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MURRAY-DARLING BASIN COMMISSION

COMMISSION

To the Parliaments of the Australian Government, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland;

the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory; and the Australian Community

This report includes the annual report of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council’s Community Advisory Committee.

The purpose of the partnership of the six member governments of the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement is to:

...promote and coordinate effective planning and management for the equitable, efficient and sustainable use of the water, land and other environmental resources of the Murray-Darling Basin.

The functions of the Commission are to:

• advise the Ministerial Council in relation to the planning, development and

management of the water, land and other environmental resources of the

Murray-Darling Basin

• assist the Ministerial Council in developing measures for the equitable, efficient

and sustainable use of water, land and other environmental resources of the

Murray-Darling Basin

• coordinate the implementation of or, where the Ministerial Council so requires,

to implement any measures authorised by the Ministerial Council

• give effect to any policy or decision of the Ministerial Council, which the

Ministerial Council requires the Commission to implement.

MURRAY-DARLING BASIN COMMISSION

Annual Report 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5

MURRAY* DARLING B A S I N

C O M M ISSIO N

Published by the M urray-D arling Basin Commission

Postal address: GPO Box 409, Canberra ACT 2601

O ffice location: Level 5, 15 Moore Street, Canberra C ity ACT

Telephone: (0 2 ) 6279 0100, international + 61 2 6279 0100

Facsimile: (0 2 ) 6248 8053, international + 61 2 6248 8053

Email: info@ m dbc.gov.au

Internet: h ttp ://w w w .m dbc.gov.au

For fu rth e r inform ation co n ta c t the M urray-D arling Basin Commission o ffice on

(0 2 ) 6279 0100

This report may be cited as:

M urray-Darling Basin Com m ission Annual R eport 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 .

MDBC Publication No. 2 3 /0 5

ISSN 1003-6745

ISBN 1 921038 56 X

© Murray-Darling Basin Com m ission 2 0 0 5

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com pensation, arising d ire ctly or indirectly from using this report (in p a rt or

w hole) and any inform ation or m aterial contained in it.

MDBC pro je ct manager: Lawrie Kirk

Produced by: Annual Reports Initiative (ARI)

Project m anagem ent, editorial and artw ork: W ilto n Flanford Hanover

Design: Big Island Graphics

Printing: Pirion

This publication is printed on Monza Satin, a 50 per cent recycled and coated paper.

Office of the President

23 S eptem ber 20 0 5

The Hon Peter McGauran MP

Minister fo r A griculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Parliament House

CANBERRA ACT 2 6 0 0

MURRAY-DARLING B A S I N

COMM ISSION

Dear Minister

In accordance w ith clause 84(1) o f the Murray-Darling Basin A greem ent 1992,

I subm it our annual re p o rt and financial statem ents covering the year ended

30 June 20 0 5 fo r ta b lin g before the Parliaments o f Australia, New South Wales,

V ictoria, South Australia and Queensland, and the Legislative Assem bly of the

Australian Capital Territory.

The past year has again seen drie r than average conditions th ro u g h the Basin.

Ensuring m axim um possible w a te r to irrigators and com m unities yet having

regard to the environm ent has been a major focus o f activity.

Initial w o rk has been undertaken in starting the im plem entation o f The Living

M urray initiative. W hile the d ro u g h t will delay delivery o f w ater it is im p o rta n t

th a t th e structures and processes are in place to maximise environm ental

outcom es, when we d o have available water.

I com m end the 2 0 0 4 -0 5 Annual Report to the five Parliaments and the

Legislative Assembly, and I look forw ard to the partner governm ents’ continuing

s u p p o rt o f the M urray-D arling Basin Initiative.

Yours sincerely

Ian Sinclair AC

President

Murray-Darling Basin Commission

Contents Letter of transm ittal iii

A cknow ledgm ents vii

A bbreviations and acronym s viii

A b o u t this re p o rt ix

1. The year in review 1

From the Chief Executive 2

O verview 3

2. River Murray W ater 13

S trategic directions 14

W ater resources m anagem ent 15

River m anagem ent activities 30

Asset m anagem ent 34

RMW trip le b o tto m line re p o rt 43

3. Natural Resource Management 51

Functions 52

The Living Murray in itia tive 53

Strategy and program s 61

River Murray W ater Q uality M onitoring Program 90

Research and com m unication 92

4. Corporate services 95

Secretariat 96

Management of human resources 97

Inform ation and com m unication te ch n o lo g y 102

Corporate com m unications 104

5. Corporate governance

Functions o f the M urray-Darling Commission 110

The Basin 110

S ustainability report: co n te xt and drivers o f change 115

6. Financial statements 121

Appendixes 157

A ppendix A: M em bership o f the Ministerial Council 158

A ppendix B: M em bership o f the C om m unity A dvisory C om m ittee 159

A ppendix C: M em bership o f the MDBC 160

A ppendix D: C om m ittees and w orking groups 2 0 0 4 -0 5 162

A ppendix E: New publications printed by the MDBC 164

IV M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Community Advisory Com m ittee Report 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 167

Glossary 180

Index 184

List of figures

1.1: P ro portion o f M urray-D arling Basin in state 9

1.2: P ro p o rtio n o f state in M urray-D arling Basin 9

2.1: The River M urray system 16

2.2: River Murray system inflows w ith extended drought periods highlighted 17

2.3: Storage behaviour resulting from inflow and RMW ’s operation 24

o f the MDBC storages

3.1: Location o f the six sig n ifica n t ecological assets 53

3.2: C um ulative w a te r recovery projections, 2 0 0 4 -0 5 to 2 0 0 8 -0 9 56

3.3: Daily salinity levels at Morgan, mid May 2 0 0 4 - m id May 2 0 0 5 71

3.4: Salt in te rce p tio n schemes 73

3.5: A m o u n t and p ro p o rtio n s o f gross revenue from broad 88

a g ricultural land uses by catchm ent m anagem ent region in the M urray-D arling Basin, 2000-01

3.6: Revised MDBC River M urray Quality M onitoring Program 91

4.1: MDBC em ployees by division 97

4.2: MDBC em ployees by classification bands 98

5.1: The M urray-D arling Basin 111

5.2: MDBC organisation chart as at 30 June 2 0 0 5 114

5.3: P rojected sustainability re p o rtin g, 2 0 0 5 -0 8 119

List o f tables

2.1: W ater accounts fo r New S outh Wales and V ictoria, 2 0 0 4 -0 5 (GL) 18

2.2: Sum m ary o f state diversions (GL) 20

2.3: River Murray W ater incom e and expenditure, 2 0 0 4 -0 5 49

2.4: State diversions fro m the River M urray and the low er Darling River 50

du rin g 2 0 0 3 -0 4 (volum es o f w ater delivered, GL)

3.1: Key EWMP deliverables 57

3.2: Historical salinity data at M organ 72

3.3: Sum m ary o f credits and d e b its (in equivalent EC) to 79

S alinity Registers A and B (c u rre n tly transitional)

5.1: Evolution o f M urray-D arling Basin m anagem ent 112

5.2: MDBC and m em ber governm ents: significant milestones 113

in th e Basin, 1992-2005

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 V

Photographic credits

Front cover: M urrum bidgee River, southern New South Wales (A rth u r Mostead).

Back cover: Dry bed o f Lake Menindee, western New South Wales, November

2 0 0 4 (Michael Bell).

Part λ—le ft-h a n d page header. Navigable pass im provem ents, Lock 10, River

Murray, W entw orth, New South Wales (left, MDBC); V egetation at Bogabilla

W eir (right, A rth u r Mostead); rig h t-h a n d page header. Junction o f Murray and

Darling Rivers at W en tw o rth (John Reid).

Part 2—le ft-h a n d page header. River Murray near Renmark, South Australia (left,

Michael Bell) and Lake H um e-M urray Arm ; Bethanga B ridge (rig h t, Michael Bell);

rig h t-h a n d page header. Dredge operating at the Murray Mouth, South Australia

(left, Michael Bell); The PS Captain S tu rt navigating Lock 1, River Murray, 30 June

1921 (right, MDBC).

Part 3—le ft-h a n d page header. Resnagging site on River Murray below

Yarrawonga w eir (left, John McKenzie); Juvenile tro u t cod prio r to release (right,

M atthew Barwick); rig h t-h a n d page header. W aggam ba Landcare group from

G oondiw indi Old m eeting at local farm (left, A rth u r Mostead); Boggabilla Weir

on the M cIntyre River, Boggabilla NSW (centre, A rth u r Mostead); Sheep grazing,

G oulburn-B roken catchm ent, V ictoria (rig h t, Michael Bell).

Part 4 -le ft-h a n d p a g e header. Lucema, a hardy legume fo r stock feed, w hich

has been grow n in very dry conditions (left, A rth u r Mostead); the Border

Rivers area o f NSW and Old: large w a te r storage dam fo r crop irrigation (right,

A rth u r Mostead); rig h t-h a n d page header. Sunflowers on Point Farms near

D arlington Point, NSW (left, A rth u r Mostead); Native grass, harvested sorghum

crop and farm buildings on the p ro p e rty Marolama, near G oondiw indi (rig h t,

A rth u r Mostead).

Part 5-le ft-h a n d p a g e header. Beach carnival, M urrum bidgee River, Yanco,

NSW (left, A rth u r Mostead); Upper Ovens River (right, Dean Ansell); rig h t-

hand page header. W ater bird (left, A rth u r Mostead); Narran Lakes, NSW (right,

A rth u r Mostead).

CAC R eport—le ft-h a n d p a g e footer. Boomi River in the early m orning (left,

A rth u r Mostead); Native Fish S trategy C oordinator discussing native fish issues

w ith the co m m u n ity (right, Janet Pritchard); rig h t-h a n d page footer. Merino

sheep and lambs at Dunoon, NSW (left, A rth u r Mostead); Children learning

local Indigenous history, Condam ine catchm ent, Old (centre, A rth u r Mostead);

P ittsw orth on the Gore Highway between Toowoom ba and G oondiw indi, Old

(rig h t, A rth u r Mostead).

VI M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

A ckn o w led g m en ts The preparation o f this report w ould not have been possible w ith o u t the s u p p o rt

and assistance o f s ta ff from the jurisdictions, in p a rticular Stew art Chapman,

Rebecca Curren, Gary Davis, Lam ond Graham, Phil Heaphy, A ndrew McIntosh,

A ndrew P utt and Graham Spangler.

The assistance o f s ta ff in the MDBC Office is also gra te fu lly acknow ledged, in

p a rticular the editorial com m ittee: Jane Allen, Judith Brooks, Neville Garland,

C harlotte Keller, Sam Leone, Tony Morse, Tanya Thomas, Claire Townsend and

Sue Vize.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 v ii

A b b reviatio n s and acronym s A g re e m e n t 1992 M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin A g re e m e n t

AMD A u s tra lia n H e ig h t D a tu m

BSMS Basin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t S tra te g y

BSM SIW G Basin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t S tra te g y Im p le m e n ta tio n W o rk in g G ro up

CAC C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry C o m m itte e

Cap C ap on w a te r d iv e rs io n s

COAG C o u n cil o f A u s tra lia n G o v e rn m e n ts

CSIRO C o m m o n w e a lth S c ie n tific a n d In d u s tria l R esearch O rg a n is a tio n

CRC C o o p e ra tiv e R esearch C e n tre

EC e le c tric a l c o n d u c tiv ity

EW M P E n v iro n m e n ta l W o rk s an d M easures P ro g ra m

GL g ig a litre

IAG In d e p e n d e n t A u d it G ro u p

IAP In d ig e n o u s A c tio n Plan

ICM in te g ra te d c a tc h m e n t m a n a g e m e n t

IGA in te r-g o v e rn m e n ta l a g re e m e n t

In itia tiv e M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin In itia tiv e

JGE jo in t g o v e rn m e n t e n te rp ris e

M DB M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin

M DBC M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin C o m m issio n

MDFRC M u rra y -D a rlin g F re s h w a te r R esearch C e n tre

MIL M u rra y Irrig a tio n L im ite d

M in iste ria l C o u n cil M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin M in iste ria l C o u n cil

ML m e g a litre

M LDR IN M u rra y L o w e r D a rlin g R ivers In d ig e n o u s N a tio n s

N AP N a tio n a l A c tio n Plan fo r S a lin ity a n d W a te r Q u a lity

NFS N a tiv e Fish S tra te g y

NRM n a tu ra l re so u rce m a n a g e m e n t

N W I N a tio n a l W a te r In itia tiv e

OH&S o c c u p a tio n a l h e a lth a n d s a fe ty

PMDS P e rfo rm a n c e M a n a g e m e n t a n d D e v e lo p m e n t S ystem

R M W R iver M u rray W a te r

sq km sq u a re k ilo m e tre

SRA S u sta in a b le Rivers A u d it

TLM The L iv in g M u rray

W CC W o rk p la c e C o n s u lta tiv e C o m m itte e

V ili M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

A b o u t this re p o rt The M urray-D arling Basin Commission (MDBC) is a unique organisation, involving

the Australian, New South Wales, Victorian, South Australian, Queensland and

the Australian Capital Territory governm ents.

This re p o rt describes the objectives and significant achievem ents o f the MDBC

during the 2 0 0 4 -0 5 financial year. It is tabled before the parliam ents o f each

ju risd ictio n through th e M urray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council (M inisterial

Council). This ta b lin g process has been developed to m eet the requirem ents

of the 1992 M urray-D arling Basin Agreem ent (the A greem ent), w hich has been

incorporated into legislation and passed by the Australian Parliam ent and

state parliam ents th a t have ju ris d ic tio n in the Murray-Darling Basin (th e Basin).

The Australian Capital T erritory's involvem ent is th ro u g h a m em orandum of

understanding.

The MDBC undertakes a ctivitie s at the direction of the Ministerial Council,

and coordinates the e ffo rts o f th e governm ent partners to the M urray-D arling

Basin Initiative (th e In itia tiv e )—th e partnership betw een the governm ents and

the co m m u n ity th a t has been established to give e ffe ct to the Agreem ent. It

supports actions by co m m u n itie s and governm ent w ith in the Basin

This annual re p o rt focuses on those activities th a t the MDBC has carried o u t

on behalf o f the Ministerial C ouncil in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 . Inform ation on the 2 0 0 4 -0 5

activities o f the partners to th e Initiative w ill be available through the partner

governm ents’ d e p a rtm e n ta l annual reports, w hich should be available by early

2006.

The fo rm a t o f this annual re p o rt has changed from th a t o f previous years.

A ctivitie s are re p o rte d under fu n ctio n a l areas and not according to Key

Perform ance Areas. The previous re p o rtin g structure reflected a corporate plan

th a t was revised du rin g 2 0 0 4 -0 5 . The current report structure reflects th a t of

the new S trategic Plan.

This annual re p o rt also incorporates the annual report o f the Ministerial Council's

C om m unity A d viso ry C om m ittee, the prim a ry com m unity body advising the

Ministerial Council on natural resource m anagem ent issues in the Basin.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 ΪΧ

1. The y ea r in review

From th e C hief Executive 2

O verview 3

From th e C h ief E xecutive

The last fo u r years have produced the lowest

inflow on record into the Murray River and this

has challenged irrigators, com m unities and the

environm ent.

M urray-D arling Basin Com m ission (M DBC)

activities have been focused on m axim ising

w ater delivery, sta rtin g the im ple m e n ta tio n o f

The Living Murray initiative and building up our

program on evaluating risks to shared w ater

resources. C oordination o f MDBC activities

under the National W ater Initiative such as

expanded interstate w a te r trade was also a focus. The Sustainable Rivers A u d it is

co m pleting the firs t full year o f sam pling and activities are ongoing in relation to

Cap managem ent, salinity and native fish strategies. The Commission continued

d redging o f the Murray Mouth in the face o f th e continuing drought.

To ensure th a t the Com m ission and Commission o ffice w ork program is focused

to achieve the M urray-D arling Basin A greem ent and Ministerial Council decisions,

the Commission has been developing a five-year S trategic Plan, w hich is alm ost

com plete. In addition, we are developing a Business Im provem ent Program

fo r the Commission O ffice. We have also com m enced a m ajor program review,

consistent w ith the Strategic Plan, to ensure the financial transparency o f our

budget process.

A reorganisation o f the MDBC O ffice structure has occurred to focus on the

current Ministerial Council priorities: The Living Murray initiative, w ater policy

co ordination and im plem entation o f agreed strategies. C om m unications has

been separated o u t o f the Natural Resource M anagem ent Division and senior

positions in Natural Resource m anagem ent have been filled.

