Goulburn Broken CMA position on the Murray–Darling Basin Plan Review

Our Role

As a Catchment Management Authority, our role is to improve the health and resilience of the Goulburn and Broken catchments as a whole - rivers, wetlands, floodplains, agricultural landscapes and support the communities that depend on them.

The Goulburn Broken CMA works closely with its regional, state and federal partners to deliver integrated catchment management programs at many scales. We deliver action under the guidance of the Goulburn Broken Regional Catchment Strategy. As a Catchment Management Authority, our role is to improve the health and resilience of the Goulburn and Broken catchments as a whole - rivers, wetlands, floodplains, agricultural landscapes and support the communities that depend on them.

The Goulburn Broken CMA works closely with its regional, state and federal partners to deliver integrated catchment management programs at many scales. We deliver action under the guidance of the Goulburn Broken Regional Catchment Strategy.

Our Position — Six Key Priorities for the Basin Plan Review

A Basin Plan grounded in evidence, integration and adaptive practice

The world has changed markedly since the first Basin Plan. Climate change, declining inflows, ageing infrastructure and shifting land and water use highlight the need for smarter, more adaptive approaches, building on what has worked and strengthening settings where needed.

We outline six priority actions that the next Basin Plan must focus strongly on. These actions are supported by decades of local scientific evidence, practice and the lived experience of our catchment’s communities.

01 Maximise the Goulburn Catchment outcomes from existing environmental water

Environmental water recovery in the southern Basin has delivered meaningful gains for rivers, wetlands and floodplains across our region. The current portfolio provides a strong foundation for ecological outcomes in most years. The priority now is to maximise what can be achieved with the water already held.

Since the first Basin Plan, water availability, demand and trade patterns have shifted. Evidence shows that current lower Goulburn River commitments, environmental water and traded water, can't be delivered within current operational constraints without environmental harm.

Further water purchases should be paused until the challenges are addressed, and funded plans are in place to achieve environmental objectives from existing environmental water.

02 Build an adaptive and flexible Basin Plan 2

Basin Plan 2 must be designed to build more certainty. Decisions should be made in stages, reviewed regularly, and updated as conditions change and new information is gained.

Over three decades, the Goulburn Broken region has demonstrated that effective landscape management requires this kind of adaptive practice. A plan built with fixed benchmarks and single preferred futures locked in for a decade has been proven not to work.

03 Invest in complementary actions

A water-volume-only approach will not deliver the environmental outcomes the Basin needs. The Basin is more than water — its rivers, wetlands and catchments function as connected systems where land management directly shapes water quality and ecological health.

Salinity, nutrients, drainage, habitat restoration and farm transition must work alongside environmental water delivery. The Goulburn Broken CMA’s decades of integrated catchment management show that these actions are essential to lasting environmental outcomes, not optional extras.

04 Protect the irrigation system and use it for the environment

The GMID channel and drainage network is not just consumptive infrastructure, it is the primary delivery mechanism for environmental water to many wetlands and waterways across our region.

As climate change reduces natural inflows, this network will become even more critical. A viable, affordable irrigation supply system is essential to both farming and environmental outcomes. The long-term viability of the delivery network must be considered before further water recovery.

05 Recognise and support irrigated agriculture and food production

The Basin Plan Review Discussion paper does not substantively address the role of irrigated agriculture, food production or regional economies.

For communities to engage constructively with Basin Plan 2, they need to understand their future role in the Basin. Recognising productive landscapes alongside environmental objectives strengthens the Plan and builds the community confidence needed for effective implementation and continued investment.

06 Support communities through adjustment programs at the right pace

Communities across the region have experienced significant change over the past decade — water recovery, climate variability, market shifts and changing land use.

They need credible pathways, clear timeframes and genuine involvement in decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods. When communities feel confident about their future, they engage more constructively with environmental and landscape outcomes.

Six Key Priorities at a Glance

Have Your Say

Submissions close 1 May 2026

The MDBA is accepting public submissions on the Discussion Paper until 1 May 2026. This is an important opportunity for our catchment community - individuals, farming businesses, local councils and industry groups, to be heard directly by the authority shaping the next Basin Plan.

2026 Basin Plan Review: Have Your Say - MDBA