Participants attending a workshop in Deniliquin on Thursday, November 21 said they believed senior personnel from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority “are listening to us”, and said they did not believe this had previously occurred in such a genuine and transparent manner.
The workshop was organised by the Murray Regional Strategy Group, which hosted the MDBA’s chief executive Andrew McConville, and its river management executive director Jacqui Hickey.
They spoke about developments in basin plan implementation, including work being undertaken on the basin plan review, which will be submitted in late 2026.
There was discussion throughout the workshop around constraints management, amid a realisation there are numerous restrictions which could make it impossible to deliver legislated volumes of water from one end of the system to the other.
“We were extremely grateful to Andrew and Jacqui, who made the effort to talk with us honestly and frankly about the basin plan and work being undertaken on the 2026 review,” group chair Geoff Moar said.
“We were also delighted to welcome representatives from local government throughout the region, as well as others from the NSW Government’s water department.
“We believe the workshop helped everyone to better understand various aspects of the basin plan, and our desire to work collaboratively with governments to deliver the best possible plan for our environment and communities which rely on the basin for their livelihood,” Mr Moar said.
He acknowledged there were positive signs, including some realisation that the ‘just add water’ focus on delivering environmental water was not the best way to support a sustainable basin.
However, Mr Moar said there was still concern that politics might get in the way of delivering the best possible plan.
“Water buybacks are not the best way forward for many reasons, and it is disappointing that Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek continues this unnecessary focus on buybacks when there are other preferable and achievable solutions.
“While the minister says all options are on the table, in reality that’s not what we are seeing,” Mr Moar said.
Others who addressed the workshop were Samantha McCallum, Murray-Darling Basin and Intergovernmental at NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water director; Tim Horne, who presented a proposal to overcome issues with Menindee Lakes; and Louise Burge, who gave a comprehensive presentation on unique issues in the NSW Murray and its tributaries and the NSW Murray Valley Adaptive Road Map which provides pathways to improve water delivery.
Mr Moar said they were keen to host Minister Plibersek, and hoped she would respond positively to their invitations.
“As the key decision-maker, it is important she has a more thorough understanding of the system and best ways to achieve the environmental outcomes that everyone wants,” Mr Moar said.
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