The year has been one o f significant change fo r the organisation. I w ould like

to acknow ledge the s u p p o rt o f the President, Commissioners and p a rticularly

the sta ff o f the organisation whose professionalism and c o m m itm e n t are

outstanding. I w ould also like to thank David Dole, S cott Keyworth and Louise

Rose fo r th e ir s u p p o rt during th e transition.

I am looking forw ard to 2 0 0 5 -0 6 w hich I believe w ill be a period o f consolidation

and progress.

W endy Craik

Chief Executive

2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

O v erv iew

The 2 0 0 4 -0 5 re p o rtin g year has been dom inated by the extremely dry

conditions in south-eastern Australia. Storages across the Basin are at very low

levels because o f th e absence o f good inflows to m ajor river systems. For the

first time, the Basin is subject to the full im pact of both an extended period of

d ro u g h t and highly regulated and utilised river systems. We have experienced

these im pacts separately in th e past - in river regulation and increasing d ive r­

sions since the 1970s and long d ro u g h t periods in the 1890s and 1940s - b u t now

they are occurring together.

The ou tlo o k fo r the to ta l system in the M urray-Darling Basin fo r 2 0 0 5 -0 6

indicates that, even under average conditions, the volumes in storage are likely

to remain well below average levels. The absence o f small floods under the

com bined e ffect o f re gulation and d ro u g h t over the past eight years is sobering.

Such floods are c ritica l to th e health o f the wetlands, lakes, floodplains and

estuarine ecosystems. The n u m ber o f stressed or dying River red gum and

Black box trees across the low er Murray floodplain reflects this. The p roportion

o f trees surveyed th a t were considered stressed has risen from an already high

level o f 50 per cent to 75 per cent over the last tw o years. Since O ctober 2002

the Commission has been fu n d in g a program o f dredging at the Murray Mouth to

ensure it remains open.

W ithin this context, the National W ater Initiative (N W I), agreed at the Council

of Australian G overnm ents (COAG), in June 2 0 0 4 is o f enorm ous significance.

It builds on the 1994 COAG agreem ent on w ater reform . Associated w ith NWI,

the M urray-Darling Basin Intergovernm ental Agreem ent (MDB IGA) sets o u t

arrangem ents fo r investing $ 5 0 0 m illion over five years to achieve environm ental

outcom es at six sig n ifica n t sites along the Murray (The Living Murray First Step).

This agreem ent was signed, also in 2004, by the Prime Minister, the premiers

of New South Wales, V icto ria and South Australia and the Chief Minister o f the

Australian Capital Territory.

During the year, The Living Murray Business Plan was approved and activated

and, along w ith it, strategies to im plem ent the actions and milestones in

the M urray-D arling Basin Intergovernm ental Agreem ent. The investm ent

of $ 5 0 0 m illion is in ad d ition to $150 m illion for the Environmental Works

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -0 5 3

and Measures Program (EW M P) provided through the M urray-D arling Basin

Ministerial Council.

In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , the EWMP moved into its second year o f operation, w ith 31 projects

im plem ented across the six significant ecological assets identified under the First

Step Decision o f Council in N ovem ber 2003. By June 2005, the program had

spent $18.4 m illion on a w ide range of activities (see pages 56 to 59).

The Environm ental Delivery Team, under the direction o f the Environm ental

W atering Group, developed the River Murray Channel Environm ental

Managem ent Plan fo r 2 0 0 5 -0 6 fo r one o f The Living Murray's six significant

ecological assets. In addition, the team produced The Living Murray

Environm ental W atering Plan fo r 2 0 0 5 -0 6 , w hich w ill coordinate w ater

delivery across all o f The Living Murray’s significant ecological assets. The team

continued to w ork w ith River Murray W ater P roduction to id e n tify and manage

environmental watering opportunities across the River Murray system to m eet

the objectives o f The Living Murray.

M urray M outh and Coorong, one o f The Living Murray significa nt

ecological assets

4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

The Murray Flow Assessm ent Tool (MFAT) is a key elem ent in evaluating how

effective these measures are. Visitors to the Inside MFAT website, launched on

25 O cto b e r 2 0 0 4 , can now discover how the tool w orks and view the scientific

inform ation on w hich it is based.

As part o f e ffo rts to s u p p o rt the First Step Decision, the MDBC this year

consulted w ith its g o ve rn m en t partners on the factors th a t could have an im pact

on the flow and q u a lity of shared water resources in the Basin. The key factors are:

• clim ate change (and va ria b ility )

• g roundw ater use

• bushfires

• reforestation

• farm dams

• reduced return flow s fro m irrigation.

The MDBC has undertaken research projects, reviews o f inform ation, and

investigations th ro u g h o u t the year to respond to these factors (see pages 61 to 63).

The MDBC's p ilo t Interstate W ater Trading Project, w hich aims to allow irrigators

and the environm ent to m axim ise the returns gained from available w ater in the

River Murray system, has continued. Partner governm ents to the COAG National

W ater Initiative have agreed to expand perm anent interstate trade (subject to

environm ental and th ird -p a rty im pacts). The MDBC partners are facilitating

this process w ith in the Basin by developing the technical and operational

mechanisms necessary to allo w exchange between w ater entitlem ents on an

interim basis in the southern interconnected Basin, (see page 64)

Independent m o n ito rin g o f th e Cap—com pliance w ith the targets th a t lim it

surface w ater diversions—continued in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 (see pages 65 to 67). An

independent a u d it o f the com bined B a rw on-D arling/Low er Darling Valley of

New South Wales co m p le te d in 2 0 0 5 found the valley in breach o f the Cap.

As a result, New South Wales w ill re p o rt to the Ministerial Council m eeting in

S eptem ber 2 0 0 5 on the reasons fo r this.

The Independent A u d it Group provided qualified s u p p o rt fo r the NSW proposal

to introduce new arrangem ents fo r the Barw on-D arling to apply fo r 2 0 0 5 -0 6 .

A n o th e r audit, this tim e o f the Cap data m anagem ent system o f the states

and the Com m ission office, identified scope fo r im proving the accuracy o f

measurements fro m river off-takes and o f the Cap reporting system.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 5

Salinity management was a m ajor area o f successful MDBC a c tiv ity in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 .

The second independent salinity audit in N ovem ber 2 0 0 4 identified significant

progress in measures such as establishing baseline conditions, se ttin g end-of-

valley targ e ts and developing approaches to evaluating the im pacts o f water

trade (see pages 68 to 79).

Salinity levels in the River Murray, w ith th e exception o f the Lower Lakes, were

very low during 2 0 0 4 -0 5 . This was due to a num ber o f factors, including a high

p ro p o rtio n o f flow s sourced fro m Hume and D artm outh storages and low levels

o f saline grou n d w a te r inflows from the Mallee and Riverina plains.

An im p o rta n t p a rt o f salinity m anagem ent is keeping salt out o f the rivers.

River Murray W ater operates seven jo in tly funded salinity m itig a tio n schemes

along the banks o f the Murray River. During 2 0 0 4 -0 5 the schemes continued

to significantly reduce im pacts o f saline groundw ater on dow nstream salinity.

S ignificant progress was m ade in the construction o f jo in t salt interception

schemes, including th e Pyramid Creek, Buronga, B ookpurnong and

Loxton schemes.

The Sustainable Rivers Audit (SRA), a river health assessment program th a t aims

to provide consistent, Basin-wide inform ation on the health o f the Basin's rivers,

achieved im p o rta n t m ilestones in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 . These included:

• finalisation o f the program design

• establishm ent o f governance structures

• in itia tio n o f a jo in t m o n ito rin g effort, using consistent m ethods, across

Queensland, New South Wales, V ictoria, South Australia and the Australian

Capital Territory (see pages 79 to 81).

During the past year, new fishways at Locks 8 and 9 and tw o trial fishways at

Tauwitchere Barrage were com pleted. Investigative w ork continued on a num ber

o f innovative projects designed to im prove the effectiveness and cost efficiency

o f future fishways, such as trials w ith dual-frequency sonar te ch n o lo g y and

rad io -ta gg in g fish to determ ine th e ir m ovem ent afte r exiting the fish lock at

Yarrawonga.

The m onitoring o f fish passages at Locks and Weirs 7 and 8 continued to show

encouraging signs, w ith ta rg e t typ e and size o f species achieving passage. An

unforeseen benefit was the discovery th a t some species th a t were n o t previously

th o u g h t to be m igratory are using or a tte m p tin g to use the fishway (see page 41).

6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

The then D eputy Prime Minister, the Hon John A nderson MP, at the 2 0 0 4 Narrabri

River Health Conference

The Indigenous Action Plan (IA P ) project team finalised a series o f Nation-based

forum s and continues to w o rk closely w ith the Murray Lower Darling Rivers

Indigenous N ations (M LDRIN). The team also established a relationship w ith

Indigenous groups in the north e rn Basin (see page 86).

The MDBC Basin Communities Program, to g e th e r w ith the Com m onwealth

S cientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), com pleted a m ajor

study on q u a n tifyin g and valuing land use change in the Murray-Darling Basin.

The study tria lle d a new, m ore co st-e ffe ctive way o f using rem ote sensing to

estim ate land and w ater use in the Basin (see pages 87 to 89).

The education and ca p a city o f the Basin's future land and waters managers

has continued to be addressed by a num ber o f successful education projects.

‘Special Forever’, w hich celebrated its thirteenth year, involves more than 20 0 0 0

prim ary school children across the Basin w ho w rite, draw and learn about their

local natural resources. The re porting year also saw the continuation of a project

th a t involves youth teaching oth e r youth about natural resource issues, w ith tw o

successful yo u th conferences being held in Toowoom ba and Narrabri.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 7

W orks continued under the 2 0 0 2 River M anagem ent Plan for the Hume to

Yarrawonga reach o f the River Murray to help balance w ater conveyance,

econom ic p ro d u ctio n and environm ental objectives (see page 30).

S ignificant progress continued in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 tow ards purchasing flo o d easements

along the Murray to confirm the C om m ission’s rights to pass regulated flows

w ith in existing channel capacity on up to 106 affected properties in the Hume to

Yarrawonga reach.

In a form al cerem ony in A pril 2005, Engineers Australia presented plaques fo r

D artm outh Dam and Hume Dam, nam ing them National Engineering Landmarks.

This is the highest ca te g o ry o f recognition fo r engineering structures awarded by

Engineers Australia (see page 35).

Operational and safety im provem ents to River Murray W ater assets during

2 0 0 4 -0 5 included th e installation o f walkways at D artm outh Dam; installation

o f rem ote operated gates at the Barrages; co m pletion o f an upgrade o f the

navigable pass and co n stru ctio n o f a fishw ay at Lock and W eir 9; and m inor

fin ish in g -o ff works at Locks and Weirs 7 and 8 (see page 34 to 43).

The Com m ission partnersh ip

The Commission concentrates on Basin-wide issues th a t require jo in t action

to deliver the best outcom es fo r the Basin’s com m unities, industries and

natural resources base - particularly in relation to its shared w ater resources.

The Commission, as a partnership o f the six Basin governm ents (including

the Australian Governm ent), exists to achieve the best integrated catchm ent

m anagem ent outcom es fo r the shared environm ental resources o f the Basin.

Prim ary responsibility fo r m anaging land and w ater resources lies w ith individual

state and te rrito ry governm ents.

Figures 1.1 and 1.2 show, fo r each o f the p artner states and territories, the

p ro p o rtio n o f each as p a rt o f the Basin and the p ro p o rtio n o f each th a t lies

w ithin the Basin.

8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Chaired by an ind e pe n d e n t President, the Commission is an unincorporated

jo in t venture, com prising representatives (Commissioners) appointed by partner

governm ents. The C om m ission supports the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial

Council to achieve its purposes under the A greem ent by:

• securing the co o p e ra tio n o f pa rtn e r governm ents

• delegating w o rk to its co m m itte e s and w orking groups, whose members

include Com m issioners and experts from partner governm ent agencies,

research bodies, industries and com m unities

• directing the a ctivitie s o f the Commission Office.

• In addition to servicing th e Ministerial Council directly, the Chair and D eputy

Chair o f the MDBMC C o m m u n ity A dvisory C om m ittee also provide a

co m m u n ity perspective to the Commission.

The Com m ission O ffice provides a secretariat th a t gives administrative, technical

and river operations, and p o lic y s u p p o rt to the Commission, the Ministerial

Council and th e C o m m u n ity A d viso ry Committee.

The prim ary clients o f the Com m ission O ffice are the partner governm ents

and th e ir agencies. Com m ission O ffice sta ff w ork w ith them to facilitate and

coordinate the developm ent, im plem entation and review o f Ministerial Council

policies and decisions.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 9

Since the signing o f th e A greem ent in 1992, governm ents have effected

significant reform s in the m anagem ent o f natural resources. As a result,

the in stitutional landscape in w hich the Commission operates has changed

substantially. A w id e range o f organisations now co n trib u te s to im proving natural

resource outcom es fo r the Basin.

In recent years, p artner governm ents have created and strengthened the role

o f regional catchm ent m anagem ent organisations (CMOs), w hich have taken on

an increasingly im p o rta n t role in m anaging land and w ater resources. W hile the

role and responsibilities o f CMOs vary across the Basin, all have a vital role to

play in im plem enting Council and Commission policies and decisions at a local

level. The w orking relationship betw een the Commission O ffice and CMOs varies

depending on the nature of the program being delivered and the particular role

o f the CMO.

To minim ise duplica tio n and ensure coordinated natural resource m anagem ent

in the Basin, the Commission O ffice, to g e th e r w ith the p artner governm ent

agencies, also w orks cooperatively w ith jo in t governm ent enterprises such as

'W ater fo r Rivers’ and Snowy Hydro Ltd; irrigation and w ater businesses; industry

and environm ental bodies; research bodies; local governm ents; and co m m u n ity

groups - including Indigenous groups.

Ministerial Council program s and decisions in the Basin are delivered in

accordance w ith national agreem ents and policies, p a rticularly the National

W ater Initiative (N W I). For example, th e MDBC and its O ffice w ill play a key role

in fa cilita tin g the im plem entation o f expanded interstate w ater trade under the

NWI. The Commission

w ill also be an im p o rta n t

source o f technical

input to the activities

o f the National W ater

Commission.

The relationship between

the Commission and

the bodies w ith w hich it

collaborates is shown in

Figure 1.3.

J

Figure 1.3 - Murray-Darling Basin Commission and its partners

ANNUAL REPORT 2004-01

1

Looking ahead

Despite the sig n ifica n t im pacts o f one o f the w orst droughts ever experienced

in the M urray-D arling Basin, there continues to be a concerted c o m m itm e n t to

the lon g -te rm m anagem ent o f the Basin’s natural resources. The diversity of

these resources dem ands th a t the MDBC, through c o n trib u tin g governm ents

and com m unities, continue to undertake a w id e range o f activities. A new MDBC

strategic plan was developed in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 . This plan w ill form the basis fo r

Commission activities over the next five years.

The Com m ission is firm ly c o m m itte d to the lo n g -te rm

m anagem ent o f the Basin’s natural resources...

12 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

2. River M urray W a te r

S trategic d ire c tio n s

W ater resources m a nag em e nt

River m a nag em e nt a ctiv itie s

Asset m anag em e nt

RMW trip le b o tto m line

m

S tra te g ic d irectio n s

W a te r M a n a g e m en t - th e R iver M urray system

River Murray W ater (R M W ) was established by M inisterial Council as the

C om m ission’s internal w ater division, in response to the Ί994 w ater reform

principles o f the Council o f Australian G overnm ents (COAG).

The establishm ent o f River Murray W ater w ith in the term s o f the existing

A greem ent achieved a separation betw een w ater service delivery and resource

m anagem ent functions. A t th e same tim e, the capacity was retained fo r jo in t

action to achieve Basin-wide values.

The Com m ission has established and progressively im plem ented a River Murray

Environm ental M anagem ent Branch w ith in the Natural Resource M anagem ent

Division. The close linkages th a t have been form ed betw een this branch and

RMW have been an essential elem ent in achieving enhanced environm ental

outcom es fo r th e River Murray.

The Ministerial Council has previously approved, in principle, am endm ents to the

A greem ent to enable:

• the establishm ent and m anagem ent o f renewals annuities fo r replacing o f

assets and also fo r m ajor cyclic m aintenance

• cost-sharing arrangem ents betw een governm ents to be varied fro m tim e to

tim e based on price -fo r-se rvice principles

• re-allocation o f responsibility fo r River Murray structures from one constructing

a u th o rity to another, subject to agreem ent by the Ministerial Council

• am endm ents by th e Ministerial Council, fro m tim e to time, o f expenditure

approval thresholds.

