Key legislative milestones The Water Act: • established the Murray-Darling Basin Authority in water reform (MDBA) • required the MDBA to prepare the Basin Plan The National Water Initiative (2004) • established the Commonwealth Environmental The National Water Initiative is the blueprint for water Water Holder to manage the Commonwealth’s reform across Australia. It was signed by the Council of environmental water to protect and restore the Australian Governments in 2004 and is an agreement environmental assets of the Basin Key dates between the Australian Government and all states and History of water territories. • provided the Australian Competition and Consumer 1914 The River Murray Waters Agreement Commission (ACCC) with a key role in developing and It is considered a key milestone as it was a turning point management in establishes water shares for New enforcing water charge and water market rules along for water managers in Australia in providing direction South Wales, South Australia and the lines agreed in the National Water Initiative. on how to use our most precious resource. Victoria (further information over The Initiative was established to achieve sustainable the Basin page) • gave the Bureau of Meteorology additional water water use in each catchment across the country. information functions Importantly, in establishing the initiative, governments The Murray–Darling Basin is rich in history—it 1922 Weir and Lock 1 at Blanchetown, SA recognised the need to manage surface water and • gave the Productivity Commission a role in reporting has been home to more than 40 First Nations completed groundwater together, as a connected system. on the effectiveness of water reform legislation. Under the Initiative, governments have committed to: for thousands of years, it was one of the first 1940 The construction of five barrages across the Murray Mouth is completed The Basin Plan (2012) areas of Australia explored by early settlers PLAN and its most precious resource, water, has been 1980–81 Salinity levels are the highest ever preparing comprehensive water plans In 2012, there was widespread agreement across government that a plan was needed to manage our managed for decades. recorded water carefully and protect the Basin for future generations. The Basin Plan was developed to manage For thousands of years, the practices of First Nations 1981 The Murray Mouth closes for the first achieving sustainable water use in over- the Basin as a whole connected system. contributed to a balance between resource use and time in recorded history allocated or stressed water systems sustainability—they used only what they needed to make The aim of the Basin Plan is to bring the Basin back to sure the Basin remained healthy. 1987 The Murray–Darling Basin Agreement a healthier and sustainable level, while continuing to support farming and other industries for the benefit of replaces the River Murray Waters The first early settlers began exploring the Basin in Agreement introducing registers of water rights and the Australian community. the 1820’s finding the Murray, the Darling and Lake standards for water accounting At its heart, the Basin Plan sets the amount of water Alexandrina. This exploration was the beginning of trade 1995 A cap on water diversions begins, that can be taken from the Basin each year, while along the Murray, with South Australia using paddle limiting water use across the Basin leaving enough for our rivers, lakes and wetlands and steamers and barrages to move merchandise up and the plants and animals that depend on them. expanding trade in water rights downstream—a practice that was enhanced by the gold 1997 The beginning of the Millennium rush in the 1850’s. By the end of the 19th Century the Drought breadth of the river system had been realised. 2000 Australian Government introduces the improving pricing for water storage and As the use of the river system increased, there was a National Action Plan for Salinity and delivery greater need to come to an arrangement to share water. In Water Quality 1914, the Commonwealth, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australian governments signed the River Murray 2003 The Living Murray program begins Waters Agreement. This agreement set out the need to better managing urban water demands. develop infrastructure (locks and weirs) in the southern 2004 The National Water Initiative Basin, to store and share water between the three states. commences Assessments of progress implementing the Initiative are The Murray–Darling Basin Over the coming decades infrastructure was built to 2006 Lowest inflows on record in the Basin required to occur on a triennial basis, with the latest regulate the rivers in the southern Basin, while the rivers assessment by the Productivity Commission in 