There will be less water available for irrigators and the environment in the coming years, the head of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) has said in the lead-up to the first review of the basin plan in ten years. 

Sir Angus Houston said CSIRO modelling for the basin indicated a 20 to 30 percent decrease in future river inflows due to climate change, and the Murray Darling Basin Plan needed to be adjusted accordingly. 

"This is why we have to plan ahead, so the future doesn't overtake us," he told the Murray Darling Basin River Reflections conference held in Narrabri late last week. 

He launched the 'Roadmap to the 2026 Basin Plan Review' at the conference.

The roadmap highlights climate change, sustainable water limits, First Nations connections to the basin, and regulation changes as its four pillars. 

"Over the next three years, we will gather and share the knowledge that captures the value we place on the Basin -the social, economic, environmental, and cultural value of the rivers and towns, the farms and the wetlands of the Basin," he said. 

"We limit the amount of water that can be taken from the rivers as an essential part of sharing this finite resource – it's the basis of the Basin Plan," Sir Houston said. 

The Namoi River. Image: Visitnsw. 

The Australian Government and the governments of NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and the ACT all agreed on the first Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

The Federal Government passed the Basin Plan into law in November 2012. The Basin Plan limits the amount of water that can be extracted.

A new plan will be implemented in 2026.  

"We will listen to First Nations people of the Basin and continue to learn from their deep connection to the land and water," he said. "We will confront the issue of climate change at every turn." 

He added that "The foundation of the Basin Plan is about balance" with new water setting limits "to provide a sustainable future for communities, the environment, and industry" in the context of what he said were likely to be hotter, drier conditions for years come. 

He said the MDBA would work closely with basin communities when implementing the plan. 

The National Irrigators' Council said it acknowledges and welcomes the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. 

NIC CEO Isaac Jeffrey said: "NIC supports this commitment with a strong recommendation that the science 

"The Plan to date has been tarnished by its unyielding focus on volumes. It was welcome to hear the MDBA is considering how to set sustainable water limits using alternate models…NIC has repeatedly called for flexibility and a focus on outcomes, not volumes, so we applaud this common-sense approach". 

Isaac Jeffrey. Image: NIC. 

Melissa Gray, Inland Rivers Network spokesperson from The Nature Conservation Council of NSW, said the focus should be on the current plan meeting its water recovery targets. 

"We've still got a lot of water to recover," she told the Western Plains App. 

In November last year, MDBA boss Andrew McConville said key basin plan projects would not be completed on time.

McConville said only 290–415GL out of a 605GL target for water savings would occur. 

These projects were due to be finished by June 2024. 

Addressing the National Rural Press Club last year, McConville revealed the latest assessment of the Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism (SDLAM) projects predicted a shortfall of 190–315 gigalitres by the time they were supposed to be delivered in June 2024. 

"The only real and effective way to return water to the river is through purchasing irrigation licenses from willing sellers," Gray told the Western Plains App. 

The authority will provide an update on its progress every six months leading up to the delivery of the review's final report in late 2026.