These proposed am endm ents have been referred to p artner governm ents fo r

consideration and im plem entation. As a package o f am endm ents they will, if

adopted, e ffe ctive ly co m p le te the asset m anagem ent and financial reform s

recom m ended by COAG in Ί994.

During 2 0 0 4 -0 5 the Australian G overnm ent and the V ictorian G overnm ent

com pleted arrangem ents fo r th e enabling legislation to be considered by th e ir

parliam ents. The governm ents o f New South Wales and South Australia have

1 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

yet to finalise th e ir consideration o f the proposed am endm ents and the d ra ft

enabling legislation.

The im pacts o f p rolonged d ro u g h t have continued to be fe lt thro u g h o u t the

River Murray system th ro u g h 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , w ith restricted allocations to irrigators in

New South Wales, V ictoria and South Australia.

In m anaging the shared w a te r resource fo r the partner governm ents the RMW

P roduction Team has focused b o th on ‘not w asting a d ro p ’ and ‘doing the best

it can w ith w ater available to the e nvironm ent’. The creation o f environm ental

m anagem ent assets and the recovery o f environm ental w ater entitlem ents under

The Living Murray Initiative is progressing and will assist the delivery of enhanced

environm ental outcom es in th e future.

In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 m ajor w orks have been directed at:

• reducing OH&S risks

• extending the life o f aged infrastructure

• constructing new salt in te rce p tio n schemes

• constructing new assets fo r environm ental delivery.

W a te r resources m an ag em en t The w ater resources o f the River Murray system (see Figure 2.1) are,used fo r a

w ide range o f beneficial purposes. In ad d ition to its inherent natural value to

riverine, flo o d p la in and estuarine ecosystems, it is used for irrigation, industrial

and dom estic w a te r supplies, navigation, recreation, and the generation o f

hydro-electricity.

RMW manages th e river system to ensure th a t the available w ater is docum ented

in the w ater accounts and d is trib u te d to South Australia, V ictoria and New South

Wales in accordance w ith the Agreem ent.

RMW undertakes th e tasks o f sharing and supplying water through:

• assessing fu tu re availability o f w ater

• accounting fo r actual use o f w ater

• regulating river flow s to m eet environm ental and user needs.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 15

As in the previous tw o seasons, low w ater reserves and below average inflows in

2 0 0 4 -0 5 again resulted in low irrigation allocations along the River Murray system.

Figure 2.1: The River Murray system

i l ^ P l a n g H .

LEGEND

Major Highway

Capital City

W a te r a v aila b ility

2 0 0 4 -0 5 was a n other year o f low inflows and reservoir storage levels. In term s

o f inflows to the River Murray system, the current d ro u g h t period is one o f the

m ost severe since records began. The d ro u g h t has im pacted on the environm ent,

irrig a tio n and local com m unities.

W hilst there have been more p rolonged droughts du rin g the 1890s and 1940s,

the last fo u r years have seen th e lowest River Murray system inflows on record.

Figure 2.2 illustrates the current d ro u g h t period com pared w ith historical droughts.

1 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Figure 2.2: River Murray system inflows with extended drought periods highlighted

50000

40000

30000

20000

10000

1892 1902 1912 1922 1932 1942 1952 1962 1972 1982 1992 2 0 02

Year ending in June

The extended nature o f the d ro u g h t means th a t River Murray system w ater

reserves have been s ig n ific a n tly depleted and w ater users are virtually living

from year to year. In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , m ost irrigators experienced a third year w ith less

than full allocations. The pressure on irrigation com m unities has been immense.

Large volum es o f w a te r have been traded to sup p o rt high-value industries, and

com m ercial arrangem ents have been made fo r the advance o f additional water

purchased fro m S nowy Hydro.

The volum e o f w a te r under Com m ission control at the start o f 2 0 0 4 -0 5 was

low (2450 GL or 26 per cent o f active storage). Inflows to headwater storages

im proved over som e o f the spring and sum m er m onths, providing increased

storage levels, w hile unusually heavy rainfall in early February 20 0 5 gave

w elcom e late-season inflows. River Murray inflows fo r the year totalled about

4 9 0 0 GL—little m ore than half the average annual inflow —w hich put the year

among the d riest 20 per cent on record.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 17

A flow event in the Darling catchm ent in early January raised storage in

Menindee Lakes by a p proxim ately 220 GL, to a to ta l o f 4 4 0 GL. The security o f

w ater to regional w ater users, including at Broken Hill, increased, and the lakes

rem ained under NSW control th ro u g h o u t 2 0 0 4 -0 5 .

MDBC storage at the end o f 2 0 0 4 -0 5 was 3 0 0 0 GL, some 550 GL higher than at

the sta rt o f the season.

State shares o f w a te r held in C om m ission storages at the beginning and end o f

2 0 0 4 -0 5 are shown in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1: W ater accounts for New South Wales and Victoria, 2 0 0 4 -0 5 (GL)

D artm outh

Reservoir

618 1272 1889 654 518 1230 1748 713

Hume

Reservoir

149 159 307 10 457 457 913 0

Lake V icto ria 132 124 256 -8 78 267 345 189

Menindee

Lakes*

- - - - - - - -

Total 898 1555 2453 657 1052 1954 3 0 0 6 902

Notes:

* M enindee Lakes has been in NSW co n tro l since m id March 2002, and th e resource w ill not

becom e available to th e MDBC until the storage next exceeds 640 GL.

A ccounts are based on the best available data, w hich may contain some unverified

operational data. Figures are rounded to th e nearest GL.

Data relate to gross storage.

The ‘o u t o f balance’ fig u re reflects th e volum e o f stored w a te r accounted to Victoria, m inus

th e volum e o f stored w a te r accounted to New South Wales.

Figures may d iffe r from those rep o rte d in th e 2 0 0 3 -0 4 annual rep o rt due to the su b stitutio n o f verified data.

State irrigation allocations

W ater resource availability fo r New South Wales, V ictoria and South Australia in

2 0 0 4 -0 5 was again constrained by low inflows, w ith w ater allocations in all states

at low levels. The irrigation allocations fo r the three states are summ arised below.

18 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Victoria

The initial level o f allocation in V ictoria fo r the Murray was 46 per cent o f W ater

R ight and 46 per ce n t o f Licensed Volum e fo r private diverters. As conditions

and inflows im proved during the irrig a tio n season, the allocation level increased

to 100 per cent o f W ater R ight and 100 per cent o f Licensed Volume, w ith no

Sales W ater available.

V ictoria again borrow ed w a te r from the Barm ah-M illewa Forest environm ental

w ater account to im prove a llo ca tio n levels earlier in the season, w ith all o f the

175 GL borrow ed repaid d u rin g the year.

This year was the second consecutive season where Victorian allocations were

lim ited to 100 per cent. V icto ria increased its storage reserves over the year to

increase its chance of achieving 100 per cent of W ater Right in the following season.

New South Wales

The opening irrig a tio n allo ca tio n in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 was constrained to zero per cent

fo r General S ecurity and 97 per cent fo r High Security. As conditions im proved

over 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , som e S upplem entary W ater Access was declared by New South

Wales and the General S ecurity allocation increased to 49 per cent.

New South Wales again b o rro w e d w ater from the Barm ah-M illewa Forest

environm ental w ater account, w ith 225 GL ow ing at the end o f the year. The

Commission noted th is arrangem ent, w hereby w ater was te m porarily borrowed

beyond normal payback arrangem ents, allow ing allocations to rise to 49 per cent.

As it did last season, Murray Irrigation Lim ited (M IL) negotiated an advance of

w ater (107.5 GL) fro m the S nowy Scheme to increase supplies to water users.

The MDBC agreed to this arrangem ent on the basis th a t the w ater w ould be

accounted as fu lly New South Wales w ith no im pact on Victoria and South

A ustralia’s w ater availability, and th a t it w ould be paid back when NSW General

Security allocations next reached 50 per cent. General Security allocations

reached 49 per cent in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 . NSW also repaid in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 the remaining

49 GL o f Snowy w a te r advanced in 2 0 0 2 -0 3 .

South Australia

In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 South Australia experienced its second consecutive year w ith

announced ava ila b ility less than full allocation. In response to the ongoing

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 19

d ro u g h t conditions, South Australia announced an initial level of authorised use

fo r River Murray w ater users at 70 per cent o f licensed allocation.

Im provem ents in River Murray w ater a vailability over th e season, com bined w ith

good inflows into the lower lakes from the M ount L o fty Ranges, allowed the

authorised level o f w a te r use to be raised to 90 per cent in S eptem ber 20 0 4 , and

95 per cent in January 2005. A lth o u g h additional w ater became available, SA

W ater v o lu n ta rily agreed to reduced authorised use o f w ater fo r 2 0 0 4 -0 5 : the

m etropolitan Adelaide licence was restricted to 136 GL and country towns to 4 0 GL.

State irrigation diversions

State diversions fro m the River Murray and lower Darling River are summarised

in Table 2.2. Diversions this season were o f the same order o f m agnitude as

diversions in 2 0 0 3 -0 4 . * * * §

Table 2.2: Summary of state diversions (GL)

H K 9 H

1991-92 2431* 1827 589 4847 101

1992-93 1633 1147 482 3262 77

1993-94 1902 1407 587 3896 158

1994-95 2254 1970 663 4887 54

1995-96 1935 1740 568 4243 168

1996-97 2231 1745 6 0 0 4576 136

1997-98 1886 1696 664 4246 71

1998-99 2 0 0 0 1766 6 9 0 4456 192

19 9 9-0 0 1234 1522 642 3398 85

2000-01 2070 1682 662 4414 246

2001-02 2113 1884 621 4618 126

2 0 0 2 -0 3 879 1701 737 3317 107

2 0 0 3 -0 4 1312 1442 612 3366 23

2 0 0 4 -0 5 ’ 1258 1418 618 3294 26

* Data based upon th e official MDBC record fo r th e re p o rtin g requirem ents o f

im p le m e n ta tio n o f th e 'Cap’ on diversions, w ith th e exception o f data fo r 2 0 0 4 -0 5 .

+ Data presented fo r 2 0 0 4 -0 5 is estim ated based on h ydrographic and operational data,

and advice from th e SA D e p a rtm e n t o f Water, Land and B iodiversity C onservation.

} Record high diversion.

§ Includes data from Caw ndilla O u tle t to th e Great D arling Anabranch.

2 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Water trade

The tra d in g o f w a te r across the River Murray System follow ed sim ilar patterns to

those observed in 2 0 0 3 -0 4 . Low initial authorised use levels in South Australia

saw about 9 GL o f w a te r traded te m porarily into South Australia early in the

season. There was a net trade o f about 11 GL to upstream states late in the

season.

Net trade between the M urrum bidgee and Murray valleys was near to balanced

and RMW did not call on w a te r from the M urrum bidgee Valley account this year.

There was significant trade a c tiv ity again this season between the Goulburn

and Murray valleys. RMW called ab o u t 50 GL o f w ater from the Goulburn Valley

account and, afte r co n su lta tio n w ith V ictoria, elected to leave a fu rth e r 60 GL in

the account to be called upon during 2 0 0 5 -0 6 .

RMW adjusted state w ater shares and deliveries to take account of perm anent

trade (cum ulative to June 2 0 0 4 from the start of the Pilot Interstate W ater

Trading Project in 1998), and carried over trade adjustm ents from late in

2 0 0 3 - 0 4 and te m p o ra ry tra d e during 2 0 0 4 -0 5 . Total net adjustm ents made to

w ater accounts were 1.7 GL fro m V ictoria to New South Wales, 1.3 GL from South

Australia to New S outh Wales and 15 GL from V ictoria to South Australia.

Flow to South Australia

A to ta l o f 1880 GL flo w e d in to South Australia, com prising 1850 GL of

e n title m e n t flow, 15 GL surplus flo w and 15 GL traded water. The flow received in

2 0 0 4 - 05 was sig n ifica n tly low er than the median annual flow o f 4 8 0 0 GL, and

also less than th a t received in 2 0 0 3 -0 4 (2023 GL).

O p eratio n o f storages

The MDBC opening storage fo r 2 0 0 4 -0 5 was low, at 2450 GL (26 per cent

capacity). This was about 4 5 0 GL higher than at the start o f 2 0 0 3 -0 4 —m ost of

this im provem ent was held in D artm outh Reservoir.

Most o f the opening storage was held in D artm outh Reservoir (1890 GL), as

in recent years. Good spring rains boosted inflows into both D artm outh and

Hume reservoirs, delaying th e start o f w ater transfers from D artm outh Reservoir

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 21

to Hume Reservoir. The volum e transferred over 2 0 0 4 -0 5 was a b o u t 750 GL,

com pared to only 2 0 0 GL in 2 0 0 3 -0 4 . D artm outh storage did not recover past

its opening storage, and at th e end o f June 2 0 0 5 was 1750 GL, o r 45 per cent

capacity.

Storage in Hume Reservoir reached 1650 GL (54 per cent o f ca p a city) during

late N ovem ber 2 0 0 4 com pared to a peak storage o f 2220 GL (73 per cent o f

ca pacity) in N ovem ber 2003. A t the end o f the season, the storage was 6 0 0 GL

higher than at the end o f th e previous season due to early w in te r inflows and

because diversions late in the season were lower than expected.

Transfers o f w ater fro m Hume Reservoir to Lake V ictoria began m uch earlier

this season com pared to last season. These transfers were carefully managed

over the season w ith the aim o f draw ing dow n storage in Lake V ictoria to a low

level by the end o f the season, w h ilst ensuring the continued supply o f South

A ustralia’s e n title m e n t flow. F urther details regarding the operation o f Lake

V ictoria are provided below.

Hume Reservoir, N ovem ber 2 0 0 4

2 2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Heavy February rainfall produced high unregulated inflows from the Kiewa and

Ovens catchm ents, and South Australia received 1.3 GL above its e n title m e n t flow

in February 2 0 0 5 due to in le t capacity constraints at the Lake V ictoria regulator.

Storage in Menindee Lakes at the beginning o f July 2 0 0 4 was very low, at

330 GL (19 per cent c a p a city). The lakes remained in NSW con tro l in accordance

w ith the A g re e m e n t—this provision allows New South Wales to manage a

‘dro u g h t reserve’ to m eet th e needs fo r irrigation, stock, dom estic and tow n

w ater supply (in clu d in g Broken H ill) in the lower Darling River and Darling

Anabranch.

Inflows to Menindee Lakes rem ained extrem ely low during the firs t half o f

2 0 0 4 -0 5 . However heavy rainfall (up to 3 0 0 m m ) in the Darling catchm ent

during late D ecem ber 2 0 0 4 and early January 2 0 0 5 b rought some relief. The

flow in the Darling River at Bourke peaked at about 30 0 0 0 M L/day in early

January 2005. This event b o o ste d storage levels in Menindee Lakes by ab o u t

230 GL, to 4 4 0 GL (o r 25 per ce n t capacity). By the end of June 2005, the

storage was draw n dow n to 3 3 0 GL, w hich was ab o u t the same as at the start

o f the year.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -0 5

Menindee Lakes, western New South Wales

f03 Φ

I I

2 3

By the end o f June 2005, MDBC storage was a b o u t 3 0 0 0 GL (32 per cent

ca p a city) and a b o u t 550 GL higher than at the sta rt o f the season. This s lig h tly

im proved the w a te r resource o u tlo o k fo r th e fo llo w in g season, com pared w ith

this season.

Storage behaviour resulting fro m the op e ra tio n o f MDBC’s fo u r m ajor storages

is shown in Figure 2.3.

F ig u re 2.3: S to ra g e b e h a v io u r r e s u ltin g fr o m in flo w a n d R M W ’s o p e ra tio n o f th e

M DBC s to ra g e s

4 0 0 0

Dartmouth capacity

3500

Hume capacity

3000

2500

Dartmouth Reservoir 2000

Menindee capacity

§1 1500

Hume Reservoir

1000

Victoria capacity

Lake Victoria

Menindee Lakes

1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec 1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 30-Jun

2 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

A t the end of the 2 0 0 3 -0 4 irrig a tio n season, Lake V ictoria held just 200 GL or

30 per cent capacity. Transfers from Hume to Lake V ictoria again started early in

the 2 0 0 4 -0 5 season as a result o f dry conditions and low inflows from tributaries

dow nstream o f Hume Dam. A to ta l of 321 GL was transferred from May to July

2 0 0 4 before transfers were te m p o ra rily halted in A ugust as a result o f rainfall

and the prospects fo r im proved inflows.

