Murray Darling Basin Authority Research Articles

Bloomin’ Ridiculous: Climate Change, Water Contamination and Algal Blooms in a Land Down Under

Climate and anthropogenic change, particularly agricultural runoff, increase blue-green algae/cyanobacteria blooms. This article researches cyanobacteria alert-level identification, management, and risk communication in Lake Hume, Australia. Two methods, document and content analysis, evidence contamination events and risk communication, reflect water governance and data management limitations. Results found that Lake Hume had amber or red alerts for only one week, December 2021–December 2022. This failed to prevent government tourism promotion of recreational usage, contravening water authority red alert advice. Lake-use restrictions lacked compliance enforcement. Events during amber alerts lacked risk communication to vulnerable populations (children). Lake Hume’s governance by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority restricted risk communication to one authority that reproduced generic advice in minimal outlets/time points. Geophysical signage failed to address diversity needs (language, literacy, age, and disabilities). No risk communication was found for residents with diseases exacerbated by aerosolization. Despite WHO promoting cyanotoxin investigation, Australian research is absent in international literature. Further, Lake Hume cyanobacteria produce potentially carcinogenic microcystein. This coexists with census data revealing cancer rates higher than the national average in a waterside town. The results demonstrate the need to incorporate robust public health risk assessments, communication, and management into water management and advocate international legislation changes based on evidence-based research to reduce blooms and prevent agricultural runoff.

More than a ‘voice’: Indigenous transmission in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan

The Uluru Statement (2017) has recently focused attention on Indigenous state relations as an Indigenous ‘voice’ to government. For decades, Indigenous peoples in Australia have sought a meaningful voice in settler state environmental planning and management regimes, with limited success. Little attention has been paid to what constitutes an effective Indigenous voice. I conceptualise Australian Indigenous environmental planning and management as a dual deliberative system where Indigenous groups must transmit their messages into settler institutions and processes. I analyse the democratic quality of this transmission between two Indigenous deliberative forums, Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations and the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations and the commonwealth Murray-Darling Basin Authority in developing the controversial Murray-Darling Basin Plan (2012). These deliberative forums improve the transmission quality of Indigenous environmental discourses. They are more than a voice; they are a democratic innovation which goes beyond the limits of state ‘inclusion’ of Indigenous environmental values.

Regulatory influence on sustainability reporting: evidence from Murray–Darling Basin Authority in Australia

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the sustainability reporting of a public sector organisation (PSO). This study focuses on socio-environmental practices of a major agro-economic platform in Australia – the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to provide a unique perspective on water resource management and sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThis longitudinal qualitative case study collects published data from the MDBA’s annual reports over 21 years (1998–2018) and considers economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability using legitimacy and institutional theory.FindingsThis study finds that the MDBA’s sustainability reporting is influenced by its response to the Water Act 2007 and the Basin Plan 2012 regulations and to maintain its legitimacy with stakeholders. The MDBA wished to pursue sustainability through integrating these regulations complemented by stakeholder expectations. Although all categories increased in reporting, the environment category has the highest primacy in achieving a healthy basin through sustainable water management for the long-term benefit of the stakeholders.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the PSOs sustainability reporting literature. Particularly, this study provides insights of sustainability reporting patterns and practices over a long period through a longitudinal study. This study contributes new knowledge on the awareness of PSOs sustainability practice which has implications for governments, regulators, policymakers, managers and other stakeholders.Originality/valueThe Australian PSOs setting is under-researched from the perspective of a regulatory framework. The MDBA case provides unique insights on water resource management and sustainability which has value for many countries around the world.

Earth Observation Techniques to Assess Water Quality Monitoring in the Murray Darling Basin of Australia

The Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) currently has been using a discrete field sampling technique for water quality monitoring that is expensive, time consuming and may not adequately represent the spatial variability of water quality relative to the entire water body. A pilot project was executed to assess the effectiveness of using earth observation data, supported by archived field-based observations for quantitative estimation of Water Quality Parameters (WQP) and detection of algal blooms in the River Murray. The selected pilot study area includes a 100km stretch of the River Murray between the Hume Dam and Yarrawonga Weir. The time frame for the archived field samples was between November 2008 and March 2011, when major algal blooms were occurring in this stretch of the Murray River.Analysis of the 2009 data shows that waters in sites in the Murray River downstream of the Hume Dam to the Yarrawonga Weir show more temporal than spatial variability in Chl-a and PC levels. The Chl-a concentration is relatively less in the Yarrawonga Weir than in the Murray River. The scatter plot of PC vs. Turbidity suggests that PC is a more significant parameter for the detection of Cyanobacteria than Chl-a. The field data represents the temporal bio-optical variability across the 2009 algal bloom events by successfully capturing the co-variations among Chlorophyll-a, Chycocyanin and turbidity at pre, during and post bloom conditions. The methodology has proved that the usefulness of an integrated earth observation and field based WQP technique to accurately map algal bloom events. The long term MDBA RMWQMP data for the 2009 bloom event is found partially compatible to the NOW Pilot study data in that only the data for the Heywood site that was used together for testing the WQP monitoring technique. The incompatibility of the RMWQMP data downstream of Yarrawonga Weir may be due to differing techniques used for determining Chlorophyll. The 2010 data was suitable for testing the technique for complex spatial bio-optical variability during the peak of the bloom in a large water storage. Lack of Chlorophyll measurements in 2010 data poses challenges in interpreting the relationship of bio-optical variability with the spatial distributions of bio-optical parameters. As relational parameters are absent, local information and expert advice will be required to develop plausible assumptions between the Chlorophyll - Phycocyanin relationship. The field sampled data for the 2010 bloom event acquired from the Hume Dam was used for comparative investigation of both moderate resolution sensors (MODIS and MERIS) and high resolution sensors (TM/TM+). The 2009 bloom event field samples of sites in the Yarrawonga Weir was used as an input with MODIS and MERIS and the data from all the sites was applied with TM/TM+. This paper will present an integrated earth observation and field based WQP technique to accurately map algal bloom events, and discuss challenges for real time earth observation data initiatives and future collaborative projects.

Corrigendum to: Watching the tide roll away – contested interpretations of the nature of the Lower Lakes of the Murray Darling Basin

The Murray Darling Basin Plan (Murray Darling Basin Authority 2012) represents the largest investment by government in an Australian environmental management challenge and remains highly conflicted owing to the contested allocation of diminishing water resources. Central to the decision to reallocate consumptive water to environmental purposes in this Plan was the case made to maintain the freshwater character of two lakes at the terminus of the Murray Darling Basin, in South Australia. This freshwater state was identified as the natural condition on the basis of selected anecdotal evidence and was enshrined in the site's listing under the Ramsar Convention. The commitment to the freshwater state was challenged under drought when sea water was seen as a means of averting acidification when low river flows risked the exposure of sulfidic sediments. Independent evidence from water quality indicators (diatoms) preserved in lake sediment records, however, attested to an estuarine, albeit variable, condition before the commissioning of near-mouth barrages in 1940. This interpretation for a naturally estuarine history, published after peer review, was overlooked in a report to the South Australian government, which argued, without the provision of new evidence from the lakes, that they were fresh for their entire history. This revised interpretation is widely cited in the scientific literature, government reports and online discussion and underpins a watering strategy aimed at a freshwater future for the Lower Lakes. The allocation of large volumes of fresh water to achieve this condition presents significant difficulties owing to the highly contested nature of water use across the Basin.

Visionary evaluation: Approaching Aboriginal ontological equity in water management evaluation

The 2017 Traditional Owner evaluation of the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan developed an approach to evaluation that tested the use of Standpoint Theory in the field of natural resource management. This methodological choice was intended to enable First Nation approaches to data generation and use in equal measure to non-indigenous approaches. The method is implemented as a nested, up-hierarchy of scale, enabling a pan-optican dimension of vision from "below" and "above". The paper does not present the evaluative results regarding the implementation of the Plan because that information is co-owned by the participating Nations for their uses. Instead, and in respect of that arrangement, the paper presents the evaluation practices funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. The methodology was negotiated and implemented with the Nations in the pilot study as a co-production across cultural boundaries. The approach was then evaluated by the participants, and these results are reported. All those reviewing the methodology were directly involved in some aspect of the evaluation, 64 % of whom identified as Traditional Owners, 67 % of whom were involved in high level decision-making about the evaluation approach. Traditional Owners rated cultural competence of the tested approach at 68 %, the benefits of the approach at 75 %, satisfaction with the standard of the evaluation at 72 %, and satisfaction with complying with the Basin Plan’s requirements for evaluation at 78 %. Recommendations for broader engagement and better science communication are made.

