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. […]
Read More… from Productivity Commission Murray Darling Basin: Five-year Review
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is currently under review, with opportunities for members of the public to participate in consultation. See the review website here and below for more information. What is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan? The Murray-Darling Basin Plan (Basin Plan) is the national framework that attempts to share water in the Murray-Darling Basin and make sure there is enough for rivers and wetlands. It was created in 2012 after […]
Read More… from Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review open for comment
In late 2023, EDO filed proceedings in the Federal Court on behalf of the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN). MLDRIN challenged a decision of the former Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek to accredit the Fractured Rock Water Resource Plan (WRP). MLDRIN also challenged the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s recommendation that the Minister accredit […]
Read More… from EDO Case note: Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations v Commonwealth
Our client Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN), a confederation of First Nations from the Murray-Darling Basin, has won a Federal Court challenge. The court ruled former Water Minister Plibersek’s decision to accredit the NSW Fractured Rock Water Resource Plan invalid because the Minister did not have the plan before her when she approved it […]
Read More… from Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations win Federal Court challenge
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 […]
Read More… from Murray-Darling Basin Plan: Implementation Review 2023 (Productivity Commission)
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 […]
Read More… from Analysis: Compliance boost for the Murray-Darling Basin with new Inspector-General
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 […]
Read More… from Analysis: Environment loses as subsidies drive extractions in Murray-Darling Basin
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 […]
With support from people like you, we can run more groundbreaking cases and deliver expert legal advice to people all over the Australia-Pacific region.
Authorised by Joanna Shulman, Environmental Defenders Office Ltd, Suite 8.02 Level 8, 6 O’Connell St, Sydney NSW 2000 • ABN: 72 002 880 864
Postal Address:
PO Box R1105 Royal Exchange NSW 1225
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.
