Address to the 2025 Basin Leaders Summit

It’s great to be back with so many familiar faces from my days as Agriculture Minister.

Because we’re all here to focus on something dear to every Australian – the Murray-Darling Basin.

It’s really special to have nearly 200 people in this room all with a common purpose - to see a better Basin.

You will all have key concerns about the Basin, whether it’s the state of the river system’s environment, its agricultural and other industries, its cultural significance or the lifestyle and communities it supports.

But the truth is that these things are all linked, so it’s extremely important to come together like this - sharing knowledge and ideas on shared challenges facing a shared resource.

More than a decade on, since the Basin Plan was introduced, there’s a lot to be pleased about.

Agricultural production in the Basin has grown, now contributing $30 billion to Australia’s economy.

Farmers are more efficient, with government and private investment in on and off-farm efficiency projects leading many to become more productive and profitable.

And tourism in the Basin generates around $20 billion each year, as the region’s unique and diverse environments draw visitors from around the country and the world.

The latest Basin Plan Evaluation tells us we are better off with the Plan, and that the water we’ve recovered for the environment is helping rebuild river health, waterbird numbers and other environmental benchmarks.

And the Plan has increased opportunities for communities to be more involved in decision making, with more transparency and accountability in those decisions.

But as leaders and experts in your fields, you know there is more to be done – you know all too well the water challenges Australia faces now and into the future.

Water is a finite resource.  And it is under twin pressures—with climate change exacerbating scarcity and variability, as population and industry growth increase demand.

Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment has warned that water security will be a serious issue right across the country.

Lower rainfall and streamflows are projected to continue.

And our climate will continue to become more variable, with extensive dry conditions, as well as more frequent floods and bushfires.

Water scarcity will threaten primary industries and remote communities, posing risks to food security and regional economies.

And we know from the latest Evaluation that the Basin’s environment remains significantly challenged, due to over-allocation of water, climate change, habitat loss, invasive species and pollution.

Similarly, the Evaluation tells us that the Plan does not meet First Nations expectations regarding involvement in water management.

And the complexity and red tape in some of the Plan’s programs have made them difficult to implement.

Only modest progress has been made in addressing delivery constraints within the river system.

And we anticipate a shortfall in water recovery under the sustainable diversion limit adjustment mechanism.

Unfortunately, we’re further behind than we should be with the Basin Plan. Water recovery effectively stalled under the previous Coalition Government, equating to a decade of missed progress and opportunities.

Despite that lost momentum, we are making progress, and by working together, we can see that continue.

There’s a range of actions our Government is undertaking, commenced by my predecessor Tanya Plibersek – and I recognise the work that she has done - to deliver for the Basin as a whole, including through the Basin Plan.

We are:

• Working with states to provide funding for infrastructure and water efficiency projects. To date, the Basin Plan has invested more than $5 billion in on-farm and off-farm efficiency and modernisations. These improvements grow productivity and profitability for farmers and means they are now growing more with less water.
• Strengthening water management through metering rollout with the states, the Inspector General of Water Compliance and more transparency for water trading through water market reforms. It’s clear we must reinvigorate trust and transparency regarding water use, including by working with states to roll out compliant water meters.
• We’re continuing to rollout support through record funding to help communities who are impacted by water recovery to adapt. The NSW and SA governments have taken up this funding opportunity under the Sustainable Communities Program and the opportunity remains on the table for other Basin states to do so too.
• We’re working with First Nations Australians to increase their ownership of water and influence in water policy decisions through the $100 million Aboriginal Water Entitlements Program, and cultural flows planning. First Nations People hold rights to about 40 percent of Australian land through native title, yet own and control less than 0.2 percent of Australia’s surface water entitlements. Through this program we’re changing ownership – not changing how that water can be used. That will be a decision for First Nations people.
• And of course we’re recovering more water for the environment, to make progress on the 450GL target. Over 2,100 gigalitres of water per year has been recovered and is being used to achieve better environmental outcomes.
  Environmental water delivery has supported waterbird habitats and breeding events, and waterbird numbers have responded well to recent wet years. It’s also flushed more than 4 million tonnes of salt from the River Murray.

Now, I have met with some of you in the room this morning when I was the Agriculture Minister and others since becoming the Environment and Water Minister earlier this year. You will know that in each of those conversations I have always been upfront that our government remains committed to recovering 450GL of water for the environment.

As Agriculture Minister, my political opponents liked to tell me that to fight for the ag industry, I had to oppose water recovery.