Implementing the Aboriginal Waterways Assessment tool: collaborations to engage and empower First Nations in waterway management

ABSTRACTAboriginal representative organisations collaborated with the Murray Darling Basin Authority to develop the Aboriginal Waterways Assessment (AWA) tool. We consider the AWA as part of an evolving toolkit of methodologies designed to elevate First Nations’ objectives in water planning, in the context of national water reform and implementation of the Murray Darling Basin Plan. We describe the adaptation of the AWA from an approach developed in Aotearoa/New Zealand, the Maori Cultural Health Index for Streams and Waterways. We review the delivery and outcomes of seven AWA projects undertaken in Victoria between 2017 and 2018, demonstrating that the AWA is an effective and culturally safe mechanism for First Nations to document water-related values and influence waterway management. The article identifies improvements in water management resulting from the use of data generated through AWA projects, as well as project outcomes at the individual and broader political scale, including the social benefits of First Nations’ data collection and the importance of data sovereignty. We highlight the value of waterway assessments undertaken by First Nations as a tool to address their widespread exclusion from water planning and management.

Watching the tide roll away – contested interpretations of the nature of the Lower Lakes of the Murray Darling Basin

The Murray Darling Basin Plan (Murray Darling Basin Authority 2012) represents the largest investment by government in an Australian environmental management challenge and remains highly conflicted owing to the contested allocation of diminishing water resources. Central to the decision to reallocate consumptive water to environmental purposes in this Plan was the case made to maintain the freshwater character of two lakes at the terminus of the Murray Darling Basin, in South Australia. This freshwater state was identified as the natural condition on the basis of selected anecdotal evidence and was enshrined in the site’s listing under the Ramsar Convention. The commitment to the freshwater state was challenged under drought when sea water was seen as a means of averting acidification when low river flows risked the exposure of sulfidic sediments. Independent evidence from water quality indicators (diatoms) preserved in lake sediment records, however, attested to an estuarine, albeit variable, condition before the commissioning of near-mouth barrages in 1940. This interpretation for a naturally estuarine history, published after peer review, was overlooked in a report to the South Australian government, which argued, without the provision of new evidence from the lakes, that they were fresh for their entire history. This revised interpretation is widely cited in the scientific literature, government reports and online discussion and underpins a watering strategy aimed at a freshwater future for the Lower Lakes. The allocation of large volumes of fresh water to achieve this condition presents significant difficulties owing to the highly contested nature of water use across the Basin.

Supporting Sustainable Water Management: Insights from Australia’s Reform Journey and Future Directions for the Murray–Darling Basin

Effective regulation of freshwater remains one of the biggest challenges facing our societies. In times of record-breaking weather extremes spurred by a changing climate, decision makers are increasingly aware of the need to formulate more effective governance to ensure the reliability, accessibility, and quality of this life-giving resource. In recent years, the Australian government has played a key role in water management. The government has managed a significant amount of water entitlements in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), through its Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) agency, in a bid to increase river flows and thus improve the river system’s environmental and ecological conditions. The CEWH is unique in many respects, and the Australian government’s control of its budget and actions is a critical aspect of the Basin’s sustainable long-term management. Despite the importance of this instrument, this article points out that there are serious issues with the current governance arrangements, such as inherent conflicts in the Murray–Darling Basin Authority’s (MDBA) role, which is a concern raised by the Productivity Commission. This article goes on to recommend the policy changes required to address Basin-wide issues and promote sustainable practices to ensure the MDB’s long-term resilience.