2017. in the north were managed separately by New South Wales 2007 The Water Act 2007 is introduced to The next triennial assessment of the Initiative will occur and Queensland. With development came an increased Australian Parliament, recognising in 2020. use in water and by 1981 the mouth of the River Murray that a national approach to water is closed, an indication the river was dying. needed The Water Act (2007) Connect with us. The MDBA has offices in Adelaide, Albury-Wodonga, Canberra, Governments knew more work was needed to ensure the 2007 The Murray–Darling Basin The Water Act 2007 provides the legislative framework Goondiwindi, Griffith, Mildura, Murray-Bridge, Toowoomba, and Commission, is replaced with the regional engagement officers around the Basin. Basin became healthier and more productive. for ensuring that Australia’s largest water resource— Murray–Darling Basin Authority, the Murray-Darling Basin—is managed in the national 1800 230 067 tasked with developing the Basin Plan interest. In doing so the Water Act recognises that [email protected] Australian states in the Basin continue to manage Basin 2012 The Basin Plan passes through water resources within their jurisdictions. mdba.gov.au Australian Parliament with bi-partisan support History of water management in the Basin | Murray–Darling Basin Authority August 2020 MDBA1265 The Murray–Darling Basin Agreements The first agreement: The River Murray Waters Agreement The second agreement: The Murray–Darling Basin Agreement By the end of the 19th Century different states had an understanding that irrigation was affecting the Basin. In 1902 the The Murray–Darling Basin Agreement replaced the River Murray Waters Agreement in 1987, expanding the resource-sharing Interstate Royal Commission on Murray Waters was convened to inquire into the ‘conservation and distribution of the waters arrangements between the states to cover the whole Basin. At the same time: of the Murray and its tributaries for the purpose of irrigation, navigation and water supply’. It was the first official body to • the establishment of Murray–Darling Basin Commission replaced the River Murray Commission propose a program of capital works, essentially to build 75 locks and weirs, for the Murray–Darling system. From 1920– • the Ministerial Council was established, with water Ministers from each state and the Australian Government tasked with 1970 management of water under the Agreement changed—the following amendments were made: overseeing water reform 1923 1954 • a Community Advisory Committee was established irrigation took precedence of navigation capacity of Hume Dam expanded again to 3000 GL • the scope for the agreement expanded—water managers were now looking to include the Basin landscape, not just the rivers themselves. 1934 1958 Further amendments were made to the agreement over time, including: capacity of Hume Dam determined to be Agreement to deal with the effects of the Snowy 1500 gigalitres (GL) Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme 1992 2006 the Salinity and Drainage Strategy was provision of funding for River Murray agreement to build Yarrawonga weir Restriction sharing, to ensure SA received flows in incorporated infrastructure to provide certainty for dry times governments agreement to build barrages at Murray Mouth 2002 any unbuilt locks were to be abandoned, as trade 1963 increased water for the environment in the 2008 between states moves to roads and railway The proposal of developing Chowilla Dam is agreed River Murray, to keep the Murray Mouth open established a South Australian storage right and preserve significant environmental sites 1948 1970 the agreement was incorporated into the addressed the corporatisation of the Snowy Water Act 2007 capacity of Hume Dam expanded to 2500 GL Dartmouth Dam replaces the Chowilla Dam proposal Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority agreement to protect catchments from erosion Entitlements for South Australia increase to 1850 GL/year introduction of a reserve for dry conditions Records of inflows into the Murray–Darling Basin Northern Basin annual flows Southern Basin annual flows Average annual flow levels Flow measured on Darling River at Bourke Flow measured on River Murray at Euston 30,000 1895 1917 1952 1956 1974 1993 1997 Start of the Flooding along Flooding in the Highest Basin inows Widespread ooding Flooding across Beginning of longest drought 25,000 ‘Federation Drought’ the River Murray River Murray in recorded history across the Basin, QLD, NSW in Australia’s recorded history which lasts for 7 years cause widespread known as the ‘big wet’ and Victoria 1950 ooding 1914 Record rainfall 2000 1921 Murray Mouth Severe drought causes widespread Flooding across closes and leads to the end ooding in Condamine