My view was that the best way to support the ag industry’s long-term future was to accept the scientific reality and help industry adapt to a more water efficient future.

Sure, I could stick my head in the sand and pretend that nothing needed to change. But all that would do is condemn the Basin to environmental decline, that would gradually strangle the industries and communities that rely on that environment for their livelihoods.

Much better to get on board and shape the Plan in a way that protected the industries and local communities, by protecting the environment, for the long term.

That’s the same attitude I’ll bring now, as Environment Minister – securing the environmental health of the Basin, so that we can support its industries and communities.  

That’s why I’m committed to delivering the Plan – for the Basin’s long-term survival – its environment, its industries and its communities.

It doesn’t have to be a binary choice between the environment or industry – we need to find ways to support both.

That’s the approach I’m taking to the reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act and it’s the approach I’ll take to water management too.

Including by seeing the Basin Plan through.

To that end, I've considered the final applications under the Resilient Rivers Water Infrastructure Program.

And I’m now working with my state counterparts to prepare funding arrangements and look forward to providing more information about those projects soon.

It also means voluntary water purchases will continue.

Today my department has released an updated Restoring Our Rivers Trading Strategy, expanding the voluntary water purchase program in the southern Basin.

This expansion takes the program from 170 gigalitres (GL) up to 300 GL, towards the 450GL target.

Voluntary water recovery to reach this target will come from EOIs that we have received in previous rounds in the southern connected Basin, rather than opening up a new round of EOIs.

In assessing those existing EOIs, my Department will consider value for money, how much good that water can do for the environment and the need to balance recovery between Basin states.

Recent advice from the MDBA highlights the potential benefits of pursuing water recovery in the northern Basin to contribute towards the 450GL target.

While this is not an adopted policy of our government right now, I will work closely with my Department in considering this advice, alongside multiple lines of evidence, as we continue implementation.

What this means is that we now have plans in place to recover over 400 of the 450GL target by the end of next year.

This is a feat that seemed almost impossible when we came to Government, considering just 2 gigalitres had been recovered under the former Coalition Government.

So with that in mind, there’s still clearly a way to go. The Inspector General of Water Compliance’s latest report, published two months ago, confirms that progress continues in all Basin states but that there is more to do.

That’s why we are progressing a new National Water Agreement. The new agreement will help us all keep pace with threats to water security—something that is of course critical for communities, our economy and our environment.

The NWA will strengthen influence and improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in water management, while maintaining the strong water access rights currently in place.

It will allow water resources to be managed sustainably to support productivity and meet the needs of Australia’s growing population and critical industries—including power generation and the transition to net zero, food and fibre production and mining.

The NWA is just one example of the significant year approaching for national water policy, with reviews of the Water Act and the Basin Plan. Collectively, we have a historic opportunity to shape how the Basin can thrive into the future.

The challenges the Basin faces are not insurmountable. And the only way we’ll deal with them is through collaboration, like what you’re doing at this summit.

Not by standing in our corners, fighting for the environment or industry or communities. But by finding ways that all can survive and thrive.

That’s how we lock in enduring solutions, that survive changes of government.

And when it comes to the Basin, the Albanese Government is committed to working collaboratively with you to continue building those solutions.

It’s why I am so excited by events like this summit—they help us hear different perspectives and look for solutions that work for all of us.

I am genuinely open minded about what the next Basin Plan looks like. It doesn’t need to be an exact replica of the current Plan - it should build on what’s working and change what’s not.

And it absolutely must listen to all voices and views.

After releasing the Basin Outlook and Sustainable Yields Study in the next few weeks, early next year the MDBA will release the Basin Plan Review discussion paper.

As Basin leaders, you will be at the heart of this and I strongly encourage you to put your views forward.

We need the lived experience and wisdom of those on the land—farmers, First Nations people, scientists, communities, and all of you here today.

Because I believe the Basin Plan, like our environmental law reforms, can deliver for everyone— the environment, business and communities.

The leadership we show in the Basin will continue to light the way for water and natural resources management across the country.

I’m under no illusions about how important it is that we get this right. And we’ll do that by working together.

We’re making progress, but there’s a lot more to do.

We need to continue this journey, for the long-term future of the Basin and the people and ecosystems that rely on it.

There are a lot of leaders and experts in this room, who are equally committed to a sustainable, prosperous future for the Basin, and I look forward to working with you all in the months and years ahead.

Thank you.