Accounting for biodiversity in Australia

PurposeThis paper aims to respond to recent calls by Jones (2014) and Jones and Solomon (Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 2013) for more studies on biodiversity accounting and reporting. In particular, this paper explores biodiversity reporting of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), an Australian public sector enterprise.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses content analysis of MDBA’s published annual reports over the period of 15 years (1998-2012). Archival data (from different government departments) are also used to prepare natural inventory model.FindingsThe paper finds that although specific species, such as flora and fauna, and habitats-related disclosures have increased over the time, such information still allows only a partial construction of an inventory of natural assets, using Jones’ (1996, 2003) model. However, unlike prior studies that find lack of data availability to be the main impediment for operationalising biodiversity accounting, the abundance of biodiversity data in Australia makes it comparatively easier to produce such a statement.Research limitations/implicationsInformed by the environmental stewardship framework, the results of this paper suggest that the disclosures made by MDBA are constrained potentially due to its use of traditional accounting mechanisms of reporting that only allow tradable items to be reported to stakeholders. An alternative reporting format would be more relevant to stakeholder groups who are more interested in information regarding quality and availability of water, and loss of biodiversity in the basin area rather than the financial performance of the MDBA.Originality/valueAlthough there are a growing number of studies exploring biodiversity reporting in Australia, this paper is one of the earlier attempts to operationalise biodiversity (particularly habitats, flora and fauna) within the context of an Australian public sector enterprise.

Regionalisation of freshwater fish assemblages in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia

Regionalisations based on species assemblages are a useful framework for characterising ecological communities and revealing patterns in the environment. In the present study, multivariate analyses are used to discern large-scale patterns in fish assemblages in the Murray–Darling Basin, based on information from the Murray–Darling Basin Authority’s first Sustainable Rivers Audit (SRA), conducted in 2004–2007. The Basin is classified into nine regions with similar historical fish assemblages (i.e. without major human intervention), using data that combine expert opinion, museum collections and historical records. These regions are (1) Darling Basin Plains, (2) Northern Uplands, (3) Murray Basin Plains, (4) Northern Alps, (5) Central East, (6) Avoca Lowland, (7) Southern Slopes, (8) Southern Alps and (9) South-Western Slopes. Associations between assemblages and physical variables (catchment area, elevation, hydrology, precipitation, temperature) are identified and used to reinforce the definitions of regions. Sustainable Rivers Audit data are compared with the historical assemblages, highlighting species whose range and abundance have changed since the early 19th century. Notable changes include declines in native species such as silver perch, river blackfish, mountain galaxias, Macquarie perch, trout cod and freshwater catfish, and the advent of alien species including common carp, eastern gambusia, goldfish, redfin perch, brown trout and rainbow trout. Less significant declines are evident for native carp gudgeons, golden perch, two-spined blackfish, bony herring and flathead gudgeon. Changes are evident even in regions where habitats have been little disturbed in the past 200 years.

BEYOND ACCOUNTABILITY: POLITICAL LEGITIMACY AND DELEGATED WATER GOVERNANCE IN AUSTRALIA

Studies of delegated agencies commonly emphasize the importance of accountability for these unelected bodies to secure authority to govern. This article argues that beyond formal accountability measures, developing legitimacy through interaction with external stakeholders is critical to agency authority. In doing so, the article makes a distinctive contribution by applying a new conceptual model based on organizational sociology and identifying multiple dimensions along which legitimacy is lost and won, and hence authority secured. The article presents original findings from a case study of how the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, an Australian water agency established in 2007, attempted to achieve ‘political legitimacy’. Findings show that the Agency achieved legitimacy via appeals to common normative/ethical values and developing commonly used information and news outlets, despite facing opposition from stakeholders on the socioeconomic impact of its policies. The conclusion argues that the framework can usefully be applied to other agencies in ‘wicked problem’ policy areas.

Community change: Water management through the use of social media, the case of Australia's Murray-Darling Basin

Social media can influence behavior, disseminate knowledge and impact on social change during times of conflict. Communication literature is important when considering community members’ perception of priority areas of the media, however, limited attention has focused on communication theory in depth, through the use of Social Media. This qualitative study explores the Australian Government Department, The Murray-Darling Basin Authority, and their effective use of social media to engage with a community previously in conflict with the Government.

