$158 million for on-farm irrigation upgrades

476 irrigators across southern NSW, South Australia and Victoria will benefit from an expanded $158 million investment in irrigation infrastructure to improve the water efficiency of their farms and return water to the Murray-Darling. “Six regional partners will deliver projects across 476 farming properties to return more than 60 billion litres of water to the…

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Run the River for World Water Day

All Australians can try their hand at being a river operator with the help of a new mobile game, Run the River.  Run the River is a mobile game developed by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority to help educate students about balancing demands for water in a river system, the importance of good river management and…

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World Meteorological Day

The outstanding contribution of the weather forecasters to the community is recognised today as the Bureau of Meteorology marks World Meteorological Day. “Awards for innovation, excellence and strategic alliance were acknowledged, along with the Bureau of Meteorology as one of the oldest and most valued Australian Government agencies, operating since 1908.  “Individuals and teams across…

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Greater certainty for water trade

The Australian Government today announced amendments to financial regulations to allow for the common sense treatment of the trade of water rights, commonly traded on Australian water markets, so they are able to be regulated in the same manner as agricultural commodities.  Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Senator Simon Birmingham said the amendments to regulations…

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10 million for research to support the Basin

The Australian Government has announced $10 million for research funding to support improved environmental water use in the Murray-Darling Basin.  “This collaborative research project will be coordinated regionally by the Wodonga and Mildura based Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre’s, which will be undertaken with other research organisations and government agencies working in the Basin,” Parliamentary Secretary…

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$85 million to improve water quality in the Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Government has signed an agreement with the Australian Capital Territory that will see up to $85 million of Australian Government funds available to help clean up Canberra’s lakes and waterways. Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Senator Simon Birmingham, and ACT Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Simon Corbell, announced the completion of…

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States Agree to Implement Murray-Darling Basin Water Reform

The Australian Government has completed an agreement which brings all jurisdictions together to implement the historic Murray-Darling Basin Plan for water reform. The Premiers of NSW and Queensland have this week signed the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on Implementing Water Reform in the Murray-Darling Basin and an amended National Partnership Agreement (NPA). A commitment to cap…

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Celebrating 40 years of the Ramsar Convention in Australia

On World Wetlands Day today we celebrate Australia’s significant contribution to the global wetland conservation movement. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, being listed as the world’s first Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. Through a number of governments there has been bipartisan recognition that our…

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Water trading to benefit environment & economy

The first ever trading of Commonwealth water holdings signals a new era of water management that can deliver better benefits to both the environment and the economy, Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. “The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) will today release the Water Trading Framework and announce the first sale of…

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