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Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission

On 15 September 2023, the South Australian Government published its response to the Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission Report:

The renewed response was prepared in consultation with the Commissioner for the River Murray in South Australia, Mr Richard Beasley SC.

In the Royal Commission response, the South Australian Government has outlined its expectations and requirements for full delivery of the Basin Plan by reference to the following four themes:

The original target for Basin Plan water recovery must be achieved in full
Further action must be taken to maximise environmental outcomes from required Basin Plan water recovery
First Nations Australians’ water rights and interests must be addressed
Water management across the Basin must be done transparently and with accountability.

The final section of the response lists all of the Royal Commission’s 44 recommendations together with a description of how the South Australian Government is addressing each recommendation and/or working to influence the responsible agency or government to address the recommendation.

Background

The Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission was established to undertake an independent investigation into the current state of implementation of the Basin Plan and whether the Basin Plan will achieve its objects and purposes and those of the Water Act 2007 (Cth). It reported to the Governor of South Australia on 29 January 2019.

The Commission collected evidence from community consultation and site visits across the Murray-Darling Basin, written submissions, oral evidence in public sessions and undertook its own research and investigations. The ability of the Commission to probe the development of the Basin Plan was limited by the non-participation of Commonwealth agencies.

This evidence and the submissions received informed the range of issues addressed in the final report released on 31 January 2019.