Becoming a Metagovernor: A Case Study of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority

The Murray-Darling Basin is Australia’s most important river system. It is home to over two million people, covers 14% of the country’s landmass and is of national significance socially, culturally, economically and environmentally. The governance network surrounding the Basin is complex involving multiple levels of governments (Commonwealth, state and territory) as well as numerous non-state actors, including individuals and communities living in the Basin, industry groups and environmentalists. The past three to four decades have seen increased levels of intergovernmental cooperation and coordination as nearly all actors have recognised the need for concerted action in order to avoid potentially catastrophic, long-term and irreversible environmental damage within the Basin. The decision to create the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) in September 2008 represented another step towards increased cooperation as it was the first time in Australian history that a dedicated Agency had been created with an explicit mandate to develop an integrated water management plan at the Basin level. This paper tracks ebbs and flows in the extent to which the MDBA was able to secure the political legitimacy that it required in order to successfully oversee the development of this Plan from the MDBA’s establishment in September 2008 through to the Plan’s commencement in November 2012. We analyse the MDBA’s capacity to develop political legitimacy during this time, which we conceptualise in terms of the cognitive, moral, and pragmatic legitimacy that the Agency was able to achieve within the wider community. We also show how the MDBA learned to become an effective metagovernor by shaping, developing and mending its political legitimacy. Thus, we are able to track how the MDBA was able to learn from its past failures at metagovernance. This article hence provides the first systematic empirical analysis of how delegated agencies can become effective metagovernors through direct attempts to foster their political legitimacy. More broadly, we conclude that to become effective (and to effectively become) metagovernors, organisations require stakeholders within and beyond the immediate governance network to accept their decisions (on whatever grounds) as appropriate and justified – i.e. legitimate – whilst also recognising that achieving such a status is more likely to be provisional, transitory and ephemeral, rather than lengthy, enduring and permanent. This is increasingly relevant, we argue, in late-modern societies where trust in elected or non-elected authorities is increasingly challenged.

The Boomerang Effect: A Case Study of the Murray‐Darling Basin Plan

In the period from 1997 to 2009 Australia experienced a severe drought, which significantly affected the Murray‐Darling Basin. The drought has broken but state governments are still in conflict over water allocations. The establishment of the Murray‐Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) in 2007 was intended to address these issues but the management of the Basin remains complicated by constitutional ambiguity. This paper addresses the question of whether it is possible to implement effective policies for the health of the Murray‐Darling Basin without the present danger of a drought. We suggest that the MDBA has encountered what Beck refers to as the ‘boomerang effect’. The MDBA's plans seem to have produced new challenges and the Authority might find the Basin is exposed to risks it has created.

Linking local ecological outcomes with basin-wide water planning: a case study of Yanga National Park, an important Australian inland forested wetland

Maintaining and restoring the ecological integrity of floodplains remains a priority for many Australian federal and state government agencies. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) introduced the Proposed Basin Plan 2012, the Australian government’s latest basin-scale water planning instrument to promote a healthy, working river system. The proposal seeks to limit surface water (consumptive) use to 10 873 GL year-1 on a long-term average. The controversy prompted by this proposed reduction has underscored a need for rigorous and transparent modelling of ecological benefits. In this paper, we investigate the likely ecological outcomes of the proposal for Yanga National Park, one of the most significant environmental assets in the Murray-Darling Basin, using a decision support system. Our results indicate that the proposal will increase the inundation extent with a 33% (or 7000 ha) increase in median flood. The increase in inundation would improve the hydrological conditions in most wetlands in terms of the frequency and duration of events and inter-flood dry periods and enhance the habitat quality for a range of biota, though benefits are not distributed evenly across the wetland.Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Guest editor M. AcremanCitation Wen, L. and Saintilan, N., 2014. Linking local ecological outcomes with basin-wide water planning: a case study of Yanga National Park, an important Australian inland forested wetland. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (3–4), 904–915.

Using Simulated Data and the Range of Variability Approach to Assess Changes to the Flow Regime of the River Murray at the South Australian Border

Indicators of hydrologic alteration and the range of variability approach were used to assess the effects of river regulation on the hydrology of the River Murray in South Australia. Two simulated data sets derived from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority's MSM-Bigmod model were compared for the period of 1895–2009. The first scenario assumed that levels of extraction and diversion as of July 2009 (present) were applicable for the entire period. The second assumed that there were no water extractions or regulatory structures and the system was natural. Whilst the natural cycle of a single yearly high flow pulse was largely preserved, lower flow pulses were more prevalent and of longer duration under present conditions, whilst high pulses were less frequent and of shorter duration. Flow variability had increased during times of high flow, and decreased during times of low flow. The difference between natural and present conditions was more severe in the summer and autumn than the winter and spring. Under the present scenario low flows occurred around two months later in the year, whilst high flows occurred slightly less than one month earlier than under natural conditions. These results can guide the design of environmental flows for the river.

