Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Land
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Plant health
    • Drought and rural support
    • Mouse infestation advice
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Water
    Water Improving the sustainable management of Australia’s water resources for agriculture, the environment and communities.
    • Coal, Coal seam gas (CSG) and water
    • Commonwealth Environmental Water Office
    • Water policy and resources
    • Wetlands
    Water matters

    Water Matters

    Keep up with the latest news on the department's work in managing Australia's water resources.

    Read the latest edition here

  • Environment
    Environment Improving stewardship and sustainable management of Australia’s environment.
    • Biodiversity
    • Bushfire recovery
    • Climate change and the environment
    • EPBC Act
    • Environmental information and data
    • International activities
    • Marine
    • Partnerships
    • Protection
    • Report a breach of environment law
    • Threatened species & ecological communities
    • Waste and recycling
  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade Lowering biosecurity risks to Australia, and assisting industry to accelerate growth towards a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030.
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Invasive species
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Wildlife trade
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Parks and heritage
    Parks and heritage Managing Australia’s iconic national parks, historic places and living landscapes.
    • Australian Marine Parks
    • Australian National Botanic Gardens
    • Booderee National Park
    • Kakadu National Park
    • Christmas Island National Park
    • National parks
    • Norfolk Island National Park
    • Heritage
    • Pulu Keeling National Park
    • The Great Barrier Reef
    • Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
    The reef

    Great Barrier Reef

    Australia is protecting and conserving this World Heritage Area.

    Find out more

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Climate change
    • Australia's biological resources
    • National Environmental Science Program (NESP)
    • Our science strategy
    • Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS)
    • State of the Environment (SoE) reporting
    • Bird and bat banding
    • Supervising Scientist
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us Enhancing Australia’s agriculture, environment, heritage and water resources through regulation and partnership.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    A day in the life

    A day in the life...

    Our video series showcases the diverse and important work we do.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Water
  3. Water policy and resources
  4. Murray–Darling Basin
  5. Basin Plan
  6. Basin Plan commitments package
  7. Strengthening compliance and protecting environmental flows

Sidebar first - Water

  • Basin Plan commitments package
    • Strengthening compliance and protecting environmental flows
    • Improving water access for Indigenous people in the Murray–Darling Basin
    • Supporting implementation of the Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism
    • Addressing socio-economic impacts of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan

Strengthening compliance and protecting environmental flows

​​​​The Australian Government is implementing a package of initiatives to support implementation of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan.

The package includes initiatives to improve compliance with water laws and protect environmental water.

Focus of initiatives

These initiatives recognise that a healthy working Basin requires a strong compliance culture and protection of environmental flows.

These initiatives will help restore public trust and ensure we achieve the best possible environmental outcomes in the Basin.

Hydrometric networks and monitoring technologies

The Australian Government has committed $20 million to enhance water measurement and monitoring, and compliance capability in all Murray-Darling Basin (Basin) jurisdictions.

Murray‑Darling Basin state and territory governments (Basin States) and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) have been invited to submit proposals under the Hydrometric Networks and Remote Sensing Funding Program (the Program). Program Guidelines are available.

Download

​Document Pages File size
Hydrometric Networks and Remote Sensing Funding Program Program Guidelines PDF 13 224 KB
Hydrometric Networks and Remote Sensing Funding Program Program Guidelines DOCX 13 88 KB

If you have difficulty accessing these files, please visit web accessibility.

Proposals that will be considered under this program include projects that support:

  • improved hydrometric networks in the northern Basin
  • the development of remote sensing and other relevant technologies across the Basin.

Remote sensing (and other relevant technologies) includes the scanning of the earth by satellite or aircraft.

Hydrometric networks are systems that enable the monitoring and measurement of water. Hydrometric networks may include:

  • physical infrastructure that allows for water data to be sent or shared
  • data information systems used in water management. 

The application period for Basin States and the MDBA opened on Tuesday 27 November 2018, and closes on Friday 8 February 2019.

Applications will be assessed against assessment criteria as part of a competitive process.

Northern Basin Commissioner

The Northern Basin Commissioner will:

  • oversee progress in water-use compliance
  • collate information to increase our understanding of the northern Basin river systems
  • report on delivery of Northern Basin Review​ recommendations and toolkit works and measures.

Learn more about the Northern Basin Commissioner.

Protecting environmental flows

The Australian Government will continue working with the NSW Government to establish mechanisms to protect environmental flows, particularly in the northern Basin.

Basin Compliance Compact

On 8 June 2018 the Murray–Darling Basin Ministerial Council agreed to the new Basin Compliance Compact​. The compact was released on 21 June 2018 and will be considered at the next Council of Australian Governments meeting.

The compact will help ensure that Australian and state governments take a consistent and transparent approach to compliance and enforcement.

The compact sets out a compliance implementation framework for each Basin jurisdiction and the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA).

Payments to Basin states made under the National Partnership Agreement on Implementing Water Reform in the Murray–Darling Basin will also be linked to implementation of compact commitments.

Murray–Darling Basin Authority review of compliance and enforcement

The Australian Government will strengthen compliance with Basin water laws by implementing key recommendations of the MDBA’s Murray–Darling Basin water compliance review.

Delivery

The Australian Government and the Basin state​s will continue to work together to deliver on the compliance and environmental water initiatives.

Our Water Division will oversee and report on the delivery of these initiatives.

Download

​Document Pages File size
MDBA Basin-wide water compliance review PDF 148 1.3 MB
​MDBA The Northern Basin Review PDF 57 3.2 MB
Basin Compliance Compact PDF 50 2.0 MB

If you have difficulty accessing these files, please visit web accessibility.

Learn more about the Murray–Darling Basin Plan.

Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 23 August 2021

© Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.