The operational level (m easured as height above mean sea level) o f Lake Victoria

is crucial fo r restoration o f th e environm ent and preservation o f cultural heritage.

Unregulated inflow s fro m trib u ta rie s dow nstream o f Hume Dam during A ugust

and S eptem ber resulted in th e Lake V ictoria storage refilling to 26.76 metres

(96 per cent c a p a city) by 17 O cto b e r 2004. Further inflows and a reduction

in irrigation dem and during early N ovem ber caused Lake V ictoria to reach

27 metres (100 per cent c a p a c ity ) on 4 December 2004.

Storage in Lake V icto ria th e n fell until mid February, when heavy rain in the

Ovens River, com bined w ith ‘rain rejection’ o f ordered irrigation water, caused

lower Murray flow s to increase. A pp ro xim a te ly 80 GL was harvested in Lake

Victoria, raising storage to 26.28 m etres by 8 March. This operation was

significant in th a t it was the firs t tim e th a t RMW had been in a position to harvest

w ater in Lake V icto ria above the draw dow n targets detailed in the Lake V ictoria

O perating S trategy since it was fo rm a lly adopted in 2002.

The strategy provides fo r w a te r to be stored in Lake Victoria above the desired

autum n draw dow n targ e ts w hen either NSW reserves are forecast to,fall below

1000 GL (NSW reserves are usually lower than V ictorian reserves, which have a

more conservative threshold), or when Menindee Lakes are in NSW control. Both

o f these co n d ition s w ere satisfied during autum n 2005.

Dry co nditions du rin g the rem ainder o f autum n 20 0 5 resulted in Lake Victoria

storage falling to 24.70 m etres by the end o f April. This falls w ithin the strategy's

draw dow n ta rg e t o f 24.50 m etres by the end o f A pril. Lake Victoria storage

continued to fall du rin g May and June 20 0 5 to 24 metres as a result of dry

conditions. The autum n 2 0 0 5 drying phase is not expected to be detrim ental to

vegetation on the lake foreshore.

«

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 2 5

The p h o to sequence shown above illustrates a v e g e ta tio n m o n ito rin g site in 1998, 2 0 0 4 and 2 0 0 5 on East Moon Island. In 1996 this area, a t an o p e ra tio n a l level o f a p p ro xim a te ly 26.0 metres, was alm ost com pletely devoid o f veg etatio n. It has been de -stocke d since a b o u t 2001. In late spring 20 03 and 2 0 0 4 Lake V ictoria was re fille d to c a p a c ity (27.0 m e tres) and this area was inundated w ith up to one m etre o f w ate r fo r a p p ro x im a te ly 8 0 and 160 days respectively. The photos dem onstrate clearly th a t the ve g e ta tio n has been able to cop e w ith this inun datio n regime.

The Lake V ictoria foreshore is very rich in A b o rig in a l cultural heritage, having

been occupied over many thousands o f years. MDBC operates Lake V ictoria in

accordance w ith a Cultural Landscape Plan o f M anagem ent (th e Plan), w hich was

developed by representatives o f th e local Indigenous com m unity, landholders,

NSW National Parks and W ild life Service (n o w p a rt o f the D epartm ent of

Environm ent and C onservation), MDBC and pa rtn e r agencies the D epartm ent of

Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (N SW ) and SA Water.

The Plan aims to stabilise the sandy foreshore sedim ents w ith indigenous

floodplain plant species, hence m inim ising erosion and conserving the in situ

cultural heritage material. Grazing has now been rem oved from m uch of the

foreshore, including the Frenchmans Islands chain on the southern lakebed,

fu rth e r pro m o tin g the o p p o rtu n ity fo r ve g e ta tio n to flourish. In addition, the

Lake V ictoria O perating Strategy, fo rm a lly a d o p te d by the Commission in May

2002, successfully balances w a te r supply objectives w ith ve getation outcom es

by lowering average w ater levels and increasing the dryin g tim e available fo r

perennial w etland plant species. This has been achieved w ith o u t com prom ising

water supply requirements.

2 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

The Snowy Mountains Scheme

Total active storage in the Snowy Mountains Scheme increased by about 280 Gl­

over 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , fro m about 4 0 per cent o f to ta l active storage at 1 May 2 0 0 4

to ab o u t 45 per cent at 30 A p ril 2005. The increase in total storage com prised

a small increase in storage in the Snowy-Tum ut Development, w ith alm ost no

change in storage in the S now y-M urray Development.

Release from Murray 1 Power S tation fo r the 12 m onths to 30 A pril 2005 was

1104 GL, made up of:

• 1062 GL o f required annual release

• repaym ent o f th e last 49 GL o f the 138 GL advanced in 2 0 0 2 -0 3

• repaym ent o f 16 GL associated w ith construction o f o u tle t w orks at Jindabyne

Reservoir

• 107 GL advance by NSW irrig a to rs via a com m ercial arrangem ent w ith Snowy

Hydro Limited.

Further special w a te r release arrangem ents were also entered into between

M urrum bidgee irrig a to rs and Snowy Hydro Limited.

Releases from M urray 1 Power Station were evenly spread th ro u g h o u t the first

three-quarters o f th e season, w ith an increased am ount released in the last

quarter. The p a tte rn was w ith in forecasts by Snowy Hydro Lim ited and did not

have any detrim ental im pacts on River Murray System planning.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 2 7

Environmental report

River flows and use of environmental entitlements

2 0 0 4 -0 5 was another year o f low inflows and reservoir storage levels. Consequently

there were no spills o f water from the m ajor River Murray System w ater storages,

apart from a controlled release o f approxim ately TOO GL from the Barrages.

During 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , there were no su ffic ie n tly large and long spring 'freshes’ to

trig g e r the use o f the Barm ah-M illew a Forest Environm ental W ater A llocation,

and the w ater in the account was again loaned to irrigators, cre d ite d and carried

over fo r use in a future season. There were, however, a couple o f small flushes

from the Kiewa and Ovens rivers du rin g S eptem ber 2 0 0 4 and February 2005,

which resulted in lim ited w atering o f som e low -lying parts o f the forest.

A num ber o f environm ental w atering o p p o rtu n itie s undertaken during the year in

New South Wales, V ictoria and South A ustralia are described below.

The NSW W etlands W orking Group used 17 GL o f NSW A daptive Environm ental

Lake Victoria, south western New South Wales near W entw orth,

Novem ber 2 0 0 4

Water. Most of the w atering was undertaken in the fo llo w in g areas:

• Gulpa Creek W etlands - Millewa Forest (8 8 0 0 ML)

• private p ro p e rty w etlands - M urray Irrig a tio n Lim ited (4789 ML)

• Chowilla Floodplain South A ustralia (1500 ML) (th ro u g h negotiations w ith,

and a transfer o f w ater to, the SA D e p a rtm e nt o f Water, Land and B iodiversity

Conservation).

2 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

NSW State Water, in consultation w ith RMW, also lowered the Stevens W eir Pool

(on the Edward River) and rem oved the Edward River and Gulpa Creek regulators

during May 2 0 0 5 to im prove fish m igration opp o rtu n itie s between the Edward

River, the Barm ah-M illew a Forest and the River Murray during winter. The weir

was reinstated in July 2005, in tim e fo r the start o f the 2 0 0 5 -0 6 irrigation season.

V ictoria used a b o u t 27 GL o f th e ir Murray Flora Fauna E ntitlem ent during

2 0 0 4 -0 5 . The w a te r was used at a num ber o f locations including:

• Gunbower (11 3 0 0 ML)

• Kerang Lakes (5104 ML)

• Lower Murray River red gum em ergency w atering (5 200 ML).

In South Australia, th e level o f the Lock 6 w eir pool was gradually raised to about

15 cm above the norm al o p e ra tin g level in mid March 2005, and held at th a t level

fo r ab o u t six weeks, to p ro vid e w ater to a small area o f wetlands and creeks on

the Chowilla Floodplain (a b o u t 50 hectares). There were positive environm ental

outcom es including new g ro w th in River red gums, Lignum and oth e r wetland

plants w ithin weeks o f the w atering.

Localised rainfall and ru n -o ff boosted the level o f Lake Alexandrine and Lake

A lb e rt (in South A ustralia), and approxim ately 100 GL was discharged through

the Barrages du rin g A u g u st and Septem ber 2004. This controlled release was

the firs t in 14 m onths, b u t was small com pared to the median annual flow over

the Barrages o f 3100 GL/year. Some o f this w ater was released through the

Goolwa Barrage, flushing salt o u t of th e Goolwa Channel and reducing the

salinity in th a t area fro m 3 3 0 0 EC to ab o u t 1700 EC. W ater was also released

th ro u g h the tw o new ly installed trial fish passages and adjacent gates on the

Tauwitchere Barrage, w ith th e aim o f providing some ecological benefits in the

C oorong and M outh area.

The extended d ro u g h t continues to have a significant im pact on the stressed

River red gum com m unities dow nstream o f the Barmah-Millewa Forest. The health

of these com m unities is still declining and has become a significant concern.

Water quality Overall, w ater q u a lity along the length o f the River Murray was very good

during 2 0 0 4 -0 5 . Most o f th e w ater was supplied from the upper River Murray

catchm ent (Flume and D artm outh reservoirs), and the ongoing drought-reduced

ANNUAL REPORT 20 0 4-0 5 2 9

saline grou n d w a te r inputs to the River Murray, resulting in low river salinity

and tu rb id ity levels at m ost locations, w ith th e exception o f the Low er Lakes in

South Australia.

River salinity levels at Morgan averaged 4 0 0 EC over 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , w ith a peak of

660 EC in mid July 2004. The average at Morgan is significantly lower than the long­

term average fo r the last 20 years o f 5 6 0 EC, as well as the 8 0 0 EC salinity target.

The long period o f less than average flo w to South Australia and lim ited barrage

releases, has led to salinity continuing to build in Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert.

The small release from the Barrages in A ugust and September 2 0 0 4 allowed fo r

some salt to be flushed out o f the Goolwa Channel, but overall salinities in the

Lower Lakes remain high. The salinity at Meningie reached 24 0 0 EC towards the

end of 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , w hilst Milang reached 1500 EC. Significant inflows and a large

release from the Barrages will be required to reduce salinity over the longer term.

River m a n ag e m e n t a c tiv itie s

H um e-Y arraw onga W a te rw a y M an ag em en t Plan

W orks continued under the 2 0 0 2 River M anagem ent Plan fo r the Hume

to Yarrawonga reach o f the River Murray. The plan aims to balance w ater

conveyance, econom ic pro d u ctio n and environm ental objectives fo r the reach.

It has been developed in consultation w ith th e A d viso ry Group fo r Hume to

Yarrawonga W aterway Management, representing agencies fro m each state

to g e th e r w ith local landholder interests, local gove rn m en t and w id e r com m unity

representatives.

Programs under the W aterw ay M anagem ent Plan include physical works under

the P riority Reach Program and the W hole-of-R each Program. In addition, the

Land M anagement Review considered flo o d easem ents fo r regulated flows.

Physical works

By the end o f 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , c o n d ition assessments and conceptual designs had been

com pleted fo r eight o f the 14 reaches.

3 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

The follow ing on-ground w orks were com pleted last year (across all programs).

Erosion control

• Two anabranch bed grade control structures (fu ll stream w id th tim b e r pile

fields) - Parlour creek

• Two anabranch bank erosion control sites (tim b e r pile groynes) - Dights

and Yellow belly creeks

• Two anabranch back erosion control sites (rock arm ouring) - Parlour and

Chambers creeks

• Nine River M urray bank erosion control sites (tim b e r pile groynes)

• Three River M urray bank erosion control sites (ro ck arm ouring)

• One River Murray bank erosion control site (geotextile erosion control

blanket)

• A pp ro xim a te ly 75 0 0 tim b e r piles were driven, and approxim ately 2.5 km of

river bank was p ro te c te d

Snags

• No snags rem oved

• Seven River red gum snags realigned fo r navigation or erosion control

reasons

Willow management

• One w illo w island rem oved

• One w illo w snag rem oved

• Lopping at tw o sites

• 2 0 0 trees eradicated on River Murray main stem between Hume Dam and

Lake Mulwala

• 175 trees eradicated on anabranches between Hume Dam and Lake Mulwala

Revegetation

• R evegetation undertaken at 31 sites on River Murray main stem and

anabranches using local native species o f trees, shrubs, reeds and grasses

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 31

M urray M outh sand p u m p ing

Dredging has been under way at the M urray Mouth since O cto b e r 2002, w ith

a single dredge up to June 2 0 0 3 and a tw o dredge operation since July 2003.

The to ta l cost incurred up to 30 June 2 0 0 5 is ab o u t $15 million. The dredging

program has been over-sighted by the Murray M outh A dvisory Com m ittee,

including a Technical S ub-C om m ittee, and also by the River Murray W ater

A dvisory Board.

Over the past tw o summers the d re d g in g has been effective in m aintaining a

flow path to the sea and achieving c o n n e c tiv ity w ith the C oorong consistent

w ith tidal range targets. The ongoing d re d g in g program reflects a continuation

o f previous com m itm ents by the M urray D arling Ministerial Council and the

Murray Darling Basin Commission to keep the Murray Mouth open and m aintain

adequate co n n e ctivity w ith the Coorong, in the face o f the w orst four-year

d rought on record.

Dredge operating at the Murray Mouth, South Australia

_L

32 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

C ontinuing d ry co n d ition s in upstream catchm ents as well as consum ptive

use has lim ited releases to the sea to only about 4 0 0 GL since December

2001. By com parison the m edian annual flo w to the sea under current levels

o f deve lop m e n t is a b o u t 3100 GL, w hilst median ‘natural’ flo w to the sea is

estim ated to be o f th e o rd e r o f 11 3 0 0 GL. To allow te m porary suspension o f the

d redging program w ill require an annual flo w to the sea o f ab o u t 2 0 0 0 GL or

m ore although very s h o rt-te rm relief w ould be possible w ith lesser flows.

W ith the dredging p rogram now entering its fo u rth year there is increasing local

pressure relating to easing o f restrictions around exclusion zones, both fo r boats

near the dredging and vehicles near the discharge p o in t on Sir Richard Peninsula.

Every e ffo rt is being m ade to fin d w orkable, safe and effective solutions to

access problem s w ith o u t co m p ro m isin g the p roduction capacity o f the program,

p a rticularly over th e spring, sum m er and autum n periods.

Land m a n a g e m e n t re view

S ignificant progress c o n tin u e d in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 tow ards purchasing flood easements

to co n firm the C om m ission’s rig h ts to pass regulated flows w ith in existing

channel capacity on up to 106 affe cte d properties in the Hume to Yarrawonga

reach. Consultants Hassall & Associates had com pleted pro p e rty assessment

fie ld w o rk fo r a lm ost all o f th e pro p e rties in the reach by the end o f 2 0 0 4 -0 5 .

E xpert legal advice c o n trib u te d to the developm ent of easement docum entation

fo r V ictorian and NSW properties.

The firs t six offers fo r V icto ria n p roperties were forw arded to landowners in July

2 0 0 4 . By the end o f June 2 0 0 5 , 43 o f the estim ated 76 Victorian offers had been

issued, and 28 have been accepted by landowners to date.

Differences betw een legal requirem ents in New South Wales and Victoria

delayed the process in New South Wales w hile additional com plexities were

resolved. By th e end o f June 2 0 0 5 ,1 6 o f the estim ated 36 NSW offers had been

issued, o f w hich fo u r had been accepted. The first o f these easements were

aw aiting signature on behalf o f the crown, prior to being subm itted to NSW Land

and P roperty Info rm a tio n to com plete registration o f easements.

The rem aining offers w ill be fo rw arded to landowners through the financial year

as d o c u m e n ta tio n is progressively finalised.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 3 3

Properties o f landholders in this reach have been increasingly affected by river

regulation over many decades. The progress achieved th ro u g h o u t the year has

been a significant m ilestone fo r both River Murray W ater and these landholders.

Asset m an ag em en t The assets controlled and managed under the A greem ent are investigated,

designed, constructed, operated and m aintained, fo r and on behalf o f the MDBC,

by three constructing authorities fro m New South Wales, V ictoria and South

Australia. They are, respectively:

• State W ater C orporation and D e p a rtm e nt o f infrastructure, Planning and

Natural Resources

• Goulburn-M urray W ater

• the Minister fo r the River Murray (in clu d in g the operating agent fo r South

Australia, South Australian W ater C o rporation).