Flows, floods, floodplains and river restoration

Returning water to rivers as environmental flows is now a major tool for restoration. Many plans for environmental flows have been modelled and devised but few have been delivered, at least in Australia. Nevertheless, as planned in the latest version of the Murray‐Darling Basin Authority’s (2011) Draft Basin Plan, water recovery for environmental flows is firmly advocated. In environmental flow planning, a key component to restore is periodic (seasonal) floods. Thus, in upland rivers that have been dammed, below-dam floods are seen as vital to reshape channels, to remove unnaturally high levels of sediments accumulated since dams were built and to improve water quality. An example of this is the restoration of the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam (NSW Office of Water 2010). Environmental flows are released to lift base flow and to introduce variability that mimics pre-dam levels and the seasonal snow-melt flood. The flood is not of the magnitude of the pre-dam flows, but is designed to improve the river by remoulding the channel, removing accumulated sediments and detritus, improving water quality and rebuilding habitats typical of an upland river. In general, restoring floods in constrained upland rivers aims to improve channel conditions. Lowland rivers are usually floodplain rivers, which, in their intact state, regularly (seasonally) flood their floodplains. When the floodplains were flooded, as still occurs in the few remaining unregulated rivers (e.g. Ovens River, Victoria), there is a boom of primary production (bacteria, phytoplankton, macrophytes, tree growth) followed by a pulse of secondary production both of aquatic (zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, fish) and terrestrial fauna (e.g. birds, amphibians, reptiles). The high primary production is fuelled by nutrients coming in with the flood but also by nutrients and organic carbon released from the floodplain (Baldwin & Mitchell 2000). Flooded, intact floodplains are one of the most productive types of ecosystems in the world. The loss of that ecological production arising from river regulation and floodplain alienation in dammed lowland rivers is known, but its size and value are seldom acknowledged in developing outcomes for managed flows. Floods in upland rivers are pulse (sometimes intense) disturbances, whereas in floodplain rivers, floods are regenerative or restorative disturbances, notwithstanding some disruptions of the terrestrial biota (Lake et al. 2006). The ongoing viability of the biota of floodplain ecosystems lies in their capacity to capitalize on floods and to survive the dry periods between floods. To maintain the ecological integrity of floodplains, regular flooding covering the floodplain is essential.

How Holistic Should Economic Measurement Be? A Cautionary Note on Valuing Ecosystem Services as Part of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan

In this article, I explore the challenges associated with adopting a broad and potentially inconsistent perspective in the formulation of particular policy choices. The setting for this discussion is the controversial Murray–Darling Basin Plan. The motivation for this article has been the decision by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority to sponsor research work that will attempt to value the ecosystem services of the Murray–Darling Basin and use this to further inform the Basin Plan. The Basin is an area of considerable ecological diversity spanning more than one million square kilometres and occupying about 14 per cent of the Australian land mass. I focus partly on the challenges of the valuation exercise, but endeavour to analyse the wider question of so-called “holistic” measurement. I also attempt to predict how this type of information might be used by policy makers to assess the overall usefulness of the valuation study.

Confusing Policy and Catastrophe: Buybacks and Drought in the Murray-Darling Basin

Water buybacks in the Murray–Darling Basin entail compensation at market prices for water sold by farmers to the Commonwealth. Despite this, the Murray Darling Basin Authority met with hostility at public meetings in basin communities late in 2010. This reflects hardship arising from three consecutive years of drought rather than the consequences of buybacks. Dynamic CGE modelling results indicate that around 6000 jobs were lost due to the 2006–07 to 2008–09 drought in the Murray Darling Basin. Even in the long run, years after a rainfall recovery, jobs will remain 1500 below forecast due to lost years of investment during prolonged drought. This contrasts with 500 jobs lost across the basin due to buybacks. Some industry groups and politicians have asserted that buybacks will result in rural catastrophe. This underestimates the adaptability of farmers in response to a voluntary and fully compensated process, and confuses the impacts of drought and buybacks. Nevertheless, there are aspects of the 2007 Water Act that warrant modification in order to move towards a socially optimal restoration of environmental flows in the Murray–Darling Basin.