The Murray Darling Basin Plan is not delivering - there's no more time to waste

Authors

Quentin Grafton, Australian National University
Darla Hatton MacDonald, University of Tasmania
David Paton, University of Adelaide
Graham P. Harris, University of WollongongFollow
Henning Bjornlund, University of South Australia
Jeffery D. Connor, University of South Australia
John Quiggin, University of Queensland
John Williams, Australian National University
Lin Crase, La Trobe University, University of South Australia
Richard T. Kingsford, University of New South WalesFollow
Sarah Ann Wheeler, University of Adelaide

RIS ID

122119

Publication Details

Grafton, Q., Hatton MacDonald, D., Paton, D., Harris, G., Bjornlund, H., Connor, J. D., Quiggin, J., Williams, J., Crase, L., Kingsford, R. & Wheeler, S. (2018). The Murray Darling Basin Plan is not delivering - there's no more time to waste. The Conversation, 5 February 1-5.

Abstract

More than five years after the Murray Darling Basin Plan was implemented, it's clear that it is not delivering on its key objectives. The Basin Plan, at its core, is about reducing the amount of water that can be extracted from its streams, rivers and aquifers. It includes an environmental water strategy to improve the conditions of the wetlands and rivers of the basin. The Productivity Commission will conduct a five-yearly inquiry into the effectiveness of the Basin Plan in 2018. It is high time to explain what is really going on in the Basin and water recovery. For this reason we have all signed the Murray-Darling Basin Declaration to explain what has gone wrong, to call for a freeze on funding for new irrigation projects until the outcomes of water recovery has been fully and independently audited, and to call for the establishment of an independent, expert body to deliver on the key goals of the Water Act (2007).