Murray-Darling Basin
Map of the Murray-Darling Basin
Murray-Darling Basin map - PDF (748 KB)
The Murray-Darling Basin is one of Australia's largest drainage divisions and covers approximately one million square kilometres or one-seventh of the continent. It incorporates Australia's three longest rivers (the Murray River, the Darling River and the Murrumbidgee River) and is one of our most diverse regions. It stretches from Queensland's channel country through NSW to the Australian Alps, Victoria's north-east and the Riverina, and on into South Australia's Riverland and the Coorong at the mouth of the Murray.
The Murray-Darling Basin is very important for its biodiversity. At the time of European settlement, about 28 per cent of Australia's mammal species, about 48 per cent of its birds and some 19 per cent of its reptiles were found there. The Basin contains more than 30,000 wetlands, including 16 internationally significant wetlands that provide habitat for migratory birds.
The Murray-Darling Basin is also very important for rural communities and Australia's economy. Three million Australians inside and outside the Murray-Darling Basin are directly dependent on its water. About 85 per cent of all irrigation in Australia takes place in the Murray-Darling Basin, which supports an agricultural industry worth more than $9 billion per annum.
Water issues in the Murray-Darling Basin
The long-term productivity and sustainability of the Murray-Darling Basin is under threat from over-allocated water resources, salinity and climate change.
Water use in the Basin has increased five-fold in less than a century. The problems caused by over-allocation have been exacerbated by severe drought and the early impacts of climate change. There is insufficient water to maintain the Basin's natural balance and ecosystems, resulting in a marked decline in its ecological health.
Many species that once were common are now rare and listed nationally for protection under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. At least 35 bird species and 16 mammals that live in the Basin are endangered. Twenty mammal species have become extinct since 1900 and Murray Cod, Australia's largest freshwater fish which was once widespread, is in severe decline.
In 2003, 80 per cent of the remaining River Red Gums on the Murray River floodplain in South Australia were stressed to some degree due to the combination of human activity and drought, and 20-30 per cent of those were severely stressed. With the ongoing drought the situation is significantly worse now.
The first basin-wide report card on the ecological health of the Murray-Darling Basin, the Sustainable Rivers Audit conducted between 2004-2007 over 96,000 km of rivers and streams, found long-term degradation in most of the Basin's valleys.
CSIRO's work through the Murray-Darling Basin Sustainable Yields project, conducted during 2007 and 2008, revealed that consumptive water use in the Basin has reduced average annual streamflow at the Murray mouth by 61 per cent. The river now ceases to flow through the mouth 40 per cent of the time, compared to 1 per cent in the absence of water resource development. Climate change could further reduce flood events in many parts of the Basin, in some cases dramatically, affecting birds, fish, plants and animals.
Government action in the Basin
Latest news - Joint agreement provides for water sharing in 2009-10
A joint agreement has been finalised between the Prime Minister and the Premiers of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia on the arrangements for the distribution of water in the southern Murray-Darling Basin for 2009-10.
The southern Murray-Darling Basin has been suffering from drought for the past decade and inflows to the River Murray remain close to record low levels. Under these conditions, the first priority for the distribution of water in the Basin is to ensure that states receive enough water for their critical human needs in 2009-10.
Each jurisdiction has made provisions to meet their critical human needs for the rest of this season and this agreement has ensured its availability.
To give the Basin the best chance of recovery and to provide a viable future for the people who depend on it, the Australian Government is taking urgent action to better share water between the environment, agriculture and other human needs.
The Australian Government is investing $12.9 billion in Water for the Future, a 10-year plan to secure water supplies for all Australians. The Murray-Darling Basin is a focus of this plan that aims to assist agriculture to adapt to changed weather patterns and improve river health.
Water entitlement purchasing
A key element of the plan is the $3.1 billion Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin program through which the Government is buying water entitlements from willing sellers.
Water entitlements purchased by the Government are managed by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and will be used to protect and restore key environmental sites in the Basin that need water, such as internationally significant wetlands.’
Management of the Basin
To ensure that future water use is placed on a sustainable footing so that there is enough water for a healthy environment as well as vital agriculture industries and human use, the Australian, state and ACT governments have agreed on a new way to better manage the Murray-Darling Basin.
An independent expert body, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) , will develop and administer a strategic plan for the integrated and sustainable management of water.
To be called the Basin Plan, it will incorporate environmental watering guidelines for the use of water to benefit the environment, and a new cap on water diversions based on sustainable long-term use of surface water and groundwater.
Other Government programs
Other Government programs include:
- Driving Reform in the Basin: This program supports Australian Government contributions to the operation and water reform functions of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, including those under the Water Act.
- Restoring the Balance in the Basin: The goal of this program is to acquire water entitlements from willing sellers that represents value for money, and use the water allocated to them for the environment. This water will be used to improve the health of the Basin's rivers, wetlands and floodplains.
- The Water Act 2007 established the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to manage the water entitlements that the Commonwealth acquires, which includes water in the Basin.
- Living Murray Initiative: This program was established to help improve the health of the River Murray, with a focus on six icon sites that are internationally significant wetlands supporting a rich biodiversity. The program is managed by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
- Sustainable Yields project: The Australian Government has commissioned the CSIRO to undertake assessments to provide robust estimates of current and future water availability in the Murray-Darling Basin and as well as Tasmania, Western Australia and northern Australia.
Key publications
Recent publications about water in the Murray-Darling Basin include:
- Restoring the balance in Murray-Darling Basin - fact sheet - 2009
- A sustainable future for the Murray-Darling Basin - 2009
- A new way of managing the Murray-Darling Basin - Fact sheet - 2009
- First release of Commonwealth water for the environment - Fact sheet - 2009
- See all publications about the Murray-Darling Basin
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