As public consultation on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review begins today, NSW Irrigators' Council CEO Dr. Madeleine Hartley said the discussion is finally shifting away from the outdated idea that Basin outcomes can be delivered simply by adding more environmental water.
"The irrigation industry has long warned that more water is not the solution for the Basin's future. Achieving long-term environmental outcomes is now about integrated catchment approaches and implementing community-led projects." Dr. Hartley said.
"Fundamentally, the Basin Plan set out to implement the Sustainable Diversion Limits, and that has been achieved. Over-extraction of water is no longer a problem, with less than 26 per cent of total Basin inflows now licensed extraction for town water supply, irrigation, and stock and domestic water.
Dr. Hartley added that the impressive efforts of irrigators over decades have significantly improved water use efficiency. Australian irrigators have absorbed decades of reform under one of the most tightly regulated water systems in the world.
"Efficiency for key crops like cotton and rice is among the highest globally. But this adjustment has come at a very real cost to irrigators and their communities and cannot continue unchecked.
"Over 3000 gigalitres of water has been returned to the environment since water reform began in the Murray-Darling Basin," she said.
"Since the beginning of the water reform process in the 1990s, roughly one in three litres of water previously used for irrigation is now redirected to the environment - complementing base flows and natural rainfall events. The scale of water recovery already delivered shows the limits of volume-based reform."
"With water volumes no longer the major limitation to achieving environmental health in the Basin, I am urging governments to engage with local growers and community groups to focus on local integrated catchment management solutions.
"At this critical juncture in the Basin Plan's review, governments must turn their focus to addressing invasive species like carp, improving fish passage, riverbank restoration, tree and vegetation planting all while working alongside local communities to deliver projects to improve flow patterns."
Dr. Hartley said the decisions made through this review will shape the future of the irrigation industry and their communities.
"This is a living and productive Basin, and we need to keep it that way. With over 8,500 irrigation businesses operating in the Basin and an economic value of $40 billion, the review needs to bring real solutions that ensure the future viability of irrigation."
NSWIC is encouraging irrigators and their communities to make a submission to the discussion paper, which can be found here. Submissions close 1 May 2026.
