In June 2019 the Hon. David Littleproud MP, then Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management, established an independent panel to provide an assessment of the social and economic conditions in regional communities across the Murray–Darling Basin. The independent panel comprised Ms Robbie Sefton (Chair), Mr Rene Woods, Mr Andrew Kassebaum, Mr David McKenzie, Dr Deborah Peterson, Ms Michelle Ramsay and Mr Bruce Simpson.
Learn more about the assessment.
Public consultation
The panel was asked to consult across Basin communities most impacted by water reform on issues affecting social and economic wellbeing. The objective was to understand where Basin governments can best apply resources to support communities and lessen water reform impacts. Stakeholder feedback and commissioned research informed the panel’s findings and recommendations.
Learn more about the public consultation process.
Final report
The panel’s report, Independent assessment of the social and economic conditions in the Basin, was provided to the Hon Keith Pitt MP, Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia on 30 April 2020.
Australian Government response
The Australian Government responded to the report on 2 October 2020. You can read the government’s response on the department's website. Responding to and implementing recommendations in the report is a shared responsibility of the Commonwealth and Basin states.
Downloads
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, 2020
| Document | Pages | File size |
|---|---|---|
Independent assessment of the social economic conditions in the Basin PDF |
86 | 10.0 MB |
Commissioned Research -Literature Reviews
Commissioned Research - Case Study Reports
Commissioned Research - Trends and Drivers
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance, noting the panel’s report and the commissioned reports have not been prepared by the department and may not meet Australian Government accessibility guidelines.