Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement

The Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement was signed in 2000 between the Australian, Queensland and South Australian governments in recognition of the need to maintain the important environmental, social and economic values associated with the Lake Eyre Basin. The Northern Territory became a party to the Agreement in 2004.

The agreement area originally applied to the Cooper Creek system (including the Thomson and Barcoo Rivers) and the Georgina-Diamantina catchment systems within Queensland and South Australia. The area extended to include the Hay, Neales, Finke, Georgina and Todd River catchments when the Territory joined the agreement. Later, it was expanded again to include the catchments of the Finke, Hay and Neales Rivers and Douglas Creek in South Australia. This extension also includes Witjira National Park, Simpson Desert Conservation Park and Simpson Desert Regional Reserve in South Australia.

The agreement provides for the sustainable management of the water and related natural resources in the rivers of the Lake Eyre Basin to avoid adverse cross-border impacts on associated environmental, economic, cultural and social values.

It incorporates a number of guiding principles that recognise the significance of the Lake Eyre Basin for ecological, pastoral, cultural and tourism reasons, and the need to make decisions which will foster ecologically sustainable development using a precautionary approach and take account of the significant knowledge and experience of local communities.

The agreement does not affect the state’s constitutional rights to manage their own natural resources. However, the states have agreed to use their best endeavours to ensure such statutory processes are consistent with the spirit and intent of the agreement.