RMW exercises the MDBC’s responsibilities in relation to m anagem ent of the

assets (see A ppendix G). Daily op e ra tio n and m aintenance o f the structures is by

a collective team from the a u th o ritie s o f the three states to ta llin g 120 staff. RMW

values the dedicated service o f this team and appreciates the co m m itm e n t and

pride th a t is evident in the stew ardship o f the assets.

The Senator Collings Trophy has been aw arded annually since 1943 to the

team looking after the asset ju d g ed to be the best m aintained lock and weir. In

2003 the River Murray W ater A dvisory Board agreed th a t e lig ib ility fo r award

of the Collings Trophy should be extended to include all w ater storage assets

of the River Murray System. The ju d g in g criteria w ere extended to include

not only m aintenance and care o f the w orks and th e ir surrounds b u t also the

application of contem porary asset m anagem ent practice. In 2 0 0 4 the Senator

Collings Trophy was awarded jo in tly to Norm Boyd, J e ff Finch and Danny Burke

from State W ater at Lock and W eir 10 (W e n tw o rth ) and to Terry H olt and

Alan W illiams from G oulburn-M urray W ater at Lock and W eir 26 (Torrum barry).

a».

3 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

An Em ergency A ctio n Plan fo r River Murray W ater has been im plem ented during

the year fo llo w in g testing, th ro u g h em ergency training exercises, of earlier

drafts. The plan is linked to individual dam safety em ergency plans established

fo r individual assets by the constructing authorities. It sets out the basis fo r

decision-m aking w ith in the Commission in the event o f em ergency actions

requiring Com m ission decisions. In particular, the plan docum ents the role o f

RMW in directing m ajor flo o d operations at upper Murray storages.

In a cerem ony at Hume Dam on 22 A pril 2005, Engineers Australia presented

plaques to D artm outh Dam and Hume Dam conferring on them the status of

National Engineering Landm arks. This is the highest category of recognition for

engineering structures aw arded by Engineers Australia.

This recognition to each o f these tw o large dams follow s the earlier recognition

o f the entire 'W orks o f the River Murray System as a National Engineering

Landm ark’ in 2001. The five barrages at the Murray Mouth received a sim ilar

award in 2001.

During 2 0 0 4 -0 5 m ajor w orks involved:

• com pletion o f navigable passes and fishways at Locks 8 and 9 and

com m encem ent o f Lock 10

• com pletion o f installation o f handrails and operational fle xib ility measures at

Tauwitchere and Ewe Island barrages

• office upgrades at Euston and Mildura weirs and Goolwa Barrage

• river im provem ent w orks in th e Hume to Yarrawonga reach o f the River and in

the Mitta M itta River b e lo w D artm outh Dam to Lake Hume

• initial w orks tow ards up g ra d in g Bethanga Bridge, as part o f a handover to the

NSW and V icto ria n state road authorities

• replacem ent o f tim b e r stoplogs at Slaneys and Pipeclay weirs (part o f Lock 6)

• concrete barriers at Locks 1, 2, 4 and 7

• to ta l refu rb ish m e n t o f Buronga Salt Interception Scheme

• progress on co n stru ctio n of salt interception schemes at Pyramid Creek,

B ookpurnong and Loxton.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 3 5

Safety at the Barrages - before (above) and a fte r

* :r

‘ - v - w / y v r ,V

F==" : s,

f

Dartmouth Dam

A comprehensive inspection o f D artm outh Dam (undertaken every five years)

was conducted this year. The re p o rt on the inspection states: 'In general

D artm outh Dam is in good c o n d ition and is co n tin u in g to perform as expe cte d ’.

The installation o f walkways on the d ow nstream face of the em bankm ent to

provide a safer access fo r surveillance contin u e d according to schedule. The

design o f these works is highly innovative and allow s fo r re-levelling as the

em bankm ent continues to settle, as expected, w ith tim e.

Over many years there has been a program o f w orks to con stru ct concrete

kerbs on the edges o f the spillw ay cascade benches to reduce the risk o f erosion

on the benches and direct flow s away fro m o th e r areas p o te n tia lly subject to

erosion. No fu rth e r w orks are proposed until a su fficie n t spill occurs to allow the

effectiveness o f the p ro te ctio n system installed to date to be assessed.

A productive w orkshop was held to capture the 3 0 -year history o f operation

o f and m odifications to the Low Level O u tle t W orks w hile key past and present

personnel were still available. A pro je ct is now under way to use this inform ation

•k

3 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

to set clearer lim its to the operation o f the Low Level O utlet W orks for a

range o f flow s and durations, such as normal annual transfers to Hume Dam;

sustained above-average flow s in response to long-term dry periods when

oth e r reservoirs are run dow n; and, potentially, fo r relatively high short-term

flow s to achieve environm ental outcom es in the M itta Mitta Valley. The aim is

to avoid unacceptable dam age due to cavitation w hich had occurred during

com m issioning trials, and w hich resulted in the m odifications being undertaken

in 1982.

Hume Dam

In Novem ber 2 0 0 4 a w orksh o p was held ‘to review the failure modes effects

analysis fo r Hume Dam and agree on w hat additional remedial measures are

required to co m p ly w ith th e risk-based philosophy o f "as low as reasonably

pra ctica l’”. The main conclusions o f the w orkshop were reported as:

• To our best engineering ju d g m e n t the dam safety risks have been

substantially reduced by the [rem edial] works carried out to date.

• The dam can be safely operated to its full supply level o f 192 metres AHD and

fo r sho rt-te rm flo o d surcharges to 192.15 metres AHD.

• There are a n u m ber o f residual risks and in order to dem onstrate th a t these

risks are as low as reasonably practical we have recom m ended a series of

investigations.

These risks are very much seco n d -o rd e r risks com pared w ith the risks addressed

to date by the rem edial w orks program undertaken between 1994 and 20 0 3 at

a cost o f app ro xim a te ly $ 8 0 m illion. Detailed studies into these risks are under

way. Until these studies are co m p le te it is not clear w hether any further m inor

w orks are required.

F urther progress has been m ade through the year on determ ining the

co ntem porary spillw ay ca p a city of Hume Dam. Flood risk is being considered

separately. The ve ry large size o f the catchm ent and the shape o f the valleys

upstream o f Lake Hume have led to a thorough and cautious approach to the

hydrological m odelling o f th e extrem e floods and the determ ination of spillway

capacity to m eet A ustralian national guidelines. This year the calibration o f the

ra in fa ll/ru n o ff m odel has been com pleted by State W ater's consultants fo r review

by a s u b -co m m itte e of the Technical Review Committee. In parallel, a hydraulic

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 3 7

model o f flood routing through the reservoir, including the upstream valley

effects and gate operation at the spillway, is close to finalisation.

The reservoir has still not reached full supply level since the em bankm ent

and gate remedial works were co m pleted in 2 0 0 3 -0 4 , As a consequence, the

heightened surveillance procedure to be fo llo w e d during the first tw o fills has not

yet been invoked. The dam had successfully gone through one full cycle in late

2 0 0 0 but seasonal conditions since have n o t been sufficient to trig g e r 'first fill’

surveillance thresholds.

Yarrawonga Weir

In April 20 0 5 a com prehensive (five ye a rly) inspection of Yarrawonga W eir

was conducted. The report on the inspection and review o f the past five years’

perform ance is not yet com plete b u t no urg e n t adverse m atters were noted. In

fact, the inspection team noted a sig n ific a n t im provem ent in the condition o f the

W eir over the past five years, even in parts o f the structure outside o f the areas

involved in the recent extensive rem edial works.

Other locks and weirs

The m anipulation o f the w eir pools d ow nstream o f Hume Dam to achieve

environm ental outcom es has been investigated in the past year, particularly

at the locks and weirs in South Australia. A consultant's report has been

prepared on the safe operation range fo r Locks and W eirs 1 to 6, and some of

the significant anabranch and flo o d p la in structures associated w ith Lock and

W eir 6. A detailed procedure has been w ritte n fo r preparation and m onitoring

to be undertaken at Lock and W eir 1 as p a rt o f an environm ental w eir pool

m anipulation. It is a generic d o cu m e n t that, once accepted, could be easily

adapted fo r the oth e r locks and weirs.

A trial at Lock and W eir 6 involving a 0.15 m etre w eir pool raising (and an

associated lesser raising of the Lock and W eir 5 w e ir po o l) showed no distress at

the main structure b u t did h ig h lig h t the v u ln e ra b ility o f som e o f the m inor banks

and levees along the w eir pool rim. These issues, and o th e r risks associated

w ith w eir pool raising, are being carefully examined before a larger-range

environm ental w eir pool m anipulation takes place.

Λ

3 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

New o ffice accom m odation was com pleted this year at Euston Weir, and

construction o f a new office and w orkshop facilities is under way at Mildura Weir.

Lake Victoria

Follow ing an assessment o f th e capacity o f the bridge over the Lake Victoria

Inlet R egulator on Frenchm an’s Creek, a lim it has been placed on the gross load

o f vehicles using th e bridge. W ith W h ite ’s Bridge o u t o f service access to the

flo o d plain betw een French’s Creek and the River Murray is restricted. O ptions

fo r upgrading the ca p a city o f th e Inlet Regulator bridge to loading T44 standard

are currently being investigated to determ ine a more cost-effective resolution to

the access problem .

Barrages

Excellent progress has been m ade this year on the upgrade o f the Barrages to

reduce occupational health and safety risk and im prove operational flexibility.

Installation o f handrails and upgrade o f the lift-and-latch system has been

com pleted on Ewe Island and Tauwitchere Barrages. Three sets o f 12 gates

(including trial fishw ays in tw o o f the sets) have been upgraded fo r rem ote

operation from the Goolwa O ffice or from cabinets on the Barrages. One

p ro to ty p e vertical axis spindle gate has been installed at Mundoo Barrage and

five more have been fa b rica te d and delivered to site ready fo r installation in

the com ing year. The c o n ce p t design fo r a safer, m ore durable deck fo r Ewe

Island and Tauwitchere Barrages, including kerbs to im prove driver safety, has

been agreed and de ta iled design is alm ost com plete. Deck replacem ent w ill be

progressive over m any years as existing units reach the end o f th e ir useful lives

and are replaced.

The office at G oolw a Barrage has been extended to accom m odate the gate

control unit.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 3 9

The Low er Lakes and C oorong

Finniss Wellington i

^Bremer

LAKE

A L E X A N D R I A

Gooiwai

ioolwa arrage

fishways

LAKE ALBERT ? island iarrage

SOUTHERN OCEAN

Tauwitchere Barrage Rock ramp& vertical slot fishways '■Meningie

Navigable Passes and Fishways Project

The construction phase o f the N avigable Pass and Fishways Project started in

mid-2001. SA W ater is m anaging the p ro je ct under the dire ctio n o f a project

steering com m ittee, chaired by RMW, w ith representatives from SA Water,

D epartm ent o f Water, Land and B io d ive rsity C onservation (SA) and State W ater

(NSW ). The project involves:

• replacing the navigable pass section o f the w eir

• replacing piers constructed in the 1960s when th e navigable pass sections

were narrowed

• co nstructing a vertical slo t fishway.

4 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Early in the year co n stru ctio n a c tiv ity focused on com pleting works at Locks

7 and 8. The A ustralian G overnm ent Minister fo r the Environment, the Hon Ian

Campbell, o ffic ia lly opened the project at a cerem ony in August 2004.

Major construction a c tiv ity th ro u g h the year involved York Civil P ty Ltd

undertaking w orks at Lock 9. Having com pleted works at Locks 7 and 8 York

Civil was able to in co rp o ra te its earlier experience and delivered the com pleted

works w ithin b u d g e t and ahead o f schedule.

A t its m eeting on 1 A p ril 2 0 0 5 the Ministerial Council approved the award o f

con tra ct fo r w orks at Lock 10 W e n tw o rth to Built Environs. By the end o f the

financial year the firs t navigable pass pier had been poured and excavation for

the fishway had com m enced. C om pletion is scheduled fo r March 2006.

The detailed design and co n tra c t docum entation fo r construction of the navigable

pass upgrade and fishw ay is co m p le te d fo r Lock and W eir 1 and has started for

Lock and W eir 3. Trialling o f carp separation cages at Lock 9 in 2 0 0 5 -0 6 w ill

fo rm the basis fo r the m anagem ent o f carp at the proposed Lock and W eir 1

fishway, where carp co n tro l w ill be an im p o rta n t elem ent of fish management.

A Fish Passage Reference G roup oversees the design and functional

specifications fo r th e fishw ay program and provides advice to MDBC on fish

passage th ro u g h o u t th e Basin. The Fish Passage Reference Group comprises

fish passage specialists fro m New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and

Queensland; an in d e p e n d e n t fish scientist; and engineers and river operators

w ith an interest in fish passage. It is chaired by an o ffice r of MDBC.

M onitoring o f fish passage at Locks and Weirs 7 and 8 is already showing

encouraging signs, w ith ta rg e t species and size of fish achieving passage. An

unforeseen b e n e fit has been the discovery th a t some species, not previously

th o u g h t to be m igratory, are using or a tte m p tin g to use the fishway. There has

also been a m arked decrease in bird numbers at the three locks now fitte d w ith

e ffective fishways, indicating th a t fish are no longer accum ulating downstream of

these barriers.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 41

gppgne*-

W *" 1

Occupational health and safety

The safety o f staff, th e ir fam ilies and general public is a high p rio rity at all RMW

assets. Our ta rg e t is zero lost tim e injuries fo r staff. In the past year one lost-tim e

injury was sustained during RMW operations.

In 2 0 0 3 -0 4 significant works to im prove the safety of operations included the

follow ing.

• C om pletion o f handrails, upgrade o f the lift and latch mechanisms and

construction o f the revised sto p lo g retention system at the Barrages. This

pleasing result was achieved due to the c o m m itm e n t of the sta ff at the

Barrages.

• Commissioning of a p ro to ty p e vertical axis spindle gate and purchase o f

five more ready fo r installation at M undoo Barrage. The gates w ill replace an

awkward on-site stoplog liftin g op e ra tio n w ith a much safer hydraulic control

operation, fo r m ost flows.

■

• F urther im provem ents to the Tauwitchere Lock enabling safer operation of

this p u b licly operated lock.

• Further im provem ents in the safe operation of the weir at Lock and Weir 11

(Mildura), particularly relating to manual handling o f drop bars on the abutment.

Concept designs have been started to develop a safer method to handle the

drop bars on the weir itself or to replace the bars w ith another mechanism.

• The navigable passes at Locks and W eirs 7, 8 and 9 have now been upgraded

to avoid the use o f divers when reinstating this section o f the w eir after

m ajor flood events. An assessment was made o f the risks associated w ith

the rem ainder o f the w eirs (1 to 6,10 and 15) under revised operation rules

until all navigable passes are upgraded. It was concluded th a t the residual

risks associated w ith leaving the navigable passes in place during floods are

significantly less than th e risks associated w ith using divers. Until the program

is com plete, those w eirs n o t fitte d w ith new navigable passes w ill be closed

to boat passage du rin g floods, when the lock cham ber is not available fo r use.

• General im provem ents to w orkshop facilities and procedures, including

handling o f chemicals.

• The walkways on the dow nstream face o f D artm outh Dam to provide safe

access fo r surveillance s ta ff have been extended according to schedule.

R M W trip le b o tto m line report

Introduction

RMW has a d o p te d sustainability as one o f its guiding principles, and is moving

to integrate this p hilosophy into its culture, its operations and its management

systems. This approach is consistent w ith the COAG water reforms that led

to the fo rm a tio n o f RMW w ith in the MDBC and is in harm ony w ith the 2001

independent p ricin g review th a t proposed the introduction o f an ‘environm ental

dividend'. There is a stakeholder and public expectation that as a division o f the

MDBC, RMW should provide a benchm ark fo r sustainable environm ental and

social practices in river basin and w ater resource management, in addition to its

econom ic o b lig a tio n s under the COAG w ater reforms.

ANNUAL REPORT 2004-0S 4 3

In line w ith these obligations and expectations RMW w ill account for

its perform ance in pro m o tin g sustainable use o f water, land and other

environm ental resources o f the M urray-D arling Basin by p roducing an annual

'trip le b o tto m line’ report.

