.

CARAVAN PARK Lock 10 7 TWO RIVERS SKI RESERVE MURRAY RIVER DARLING RIVER

NATURE RESERVE Murray Darling Association Level 1, 250 Anstruther Street Echuca Vic 3564 Ph 03 5480 3805 Email [email protected] www.mda.asn.au

20 MDA 77th National Conference and Annual General Meeting