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| Murray–Darling Basin Salinity and Drainage Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Name | Murray–Darling Basin Salinity and Drainage Strategy |
| Region | Murray River, Murrumbidgee River, Darling River, Cooper Creek |
| Launch | 1988 |
| Agencies | Murray–Darling Basin Commission, Australian Government, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Australian Capital Territory |
| Objectives | Salinity management, drainage infrastructure, water quality improvement |
| Status | Ongoing |
Murray–Darling Basin Salinity and Drainage Strategy is a coordinated program to address soil salinization and drainage in the Murray River–Darling River catchment, involving federal and state parties and allied institutions. The Strategy links irrigation hydraulics, catchment hydrology and land management across jurisdictions including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. It integrates engineering works, monitoring networks and policy instruments to reduce salinity impacts on agriculture, ecosystems and urban water supplies such as those for Adelaide, Canberra and regional centres.
The program emerged following scientific findings from bodies like the Bureau of Rural Sciences, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, CSIRO Division of Land and Water and inquiries such as the Goyder Inquiry and reports to the Council of Australian Governments. Primary aims included lowering groundwater tables, intercepting saline recharge, protecting assets on the Murray River and Murrumbidgee River floodplain, and reducing salt loads reaching the Lower Lakes and Coorong. Objectives were framed to support irrigation districts such as the Riverina, Sunraysia, Mildura, and the Goulburn Valley while interfacing with programs like the National Landcare Program and the Basin Plan.
Administration has operated through intergovernmental arrangements including the Murray–Darling Basin Ministerial Council, the Murray–Darling Basin Commission, later the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, and agencies such as the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources and state departments like the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. Funding and oversight intersected with entities including the Australian National Audit Office, Productivity Commission, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission where regulatory or fiscal scrutiny was required. Stakeholder engagement drew in irrigators’ associations, the National Farmers' Federation, environmental NGOs such as the Australian Conservation Foundation and local governments across catchments like Wagga Wagga and Mildura.
Core measures combined engineering and land-use actions: construction of sub-surface drainage systems, salt interception schemes, groundwater pumping, and installation of evaporation basins near sites like Wemen and Curlwaa. Salinity interception works linked to riverine infrastructure such as the Menindee Lakes, Hume Dam, and the Dartmouth Dam to manage flow regimes and salt loads. On-farm practices incorporated tree planting programs using species such as Eucalyptus camaldulensis, reversion of saline land, and altered irrigation scheduling promoted by research from University of Adelaide and University of New England. Instruments included targeted subsidies, cost-share arrangements with bodies like Goulburn–Murray Water and technical standards developed by Standards Australia committees.
The Strategy affected bioregions including the Murray-Darling Depression and wetlands such as the Barmah-Millewa Forest and Macquarie Marshes. Interventions reduced episodic salt loads in some reaches, benefiting urban supplies to Adelaide and irrigation channels servicing the Riverina grain and cotton sectors; economic outcomes intersected with commodity markets for wheat, cotton and rice. Conversely, drainage discharge and altered hydrology influenced native vegetation, aquatic habitat for species like the Murray cod and waterbird aggregations managed under protections such as the Ramsar Convention. Social impacts touched Indigenous communities affiliated with nations like the Ngarrindjeri and Yorta Yorta, regional employment patterns, and property values in towns including Renmark and Leeton.
Pilot schemes in the late 1980s evolved into larger programs in the 1990s and 2000s, including the Salt Interception Scheme network along the Murray River and targeted works at Goolwa and Tailem Bend. Major capital investments tied to projects such as the Murray Irrigation Limited modernisation, the Victorian Salinity Program, and remediation works around the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. Periodic reviews by bodies like the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia and audit reports by the Australian National Audit Office shaped subsequent phases. Integration with river regulation required coordination with operators of Snowy Mountains Scheme infrastructure and the management regimes for storages like Lake Victoria.
A network of salinity monitoring stations, hydrological gauges and groundwater bores established by the Bureau of Meteorology and state agencies supported evaluation frameworks. Data management linked to platforms developed with assistance from institutions including the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences and university research groups. Adaptive management cycles drew on periodic reviews, expert panels including scientists from CSIRO and recommendations from inquiries such as the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, leading to iterative adjustments in targets, metrics and funding instruments.
Critiques centered on effectiveness, cost-benefit trade-offs and unintended environmental outcomes; commentators included the Productivity Commission, environmental NGOs, and rural advocacy groups. Disputes arose over salinity load accounting, prioritisation of works, and equity between upstream and downstream users, prompting reforms to governance via the transition from the Murray–Darling Basin Commission to the Murray–Darling Basin Authority and amendments associated with the Water Act 2007. Debates continue over the balance between engineered drainage interventions and catchment-scale, non-structural approaches advocated by groups such as the Australian Rivers Institute and policy analysts at the Grattan Institute.