Sustainability strategy

The RMW strategy is founded on the Vision fo r River M urray Water, w hich

has been form ally endorsed by the RMW Board and the Murray-Darling Basin

Ministerial Council:

W ith in a g re e d fin a n c ia l, s o c ia l a n d e n v iro n m e n ta l o b je c tiv e s to s u s ta in th e s u p p ly o f

w a te r in th e R ive r M u rray S ystem .

This vision is carried forw ard in the RMW S trategic Plan 2 0 0 2 -2 0 0 7 and the

draft MDBC Strategic Plan 2 0 0 5 -2 0 1 0 , to g e th e r w ith perform ance indicators and

target dates fo r accom plishm ent.

Staff The business o f RMW is conducted by:

• a relatively small team m ostly based in Head O ffice, Canberra, focused on

management, river m odelling and system operations, and special projects

• three state governm ent co n stru ctin g a u th o ritie s focused on the site operation

and maintenance o f the w ater storage and d elivery assets, plant and

equipm ent, and associated land and buildings.

In Canberra, there are currently 25 s ta ff w ho are e ffe ctive ly dedicated to RMW

activities. Of these, tw o are m anagem ent, 15 professional, fo u r technical and

tw o adm inistrative support. W ith in the co n stru ctin g authorities, 120 people are

engaged in RMW activities.

For its own staff, RMW assumes d ire ct re sp o n sib ility fo r training, career

developm ent, occupational health and safety, and succession planning. The

constructing authorities have the prim e re sponsibility fo r these m atters fo r the

staff they em ploy to undertake RMW activities. However, RMW does actively

support them, particularly in OH&S and by encouraging them to keep up w ith

best practice maintenance m anagem ent. RMW takes a special interest in the

w ellbeing o f those sta ff located at the m ore rem ote assets th a t are not easily

4 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

k

accessible or well supported w ith normal com m unity services, endeavouring to

im prove the level o f am enity and w orking to create a sense o f 'RMW fam ily”.

Occupational health and safety

RMW operates and m aintains assets ranging w idely in size, com plexity, age and

facility. Some o f th e old e r structures were designed and constructed at a tim e

when there was less em phasis on OH&S. Some d iffic u lt challenges have been

overcom e in responding in a responsible way . Significant e ffo rt has been made

this year on m o d ifica tio n s to assets and changes in procedures to im prove the

safety o f personnel un d e rta kin g RMW's business.

The range of w orks includes:

• fundam ental changes to th e older lock and weir structures by upgrading

the navigable passes to avoid the need fo r divers to reinstate weirs afte r

w ithdraw al to pass flo o d s

• com pletion o f sig n ific a n t m ilestones in a package o f works at the Barrages

aim ed at im p ro vin g personnel safety as well as im proving river operation

efficiency

• adding w alkways to the dow nstream face of D artm outh Dam, a relatively new

and w ell-engineered stru ctu re , as a continuous im provem ent in safety.

The approach to OH&S has im proved so much over the past decade or so that

there is now a d e fin ite cu ltu re o f w orking safely am ong RMW and constructing

a u th o rity staff. This is seen across the range of activities from the first stages

of design of assets to the ro u tin e induction by constructing authorities of

contractors o r consultants before allow ing them o n to RMW assets to undertake

w ork or inspections.

Community relations RMW has no d ire c t or form al relationship w ith the ultim ate users o f the w ater it

delivers, or th e com m u n itie s th a t are affected by its operations in the states o f

New South Wales, V ictoria or South Australia. Nevertheless RMW seeks to build i

cooperative and colla b o ra tive relationships w ith these com m unities through:

• active p a rtic ip a tio n w ith com m unity organisations in the developm ent of

relevant m anagem ent plans, in particular the Land and W ater Management

Plans fo r Lake Hume and Lake Mulwala, and the options fo r the future for the

Mulwala B ridge

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 4 5

• publication o f routine operational advice as w ell as info rm a tio n about

specific events. Typical examples are the River Murray W eekly R eport on flow,

capacity and storage data, and the involvem ent o f stakeholders in a w eir pool

m anipulation event, w ith media releases before and during the events to keep

the public inform ed. The re p o rt is w id e ly d istrib u te d across the Basin via mail,

fax, and e-mail to more than 1000 recipients, as well as being posted on the

MDBC web page, where it is consistently am ong the 'to p te n ’ hits.

• providing safe and enjoyable access to sites it controls, subject to security

considerations. Public access is encouraged where possible by the provision

o f recreation facilities and in fo rm a tio n bays. C ontinuing im provem ent in

the safety, am enity and appearance o f RMW ’s assets by the constructing

authorities encouraged th ro u g h th e annual award o f the Senator Collings

Trophy to the best site (see page 34).

Environmental bottom line

Managing the river system

RMW’s charter is to determ ine the annual allocation o f the M urray-Lower

Darling w ater resource to the states under th e Agreem ent, and to deliver those

allocations in a sustainable w ay th a t m inim ises th e adverse im pacts on the River

Murray, the Lower Darling River and the reservoirs im pounded by RMW assets.

One o f the m ost significant ways RMW can m inim ise the adverse im pacts o f past

interventions on the M urray-Darling system and m axim ise the environm ental

benefits from its current activities is by th e w ay it operates th e river system.

In the current prolonged d ro u g h t c o n d ition s this is a great challenge but

significant advances have been made. For example:

• RMW has made a dram atic change to the Lake V ictoria foreshore

environm ent by altering the tim in g o f th e annual transfer o f w ater from Lake

Hume to Lake Victoria, as well as varying the levels at Lake V ictoria to provide

annual w e ttin g and drying.

• RMW has w orked w ith The Living Murray p ro je ct team s to develop new

operating rules and guide the design o f proposed new structures to prevent

unseasonal flo o d in g o f the Barmah-Millewa forests due to ‘rain reje ctio n ’

by irrigators.

4 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

e

Lock and W eir 11, Mildura, V ictoria

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 4 7

Both o f these program s have required more than com m itm ent o f tim e and e ffo rt

by RMW personnel. RMW has co m m itte d significant funds to purchase land or

easements around th e foreshore o f Lakes Victoria and Mulwala, and along the

River Murray riparian zone betw een Hume Dam and Yarrawonga Weir. O btaining

con tro l or rights over these areas has enabled more certainty to alter operations

fo r environm ental flo w reasons, and w ill minimise adverse im pacts from stock

and feral animals.

Electricity generation and consumption

The norm al o p e ra tio n s o f River Murray W ater are not energy-intensive. However,

the salinity m itig a tio n schemes do require electrical energy for pumping.

Electrical co n su m p tio n is m itig a te d by careful control and good maintenance.

This co nsum ption is more than o ffset by the production of hydroelectric power

from w ater releases fo r irrig a tio n purposes from River Murray W ater structures.

H ydroelectric po w e r stations are located at D artm outh Dam, Hume Dam and

Yarrawonga Weir.

Economic bottom line

Commercial structure RMW’s revenue is derived prim arily fro m th e three states th a t are its custom ers

and fro m the Australian Government. Charges are based on a surrogate pricing

model to 'break even’ on costs. No d ivid e n d s are paid.

A sum m ary of the RMW incom e and e xpenditure statem ent fo r 2 0 0 4 -0 5 is given

in Table 2.3. Table 2.4 shows the volum es o f w ater delivered fo r the year to each

o f the states.

D artm outh Dam, N ovem ber 2 0 0 4

I $

4 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Table 2.3: River Murray W ater income and expenditure, 2 0 0 4 -0 5

Η mm

INCOME

W a te r s to ra g e a n d

s u p p ly - A ccess

8 741 7 4 6 6 2 878 19 0 8 5 18 88 6

W a te r s to ra g e an d

s u p p ly - C o n s u m p tio n

3 746 3 2 0 0 1 233 8 179 8 0 9 4

S a lin ity m itig a tio n 3 86 7 3 867 3 86 8 11 6 0 2 13 8 0 0

P u b lic b e n e fic ia rie s 951 951 2 0 4 4 3 9 4 6 3 62 8

S u b to ta l (in c o m e fro m p r im a ry

c u s to m e rs )

17 3 0 5 15 4 8 4 10 02 3 42 812 4 4 4 0 8

H y d ro g e n e ra tio n 1 273 538

In te re s t 932 982

O th e r o p e ra tin g re v e n u e 519 519

S u b to ta l o th e r in c o m e 2 723 2 0 3 9

C a rry o v e r fro m p re v io u s y e a r 3 713 8 925

C a rry o v e r to fo llo w in g y e a r -2 4 8 0 -3 713

Total incom e 4 6 768 51 659

RECURRENT EXPENDITURE

W a te r s to ra g e & s u p p ly 23 955 18 382

S a lin ity m itig a tio n 3 893 3 104

N a v ig a tio n 1 188 1 574

R e cre a tio n a n d to u ris m 6 6 6 6 9 5

O th e r 221 298

Total re cu rre n t e x p e n d itu re 29 923 24 05 3

OPERATING SURPLUS 16 846 27 6 0 6

C o m m o n w e a lth c o n tr ib u tio n 5 503 6 957

TOTAL AVAILAB LE FOR INVESTIGATION AND

CONSTRUCTION

22 349 34 563

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-0 5 4 9

Table 2.4: State diversions from the River Murray and the lower Darling River

during 2003-04 (volumes of water delivered, GL)

N ew S o u th W ales 1 2 5 8 *

V ic to ria 1 418*

S o u th A u s tra lia 618+

TO TAL 3 2 9 4

* O p e ra tio n a l a n d h y d ro g ra p h ic d a ta , s u b je c t to re visio n.

+ A p p ro x im a te d a ta p ro v id e d b y th e SA D e p a rtm e n t o f W ater, Land an d B io d iv e rs ity

C o n se rva tio n .

Asset sustainability

RMW has been advocating fo r some tim e the in tro d u ctio n o f renewals

annuity funding, w hich w ould provide a relatively consistent basis fo r renewal,

replacem ent and refurbishm ent o f its in fra stru ctu re assets. In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 the

Australian Governm ent and th e V icto ria n G overnm ent com pleted arrangem ents

fo r enabling legislation to be considered by th e ir parliam ents. The governm ents

of New South Wales and South A ustralia have yet to finalise th e ir consideration

o f the proposed am endm ents and d ra ft enabling legislation.

Economic impact in the region

In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 RMW expended $48 m illion th ro u g h th e constructing authorities in

the states o f New South Wales, V ictoria and South Australia. This am ounts to

84 per cent o f RMW expenditure fo r th e year.

5 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

3. N atural Resource M anagem ent

Functions

The Living M urray in itia tive

S trategy and program s

River M urray W a te r Q ua lity M onitoring Program

Research and c o m m u n ica tio n

ia ffu n d e rta k k S T liS ^ ew South Wales border

Functions The Natural Resource M anagement (NRM ) Division supports the Commission

in undertaking its functions in relation to the planning, developm ent and

m anagem ent o f the water, land and o th e r environm ental resources o f the Basin.

The Division has lead responsibility fo r im plem enting, coordinating and

managing a num ber o f significant program s including:

• The Living Murray

• the Basin Salinity M anagement S trategy

• the Sustainable Rivers A u d it

• integrated Basin reporting

• interstate w ater trade

• the Cap on surface w ater diversions

• the developm ent of policy responses to risks to shared w ater resources

• the Native Fish Strategy.

In im plem enting Commission strategies and responsibilities, it is clear that:

• there are im p o rta n t inter-dependencies betw een Commission strategies (fo r

example, m o v in g w a te r (p ro d u ctio n , trade or environm ental w atering) w ill

have salinity im pacts)

• there are im p o r t a n t ris k s to the shared Basin resources th a t w ill im pact upon

m ultiple strategies (fo r example, clim ate change, reforestation and farm dams

all im pact upon catchm ent w ater yield, w hich in tu rn has im plications fo r the

Cap, w ater trade and environm ental w atering program s)

• b io p h y s ic a l p ro c e s s e s (the interaction betw een the land and the w ater) vary

across the Basin, and there is a strong relationship betw een these processes

and socio-econom ic factors

• e p is o d ic p ro c e s s e s are m ajor drivers o f biophysical processes across the

Basin. Cycles o f d ro u g h t and flo o d have a sig n ifica n t im pact on the future

m anagem ent o f the shared resources o f the Basin.

These factors w ill shape both the im plem entation o f existing policies and

strategies and developm ent o f new initiatives by th e partner governm ents and

the Commission.

5 2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

The Living Murray in itiative The year under review saw the M urray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council activate

The Living M urray (TLM ) Business Plan. The plan details how the Murray-Darling

Basin Ministerial C ouncil’s First Step Decision will be achieved.

The First Step Decision fo r The Living Murray focuses on m axim ising

environm ental benefits fo r six significant ecological assets along the Murray

th a t were chosen fo r th e ir high conservation, recreation, cultural, heritage and

econom ic value (see Figure 3.1). These are:

• Barm ah-M illew a Forest

• Gunbower and K o o n d ro o k-P e rrico o ta Forests

• Hattah Lakes

• Chowilla F loodplain (in c lu d in g Lindsay-W allpolla)

• Murray Mouth, C oorong and Lower Lakes

• River Murray Channel.

F ig u re 3.1: L o c a tio n o f th e s ix s ig n ific a n t e c o lo g ic a l assets

Hattah

Murray Mouth, Coorong & Lower Gunbower,

Koondrook-Perricoota Forests

VICTORIA

M u r ra y - D a rlin g B a s in

NEW SOUTH WALES ,

Chowilla Floodplain (including Lmdsay-

Wallpoila)

Barmah-Millewa sd»"*' Forest

River Murray Channel

ANNUAL REPORT 200 4-2 0 0 5 5 3

The First Step Decision included in p u t from com m unities th ro u g h meetings,

submissions, The Living Murray C om m unity Reference Panel, the C om m unity

A dvisory C om m ittee to the Ministerial Council and an Indigenous consultation

process undertaken w ith the Murray Low er Darling Indigenous Nations.

Further inform ation about The Living M urray First Step Decision can be found

at .

The Living Murray Business Plan

In A pril 2005, the Ministerial Council activa te d The Living Murray Business Plan.

The plan describes how the MDBC w ill im plem ent the actions and milestones

in the MDB Intergovernm ental A greem ent fo r the M urray-D arling Basin. This

includes the $5 0 0 m illion co m m itm e n t under COAG by the New South Wales,

Victorian, South Australian, ACT and A ustralian governm ents. There is also

$150 m illion fo r the Environm ental W orks and Measures Program agreed by the

Ministerial Council (see pages 5 6-59).

Key project areas under The Living M urray include:

• w ater recovery

• environm ental works and measures

• environm ental delivery.

In addition to these project areas, a co n su lta tio n and com m unication process is

in place. This targets individuals and groups w ho are likely to be im pacted upon,

or m aterially interested in a ctivitie s under the Business Plan and gives them an

o p p o rtu n ity to com m ent. Indigenous people are included in this process through

an agreed approach, w hich respects p a rtn e r g o vernm ents’ legislation and other

agreements.

W a te r recovery

The Ministerial Council agreed in N ovem ber 20 0 3 th a t ‘the w ater fo r [th e ] First

Step w ill come from a m atrix o f options w ith a p rio rity fo r o n-farm initiatives,

efficiency gains, infrastructure im provem ents and rationalisation, and m arket

based approaches, and purchase o f w ater from w illin g sellers, rather than by way

of com pulsory acq u isitio n ’. By providing technical s u p p o rt the MDBC plays an

im portant role in im plem enting initiatives w ith the p a rtn e r governm ents.

J

5 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

1 ^ b ·

W a r n _ _ _ _ _

Program highlights and achievements

There are three main streams o f a c tiv ity under TLM W ater Recovery Program:

These are:

• providing technical s u p p o rt fo r assisting w ith the im plem entation of four

initial w ater recovery packages in accordance w ith TLM Business Plan

• su pporting the d e ve lop m e n t o f potential new w ater recovery packages

• investigating th e p o te n tia l fo r w ater recovery by reducing river and storage

losses along the River Murray, Edward River and lower Darling River systems.

Technical support

On 26 Novem ber 2 0 0 4 , the M inisterial Council agreed in principle to the

im plem entation o f an initial fo u r w ater recovery packages, w hich w ill recover

240 GL at a cost o f $179 m illion. This is nearly half the w ater to be recovered

in the First Step Decision, co stin g about 35 per cent o f the $ 5 0 0 m illion Living

Murray investm ent. Investm ent plans are currently being finalised.

