> Water and River Murray > Basin, River Murray, Lakes, and the Coorong > Basin Plan and Murray-Darling Basin Agreement

Water management in the Murray-Darling Basin

Working together across borders

Managing the Murray-Darling Basin’s water resources is complex and requires the involvement of the South Australian, Victorian, New South Wales, Queensland, Australian Capital Territory and Australian governments. There is a history of negotiation and cooperation between the states for more than 100 years.

The South Australian Government works closely with the other Murray-Darling Basin state governments and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to ensure water is shared between the needs of community, industry and the environment across the entire basin. Water management in the basin is guided by the the following instruments:

Water level monitoring on the River Murray.

Water Act 2007

The Water Act 2007, is Commonwealth legislation which sets out the legal framework for the management of the Murray-Darling Basin. It is administered by the Commonwealth Minister responsible for water and the relevant department.

Water management in the Murray-Darling Basin

Murray-Darling Basin Agreement

The Murray-Darling Basin Agreement, between all the basin states and Australian government , provides the framework under which the river systems are managed and sets out how water is shared between the states. It also sets out salinity management measures and inter-state trading rules.

Basin Plan

The Basin Plan sets the amount of water that can be taken from the Basin each year. The goal is to leave enough water in the system for the stability and durability of the basin rivers, lakes and wetlands, and the plants and animals that live in them.

Other legislation and policies

Management of the Murray-Darling Basin

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority, is an independent agency established by the Water Act for overseeing water resource planning in the Murray–Darling Basin as a whole, rather than state by state.

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has responsibility to:

prepare, implement and review the Basin Plan
operate the River Murray system and efficiently deliver water to users on behalf of partner governments
measure, monitor and record the quality and quantity of the Basin's water resources
support, encourage and conduct research and investigations about the Basin's water resources and dependent ecosystems
advise the Australian Government Minister for Water Resources on the accreditation of water resource plans
provide water rights information to facilitate water trading across the Basin.

Why is the Murray-Darling Basin so important?

Environment

30,000 wetlands including 16 internationally significant wetlands (Ramsar sites)
120 water bird species and 46 native fish species
95 threatened animal and plant species. including 35 birds, 16 mammals, and 5 snakes

Social

> 3 million Australians rely on rivers in the Basin for drinking water.
> 40 Aboriginal Nations with deep cultural, social, environmental, spiritual, and economic connection to the lands and waters of the Basin
Healthy rivers provide Basin communities a sense of place, psychological wellbeing, and local identity

Economic

$22 billion worth of food and fibre produced every year in the Basin
~ $7 billion irrigated agriculture maintained annually, even with recovery of water for the environment
~ $7.5 billion tourism spend in the Basin per year; Australians make 17 million visits annually for recreation