Decision Making Roles and Responsibility for Environmental Water in the Murray-Darling Basin

Abstract

The current debate around environmental water in the Murray-Darling Basin has focused on how much water the environment needs (what should the sustainable diversion limits be) and how this water should be recovered. Now that the Murray-Darling Basin Plan has set these targets, discussion will quickly move to implementation and the governance arrangements for this water; that is, what parties are involved, what are their responsibilities, how are they accountable and how do they interact? While the agencies involved in environmental water management and their respective roles are broadly understood, the detail around accountability, interaction between agencies and assessment of success has potential for improvement. Massive public expenditure in water recovery and management requires high levels of accountability, and in such high stakes conditions, confusion can breed mistrust. This paper documents agency roles and existing governance models and proposes features of a governance model for environmental water management to enhance accountability, trust and efficiency.