The fo u r w ater recovery packages are:

• G oulburn-M urray W ater Recovery Package, w hich will recover 145 GL o f

w ater at a cost o f $93 m illion

• Lake Mokoan W ater R ecovery Package, which will recover 24 GL of w ater at a

cost o f $13.7 m illion

• NSW W ater Recovery Proposal A, w hich will recover 9 GL o f w ater at a cost

o f $8.9 m illion th ro u g h a cquisition o f Innovative W ater Products

• NSW W ater Recovery Proposal B, w hich will recover 62 GL o f water at a cost

o f $63.25 m illion th ro u g h infrastructure im provem ent works such as pipelines.

The technical s u p p o rt p ro vid e d by the MDBC includes hydrological modelling,

the developm ent o f consistent protocols to assess w ater recovery projects (fo r

example, the volum e recovered and cost), and com m issioning independent

assessments.

As shown in Figure 3.2, additional w ater recovery ideas are likely to be required

w ith in the next fo u r years to fu lfil the indicative w ater recovery target of

5 0 0 GL in The Living Murray Business Plan w ithin five years, and the partner

governm ents are reviewing additional investm ent opportunities.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 5 5

F ig u re 3.2: C u m u la tiv e w a te r re c o v e ry p ro je c tio n s , 2 0 0 4 - 0 5 to 2 0 0 8 - 0 9

Target (500 GL at end of five years)

Possible clause 36 packages + cumulative infrastructure program projects (range)

More likely estimate

Possible cumulative water recovery for the four clause 36 packages

/ Z / /' ZzV Z Z / / / Z / / / Z ,/V

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2008-09 2007-08

year 4

Supporting the development o f new water recovery packages

The Commission has invested $1 m illion to undertake feasibility assessments

of infrastructure im provem ent p rojects fo r w ater recovery. Many o f these

projects aim to reduce w ater losses fro m e vaporation and seepage in irrig a tio n

districts, or evaporative losses from fre q u e n tly inundated w etlands connected

to w eir pools along the River Murray. As a result o f th is program , nine feasibility

assessments are under way in New South Wales, V icto ria and South Australia.

The E nvironm ental W orks and M easures Program

The Environm ental W orks and Measures Program is designed to com plem ent

the delivery o f environm ental flow s and im prove th e health o f the River Murray.

In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 the program m oved into its second year o f operation, w ith

31 projects im plem ented across the six significant ecological assets, or as

5 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

com plem entary investigations and actions. By June 2005, $18.5 million was

expended on a w id e range o f activities, as detailed in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1: Key EW MP deliverables

B arm ah-M illew a Forest

In v e s tig a tio n s a cro ss fiv e p ro je c ts $ 0 ,5 5 6 $ 0 ,676

Gunbower, K o o n d ro o k -P e rric o o ta Forests

In v e s tig a tio n s a cro ss tw o p ro je c ts

A p p ro v a l o f S ta g e 1 c o n s tru c tio n fo r th e G u n b o w e r F o re st $ 0 ,7 5 8 $0 ,873

H attah Lakes

In v e s tig a tio n s a cross o n e p r o je c t $ 0 ,0 8 7 $ 0 ,0 8 7

C how illa (in cl. L in d s a y -W a llp o lla ) F lo o d p la in

In v e s tig a tio n s a cro ss s ix p ro je c ts

A p p ro v a l o f S ta g e 1 c o n s tru c tio n fo r th e L in d s a y -W a llp o lla

F lo o d p la in

W a te rin g o f re d g u m s a t 11 s ite s o n th e C h o w illa F lo o d p la in

W a te rin g o f re d g u m s a t 17 s ite s o n th e L in d s a y -W a llp o lla

F lo o d p la in (in c lu d in g H a tta h L a k e s )

A p p ro v a l to p u rc h a s e m o b ile p u m p s fo r th e C h o w illa

F lo o d p la in

$ 2 ,633 $2 ,993

M urray M outh, C o o ro n g and L o w e r Lakes

In v e s tig a tio n s a c ro s s o n e p r o je c t

In s ta lla tio n o f 2 4 re m o te ly o p e ra te d g a te s a t th e B arrages $ 0 ,4 0 5 ' $ 0 ,825

R iver M urray Channel

In v e s tig a tio n s a c ro s s 11 p ro je c ts

F ish w a y c o n s tru c tio n

A p p ro v a l to c o n s tr u c t re fu g e h a b ita t tria l s ite

A p p ro v a l to c o n s tr u c t th e P a c k e r’s C ro ssin g re g u la to r

$6,105 $11,230

C o m plem e n ta ry in v e s tig a tio n s and actions

In v e s tig a tio n s a c ro s s fiv e p ro je c ts

C o m p le tio n o f m a n u a l o n w e tla n d an d flo o d p la in m o n ito rin g

C o m p le tio n o f g u id e lin e s fo r a c q u is itio n o f te rra in m a p p in g data

P ro g ra m m a n a g e m e n t

$1,146 $1,846

Total EWMP $11,690 $18,530

ANNUAL REPORT 20 0 4-2 0 0 5 5 7

20 04-05 achievements

Gunbower, Koondrook-Perricoota

Forests

A pproval to proceed to co n stru ctio n fo r

Stage 1 o f the Gunbower Environm ental

Flow M anagement project, including

construction o f the L ittle G unbow er Creek

and Barham Cut regulators, refurbishm ent

o f the Shillinglaws regulator and rem oval o f

W attles regulator. W attles re g u la to r - G unbow er Forest,

O cto b e r 2 0 0 4

Chowilla (including Lindsay-Wallpolla)

Floodplain

Approval to proceed to construction fo r

Stage 1 o f the Im proved Flow M anagem ent

o f the Lindsay-W allpolla System project,

including the construction o f regulators

fo r Horseshoe and W ebster’s Lagoons and

Lake Walla Walla.

W atering of 17 areas o f severely stressed

River red gums on the Lindsay-W allpolla

Floodplain (and also at Hattah Lakes).

The p e rm an ently inundated W ebsters Lagoon, w hich is to be dried o u t fo llo w in g co n stru ctio n o f an in le t con trol re gulator, March 2 0 0 4

W atering o f 11 areas o f severely stressed

River red gum s on the Chowilla Floodplain

including at W oolshed Creek.

A pproval to acquire tw o sets o f m obile

pum ping e q u ipm e n t to be utilised fo r fu tu re

red gum w atering activitie s on the Chowilla

Floodplain.

P um p and levy a t m o u th o f W oolshed Creek - C how illa Floodplain, March 2 0 0 5

5 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

L

Installation o f 24 rem otely operated

gates on the Barrages to provide greater

operational fle x ib ility and con tro l of water

Lower Lakes and th e C oorong estuary.

R em otely operated radial gates a t the Tauwitchere Barrage, June 2 0 0 4

River Murray Channel

A pproval to c o n stru ct a tria l refuge habitat to investigate the feasibility

o f im proving the g ro w th rate and survival o f native fish through the provision

o f a sheltered habitat.

C onstruction o f a new fish w a y at Lock 9.

A pproval to proceed to c o n s tru c tio n o f the Packer’s Crossing regulator

on the Darling Anabranch.

Complementary investigations and actions

C om pletion o f adap tive m anagem ent project, w ith a handbook o f recom mended

m ethods fo r w e tla n d and flo o d p la in m onitoring due to be released in July 2005.

C om pletion o f terrain m a pping o f the Lower Murray and Darling Rivers, w ith

detailed guidelines fo r the acquisition o f terrain m apping data available through

the EWMP team .

E nviro n m en tal d e liv e ry

The Living M urray E nvironm ental W atering Group developed The Living

Murray E nvironm ental W atering Plan fo r 2 0 0 5 -0 6 w ith the assistance o f the

Environm ental D evelopm ent team and the MDBC’s partner governments. The plan

was agreed to by the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council in November 2004.

It meets the in te rim arrangem ents fo r environm ental water management under

the 2 0 0 4 COAG Intergovernm ental Agreem ent on the Murray-Darling Basin.

ANNUAL REPORT 20 0 4-2 0 0 5 5 9

The Living Murray Business Plan identifies the role o f the Environm ental W atering

Group (EW G) and the need fo r asset environm ental m anagem ent plans to

guide w ater application at the sig n ifica n t ecological assets under the First Step

Decision. The Environm ental Delivery team provides executive s u p p o rt fo r the

EWG, w hich considers the developm ent o f asset environm ental m anagem ent

plans across the River Murray System and actions required to s u p p o rt th e ir

im plem entation.

W ith the assistance o f the Environm ental D elivery team, under The Living Murray

Business Plan the EWG developed the River Murray Channel Environm ental

Management Plan fo r 2 0 0 5 -0 6 as well as The Living Murray Environm ental

W atering Plan. Together w ith the rem aining asset environm ental m anagem ent

plans, these w ill guide environm ental m anagem ent across the river system in

2 0 0 5 -0 6 .

The Environm ental Delivery team co ntinued to w o rk w ith the RMW P roduction

team in identifying and c o n trib u tin g to the m anagem ent o f environm ental

w atering opp o rtu n itie s across the River Murray System, fo r example, the release

o f w ater from the Barrages and flo o d in g in the Gulpa Creek wetlands.

Spoonbill leaving nest, Barm ah Forest

W h ite Ibis chick in nest, Barmah Forest i i p

The past year has also seen the launch

o f a new website,

a u /liv in g m u rra y /m fa t/>, w hich enables

visitors to discover how the Murray

Flow Assessm ent Tool (MFAT) - a

decision s u p p o rt tool th a t assists in

m od e llin g environm ental flows - works

and to view the scie n tific inform ation

on w hich it is based. Reports produced

by the Environm ental Delivery team

include an assessment o f the health of

ve g e ta tio n on the Murray floodplain

(see A p p e n d ix E) and The Living

M urray - F oundation Report, due fo r

release in early 2 0 0 5 -0 6 .

6 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Risks to shared w a te r resources

Background

Following The Living M urray First Step Decision, the MDBC identified six key

processes which, if not addressed, could cause the flo w and quality of shared

w ater resources in th e Basin to decrease. The key processes (or risk factors)

currently id e n tified are:

• clim ate change

• increased g ro u n d w a te r use

• bushfires

• reforestation

• farm dams

• reduced return flow s fro m irrigation.

Ministerial Council has n o te d the potential im pact o f these key processes,

and endorsed the MDBC’s proposed actions to address the effects of these

issues. Im m ediate p rio rity has been given to bushfires and groundw ater use,

w ith strategies fo r o th e r risk factors to be developed in the m edium term . The

program o f a ctions to address these issues became the Risks to Shared W ater

Resources p rogram (Risks program ).

Program background, highlights and achievements

The Risks pro g ra m is fo rm u la te d on the follow ing components:

• current kno w le d g e base

• critical gaps in know ledge

• integrated assessment o f potential im pacts

• current m anagem ent arrangem ents

• id e n tify in g p o licy and m anagem ent options.

C om m unications planning fo r the Risks program is a p rio rity fo r 2 0 0 5 -0 6 . Using

the best available info rm a tio n the program aims to target priorities to im prove

the know ledge base and e ffe ctive ly support inform ed decision-m aking. A

sum m ary o f progress follows.

ANNUAL REPORT 200 4-2 0 0 5 61

Climate change (and variability)

Potentially, clim ate change and va ria b ility may be the m ost sig n ifica n t risk fa c to r

in the long term to Basin resources. In re co g n itio n o f the p o te n tia l significance

o f clim ate im pacts, the MDBC has id e n tifie d specific areas o f u n ce rta in ty to be

ta rg e te d in research w ith the o b je ctive o f im proving the confidence in m edium -

to lo n g -te rm clim ate im pacts on w ater resource availability. A three-year

collaborative research program com m enced in June 2005.

Groundwater use

A com prehensive review (undertaken to provide advice to the Com m ission and

Ministerial Council) o f available Basin g ro u n d w a te r inform ation indicates that:

• the trend in significantly increased g ro u n d w a te r use is p rojected to continue

• increased grou n d w a te r use is sig n ific a n tly im p a ctin g on stream flow and is

underm ining the surface w ater cap

• the sustainability o f g ro u n d w a te r use itse lf is also threatened in some aquifers

• availability of h ig h -q u a lity info rm a tio n on g ro u n d w a te r use is lim ited,

p a rticularly regarding co n n e c tiv ity o f surface and g ro u n d w a te r systems

• m etering, m onitoring and re p o rtin g requirem ents are a high p rio rity fo r

assessment of the im pacts of use on b o th surface and groundw ater, and

currently are not adequate to ensure sustainable m anagem ent o f the resource.

Bushfires

The MDBC is supporting the V ictorian G overnm ent’s Bushfire Recovery Program,

w hich includes a research pro je ct to estim ate and assess the im pacts of the

2 0 0 2 -0 3 bushfires on stream flow in the south-eastern Basin, in both the

im m ediate and m edium to long term.

Prelim inary results from this research p ro je ct suggest the im p a ct o f the bushfires

on stream flow w ill be significant, but may not be o f th e m a gnitude o f previous

estimates. The p ro je ct concludes at the end o f 20 0 5 , and the final results w ill then

be reviewed and p o te n tia lly included in an integrated assessment o f all risks.

Reforestation

The MDBC continues to co n trib u te to the understanding o f the im pacts of

plantation fo re stry on ca tch m e n t w ater yield and salinity th ro u g h m ajor research

projects. F urther investigations w ill be based on m ore accurate scenarios fo r new

6 2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

plantations in the Basin, fo llo w in g a com prehensive review o f new inform ation

from the Bureau o f Rural Sciences and others.

Farm dams

A recent investigation into the number,

size and capacity o f hillside farm dams

in the Basin (in the 5 0 0 -8 0 0 mm

rainfall zone) indicates th a t the

potential im pact o f farm dam s could be

greater than earlier estim ates indicated.

The study uses innovative m ethods and

the best available technology, and will

provide a platform fo r m ore detailed

analysis of the significance o f the

im pact o f farm dams.

Reduced return flows from irrigation

One result o f im provem ents in irrigation

efficiency is that less w ater w ill be

returned to the River from irrig a tio n

drains. C urrently th e p o te n tia l im pacts

are not well understood, b u t stream flow

could be reduced by as much as 90 G L/

year.1 A detailed in ve stig atio n into the

extent and scale o f these im pacts has

been developed.

Fire in G oulburn -Broken catchm ent

1 MDBC 2002, A nalysis o f D rainage Flows fro m

Irrigation D istricts, Technical R epo rt 2 0 0 2 -0 3 .

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 6 3

In terstate w a te r trad in g

Since the MDBC's Interstate W ater Trading Pilot Project began in A ugust 1998,

the net volum es o f e n title m e n t traded o u t o f New South Wales and V ictoria were

4465 ML and 10 720 ML respectively, w ith an equivalent net volum e o f 15 185 ML

traded into South Australia. In a ddition, a c tiv ity on tem p o ra ry m arkets w ith in and

between states was very high.

The p ilo t MDBC Interstate W ater Trading Project on the River Murray system,

w hich aims to allow irrigators and the environm ent to maximise th e returns

gained from available water, has continued. The P ro d u ctivity Commission has

highlighted the im portance o f trade in w ater entitlem ents when the supply of

w ater is reduced:

M o vin g fro m no tra d e to in tra - a n d in te r-re g io n a l tra d e to g e th e r m o re th a n ha lve s

th e im p a c t o f th e re d u c tio n s in w a te r o n th e g ro s s re g io n a l p r o d u c t o f th e s o u th e rn

M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin.2

A fte r a successful p ilo t scheme, p a rtn e r governm ents to the COAG National

W ater Initiative have agreed to expand perm anent interstate trade (subject to

environm ental and th ird -p a rty im pacts). The MDBC partners are fa c ilita tin g

this process w ith in the Basin by developing the technical and operational

mechanisms necessary to allow exchange betw een w ater entitlem ents o f

differing supply reliabilities in the southern interconnected Basin. The MDBC has

also assisted in the developm ent o f principles fo r access and exit fees.

The Council was scheduled to consider th e expansion o f perm anent interstate

w ater trading in late 2005. However, the current d ry co nditions may delay the

sta rt o f expanded perm anent interstate w ater tra d e until annual allocations

return to levels th a t w ill allow the conversion o f low er security w ater entitlem ents

to higher security w ater entitlem ents.

The MDBC is undertaking an analysis o f the relative costs and benefits o f using

exchange rates to convert traded entitlem ents com pared to a proposed system

o f ‘ta g g in g ’ traded entitlem ents. Exchange rates co n ve rt e ntitlem ents in th e state

o f origin to e ntitlem ents in the state o f destination. Under a ‘ta g g in g ’ regime, the

original characteristics o f the traded entitle m e n t are retained.

