EDO welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the Murray Darling Basin Plan: Five Year Assessment. We appreciate the opportunity to provide our expert feedback though meetings with the Commission and participation in the Stakeholder Working Group. […]
The Productivity Commission is required to undertake an inquiry every 5 years into the effectiveness of the implementation of the Basin Plan and water resource plans. This is the second such inquiry. The terms of reference are broad; EDO’s submission identifies several key issues for attention and anticipates making further contributions in response to the […]
EDO welcomes the opportunity to participate in the Australian Government’s consultation about how to deliver the Basin Plan 2012 in full. We emphasise the importance of delivering on water recovery, in full, as a matter of priority, and recommend the Australian Government prioritise and support the recovery of actual flows and deprioritise mechanisms that remain […]
The Water Legislation Amendment (Inspector–General of Water Compliance and Other Measures) Bill 2021 (Cth) (Amendment) was passed by the Commonwealth Parliament on 24 June 2021. This is the most significant amendment to Water Act 2007 (Cth) in almost a decade. The EDO’s Freshwater Team examines the lead up to this amendment, evaluates its strengths and highlights […]
EDO water law specialist Emma Carmody has co-authored an article published today which finds that the Australian Government’s $4 billion irrigation efficiency program for the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) has led to irrigators who received infrastructure subsidies extracting up to 28 per cent more water than those who did not. Dr Carmody and water management experts […]
On 19 March 2020, the NSW Land and Environment Court delivered judgment in WaterNSW’s prosecution of two irrigators in the northern Murray-Darling Basin. The Court found that the irrigators extracted water from the Barwon-Darling River in contravention of a condition of their water supply works and use approval, which is an offence under the Water […]
Water resource plans under the Commonwealth Water Act 2007 are the operational documents which will govern the flows in the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin. If water resource plans do not comply with the Basin Plan 2012 they will compromise the restoration of the health of the Basin. The EDO’s analysis identifies fundamental errors of […]
EDO NSW acknowledges that the task of this panel will be difficult because it comes at a time when communities (also under stress from drought) have experienced the impacts of measures designed to reverse the historical over-allocation of water, but are not yet experiencing many of the positive effects the Basin Plan will have. We recommend […]
EDO lawyers examine the significant challenges impinging on implementation of laws regulating water management in the Murray–Darling Basin. […]
Sadly, wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet. Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin wetlands are no exception. While many wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin naturally cycle between wetter and drier periods, drier periods have recently become significantly longer. The main reason for this is long-term over consumption of water for human use, particularly irrigation […]
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EDO recognises the traditional owners and custodians of the land, seas and rivers of Australia. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders past and present, and aspire to learn from traditional knowledge and customs so that, together, we can protect our environment and cultural heritage through law.