2 See Deborah Peterson et at, ‘M odelling W ater Trade in the S outhern M urray-D arling Basin',

N ovem ber 2 0 0 4 , < w w w .p c.g o v.a u /re se a rch /sw p /w a te rtra d e /in d e x.h tm l>.

I

6 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Water entitlem ent and efficiency of use

Preserving the balance between environmental and consumption

uses (the Cap)

The MDBC has taken a range of measures to redress the existing imbalance

betw een co nsum ption and environm ental use o f w ater resources in the Basin.

The aim is to p ro m o te the health o f the river system and enhance the efficiency

o f w ater use. These measures include the in troduction of the Cap, The Living

Murray, the Sustainable Rivers A u d it (SRA) and expansion o f perm anent

interstate w ater trading.

In 1995 the M inisterial C ouncil decided to cap diversions in the Murray-Darling

Basin. This decision, now called 'th e Cap’, was one o f the m ost im portant

initiatives ever undertaken by Council. As directed by the Ministerial Council,

the Independent A u d it G roup (IAG) conducted the annual review o f Cap

im plem entation in O c to b e r 2 0 0 4 and reported to the Commission in March 2005

(see box pages 66 to 67).

Renmark on the River Murray, South Australia, Novem ber 2 0 0 4

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 6 5

Cap audit

The Cap is the balance struck by the Ministerial Council between the

significant economic and social benefits that have been obtained from

the development of the Basin’s w ater resources on the one hand, and the

environmental uses of water in the rivers on the other.

The IAG conducted a Special A u d it o f th e com bined B a rw o n -D a rlin g /L o w e r

Darling Valley o f New South Wales in A p ril 2 0 0 5 and confirm ed its earlier

finding that diversions in these valleys had exceeded the lon g -te rm Cap.

Based upon the determ ination by the IAG, the Commission, in June 2005,

declared the com bined B a rw o n -D a rlin g /L o w e r Darling Valley in breach o f the

Cap. As a consequence o f that, New South Wales will report to the Ministerial

Council m eeting in Septem ber 2 0 0 5 on th e reasons fo r excessive diversions in

the valley, the m anagem ent actions proposed and the tim e it w ill take to bring

the diversion w ithin the Cap limits.

An audit of the Cap data m anagem ent system o f the states and the

Commission office conducted by Marsden Jacob & Associates identified scope

for im proving the accuracy o f m easurem ents fro m river off-takes and o f the

Cap reporting system. A set o f stru ctu re d actions were initiated to respond to

the findings and recom m endations o f the A udit.

The Independent A u d it Group provided qualified s u p p o rt fo r the

New South Wales proposal to introduce new arrangem ents fo r the Barw on­

Darling to apply fo r 2 0 0 5 -0 6 .

An independent auditor conducted the technical a u d it o f five Cap models,

tw o each from V ictoria and New South Wales and one from South Australia, as

p a rt o f the accreditation o f Cap models by the Commission. The Commission

approved tw o Cap models during the year, b rin g in g the to ta l models approved

to three. O ther Cap models are expected be aud ite d and approved during

2 0 0 5 -0 6 and 2 0 0 6 -0 7 .

South Australia

Diversions in South Australia were w ith in the lim its set by the Cap.

Victoria

Diversions in all Cap valleys were w ith in the lim its set by the Cap.

6 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

-

The assessment o f the Cap com pliance fo r the G w ydir Valley could not be

done because the Cap ta rg e t fo r 2 0 0 3 -0 4 was not made available.

An assessment o f Cap com pliance fo r the NSW B order Rivers was not possible

because the Cap had n o t been defined in th a t valley.

Diversions were w ith in th e lim its set by the Cap in the rem ainder of

New South Wales.

New South Wales should re p o rt to the Ministerial Council m eeting in

Septem ber 2 0 0 5 on the u n d e rlyin g reasons fo r excessive diversions in the

com bined B a rw o n -D a rlin g /L o w e r Darling Cap Valley including m anagem ent

actions proposed to b rin g diversions w ithin Cap limits.

Queensland The w ater resource plans fo r the B order Rivers, Moonie and P a ro o /W a rre g o /

Nebine becam e law in D ecem ber 2 0 0 3 and Condam ine-Balonne in August

20 0 4 .

D raft Resource O perations Plans fo r the Moonie and W arrego/P aroo/N ebine

w ere released fo r p u b lic co n su lta tio n in February 2005 and were expected to

be finalised by Ju ly 2005.

Prelim inary w o rk has begun on the Resource O perations Plans fo r the Border

Rivers and C ondam ine-B alonne.

Finalisation o f th e B order Rivers Resource Operations Plan is dependent

on the o u tco m e o f n e g o tia tio n s under the Inter-G overnm ental A greem ent

betw een Q ueensland and New South Wales.

Australian Capital Territory The IAG encourages the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales to

co m p le te th e ir n e g o tia tio n s on the form o f a Cap to apply to the Australian

Capital T errito ry and the surrounding region.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 6 7

S alinity

Highlights 20 04-05

In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 Ministerial Council:

• noted th a t significant progress has been m ade in im plem enting the Basin

Salinity M anagement S trategy (BSMS) in 2 0 0 3 -0 4 as reported by the

Independent A u d it Group fo r S alinity (lA G -S a lin ity)

• noted the areas highlighted by the lA G -S alinity as requiring additional effort,

including assessment o f salinity im pacts o f new irrigation developm ent,

im provem ents to the salinity registers, and activities to align catchm ent

planning w ith end-of-valley salinity targets

• noted th a t South Australia has d em onstrated its salinity a cco u n ta b ility fo r the

period 1988-2003 and endorsed the C om m ission’s decisions in this regard

• agreed to ad o p t the end-of-valley targets fo r salinity su b m itte d by New South

Wales, Queensland and South Australia.

In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 the Commission:

• com m ended South Australia on the extensive and rigorous assessment th a t

it has undertaken o f salinity credits and d ebits due to accountable actions

since 1988

• agreed th a t South Australia has kept its to ta l o f salinity credits in excess of

salinity debits since 1988 and approved South A ustralia’s estim ated salinity

credits and debits for inclusion in the S alinity Register A

• noted th a t in South Australia due to the delayed gro u n d w a te r impacts,

a long-term salinity im pact has been set in train due to post-1988 new

irrig a tio n developm ent associated w ith w ater trade, and th a t a zoning policy

has been developed to d ire ct future irrig a tio n developm ent away from high

im pact zones (and into low im pact zones)

• a d opted new cost functions to sim ulate the econom ic effects on w ater users

o f the salinity, salt load and flow regim e in the River Murray, in accordance

w ith Schedule C Clause (36) to the A greem ent

• approved the BSMS 2 0 0 5 -0 8 sum m ary w ork program developed by

the BSMS im plem entation w orking group, and including the risks and

recom m endations identified by the lAG-Salinity.

6 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Performance assessments and achievements

The lA G -S alinity un d e rto o k its second audit during Novem ber 2004. It identified

significant progress in

• establishing baseline co nditions

• setting e nd-of-valley targets

• accreditation o f m odels to evaluate salt loads in streams

• developing approaches to evaluating the im pacts of perm anent water trade

• establishing S alinity Registers A and B.

The lAG -S alinity had concerns ab o u t delays in im plem enting some of the

rolling five-year reviews o f th e valleys; the lim ited capacity and skills available

fo r identifying and evaluating w ithin-valley trade-offs when making investm ent

decisions in regional plans; delays in im plem enting w ithin-valley m anagem ent

actions; lack o f progress in se ttin g up m onitoring systems appropriate to

the targets set w ith in valleys; and the problem s associated w ith longer-term

m aintenance o f systems, data m anagem ent and inform ation generation.

Junction of Darling and Murray rivers, W entw orth, New South Wales, Novem ber 2 0 0 4

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 6 9

Basin Salinity Management Strategy 2001-15

The Basin Salinity Managem ent S trategy 2001-15 provides a com prehensive

approach to addressing one o f the m ost challenging environm ental issues facing

the Basin and is consistent w ith the Integrated C atchm ent M anagem ent Policy

(ICM Policy). Targets established fo r river salinity in each trib u ta ry valley and

the M urray-Darling system itself reflect shared responsibility fo r action betw een

valley com m unities and betw een states. It provides a stable and accountable

fram ew ork that, over time, w ill generate confidence in progress o f jo in t e ffo rts to

manage salinity.

Under the BSMS, partner governm ents have agreed over the next 15 years to:

• develop capacity to im plem ent the BSMS

• id e n tify values and assets at risk

• set salinity targets

• manage tra d e -o ffs w ith the available w ith in -va lle y options

• im plem ent salinity and catchm ent m anagem ent plans

• redesign farm ing systems

■ ta rg e t reforestation and ve getation m anagem ent

• co nstruct salt interception works

• ensure Basin-wide a cco u n ta b ility th ro u g h m onitoring, evaluating and

reporting.

The BSMS im plem entation w orking g roup m et fo u r tim es during 2 0 0 4 -0 5 ,

initiating a range o f activities to ensure e ffe ctive im plem entation o f the BSMS.

Communications The BSMS Com m unications Plan, w hich provides a strategic overview and

direction, has been developed and approved by the BSMS IWG. P riority actions

under the plan include im proving info rm a tio n exchange betw een the MDBC and

the pa rtn e r governm ents, and com m unicating in a consistent way the positive

achievem ents and challenges related to the im p le m e n ta tio n o f the BSMS across

the Basin.

Basin salinity target

Salinity levels in the River Murray, w ith the exception o f the Low er Lakes, were

very low during 2 0 0 4 -0 5 — well below the Basin salinity ta rg e t (less than

8 0 0 EC fo r 95 per cent o f the tim e at Morgan in South A ustralia). This was due

7 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

L

to a num ber o f factors, including a high pro p o rtion o f flows sourced from Hume

and D artm outh storages and low levels o f saline groundw ater in flows from the

Mallee and Riverina plains. S alinity levels in other areas, however, including lakes

A lb e rt and Alexandrina, rose due to a lack o f flushing flows, and large volumes of

salt continue to accum ulate in the floodplains of the lower reaches of the river.

F ig u re 3.3: D a ily s a lin ity le v e ls a t M o rg a n , m id M ay 2 0 0 4 - m id M ay 2 0 0 5

1000

Australian Drinking Water Guideline Limit (800 EC)

‘Without intervention’ salinity levels (no salt interception schemes and dilution flows)

Recorded salinity levels

Effect of salinity management*

200 -------

01/06/2004 01/03/2005 01/12/2004 01/06/2005 01/09/2004

‘ S a lin ity e ffe c t ranges b e tw e e n 170 EC (2 0 th p e rce n tile ) and 2 6 0 EC (8 0 th p e rc e n tile ) fo r th is p eriod.

i

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 71

Table 3.2: Historical salinity data at Morgan

1 ye a r

J u ly 0 4 - Ju n e 05 3 9 4 374 519

5 yea rs

J u ly 0 0 - Ju n e 0 5 4 6 6 451 66 7

10 years

J u ly 95 - Ju n e 05 5 0 5 5 0 7 710

25 years

J u ly 8 0 - Ju n e 05 591 5 6 5 1010

Basin salinity strategy achievements

In response to the lAG -S alinity findings and in planning fo r the im plem entation

o f core elements o f the strategy, a p rio rity w o rk plan has been developed and

agreed to by Commission. The plans encom pass key im plem entation them es

including assessment of irrig a tio n im pacts, salt in terception works, in-stream

salinity management, catchm ent planning and im plem entation and ensuring

basin-wide accountability.

The BSMS Im plem entation R e p o rt 2 0 0 3 -0 4 was endorsed by Commission in

March 2005. Ministerial Council agreed to p u b licly release the R eport o f the

Independent A u d it Group fo r S alinity 2 0 0 3 -0 4 and a non-technical sum m ary

brochure in A pril 2005.

A th ird m odelling forum was held in A p ril 2005. The main outcom es were to:

• establish confidence in the use o f m odels in p o licy form ulation

• highlight the need fo r access to data across ju risd ictio n s and institutions

• com m unicate the benefits o f m odelling to regional catchm ent authorities.

7 2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Salt interception schemes

RMW operates seven jo in tly funded salt interception schemes along the banks of

the Murray River (see Figure 3.4). These schemes intercept saline water flow s that

w ould otherw ise enter the River, thereby keeping its salinity at acceptable levels.

The efficiency and ca p a city o f the existing schemes are constantly m onitored,

and fu rth e r schem es are being investigated and constructed. The salt is captured

in disposal basins; investigations are continuing into the com m ercial use o f the

resulting products. Successful disposal will place salinity m itigation on a more

sustainable basis.

Figure 3.4: Salt interception schemes

M organ—^Renm ark

Adelaif

irra y B ridge

Curlwaa Groundwater Interception Scheme

φ Lake Hawthorn Drainage Scheme

φ Buronga Groundwater Interception Scheme’

Psyche Bend Drainage Diversion Scheme

Q Mildura-Merbein Groundwater Interception Scheme*

φ Mallee Cliffs Groundwater Interception Scheme’

φ Barr Creek Drainage Diversion Scheme*

φ Waikerie Groundwater Interception Scheme’

φ Woolpunda Groundwater Interception Scheme*

^ Noora Drainage Disposal Scheme

φ Rufus River Groundwater Interception Scheme* • O perated b y RMW.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 7 3

Barr Creek Drainage Diversion Scheme (Victoria)

This scheme was effective in reducing the salt load reaching the River Murray.

W ith the exception o f a num ber o f sh o rt duration pum p outages due to either

pow er failure or repairs, pum ping fro m Barr Creek was in accord w ith the current

operating rules. During the year 12 0 6 8 ML o f w ater containing 54 913 tonnes of

salt was diverted from Barr Creek to the Tutchew op Lakes.

Mildura-Merbein Scheme (Victoria)

This scheme operated in accordance w ith the operating criteria, although

pum ping rates on some o f the w e llp o in ts were slig h tly below design capacity.

Due to a num ber o f recurring operational problem s, four o f the pum ping sites

have been out o f service fo r m ost o f the year. Remedial investigations are

continuing in conjunction w ith the investigations to optim ise salt interception

w ithin the Sunraysia region.

Mallee Cliffs Interception Scheme (New South Wales)

Scheme perform ance during the year has ensured th a t the scheme continues

to significantly reduce im pacts o f saline g ro u n d w a te r on dow nstream salinity.

Efforts are continuing to o ptim ise th e perfo rm a n ce o f the scheme to provide the

best possible outcom e fo r the River Murray. A d d itio n a l g roundw ater m onitoring

bores have been installed in the area o f th e a lte rn a tive enhanced leakage pit.

Buronga Salt Interception Scheme (New South Wales)

The Buronga Interception Scheme was o rig in a lly b u ilt in 1979 w ith upgrade

w ork carried out in 1988. In June 2 0 0 4 approval was granted to rehabilitate and

augm ent this scheme to replace the d e te rio ra tin g in frastructure and provide

additional interception capacity as p a rt o f the in te g ra tio n o f salt interception in

the Sunraysia region.

W ork has now been com pleted on the re h a b ilita tio n and augm entation o f this

scheme. A to ta l o f 9.9 km o f pipeline has been constructed, to g e th e r w ith eight

new g roundw ater pum ping stations. The new bore sites op tim ise g roundw ater

benefits in V ictoria as well as in New South Wales. In a ddition, the rising main to

the disposal basin includes spare pum ping ca p a city to address fu tu re regional

disposal requirements.

7 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Woolpunda Salt Interception Scheme (South Australia)

In general, the W oolpunda Salt Interception Scheme has achieved its design

targets. C onsequently the pum ping rates have been reviewed, resulting in a

general reduction o f flo w and the o p p o rtu n ity to maximise off-peak pow er use.

In addition, a review o f the original m onitoring bores was undertaken during the

year. This w ork has q u a n tifie d salt loads entering the River valley and identified

w hat has been retained w ithin the floodplain. Based on this work, the operation of

the scheme can be m odified to control salt reaching the floodplain and/or the River,

Waikerie Salt Interception Scheme (South Australia)

An extensive review o f the W aikerie Salt Interception Scheme was carried out in

2 0 0 4 -0 5 to identify further interception opportunities to the west of these works, as

well as possible enhancements o f the original works. This has resulted in the pumping

rates of individual bores being reduced w ith o u t com prom ising the effectiveness

o f the scheme to m inim ise pum p in g w hile m aintaining scheme effectiveness.

In addition, fu rth e r in te rce p tio n o p p o rtu n itie s have been identified and w ill be

presented to the C om m ission fo r consideration during 2 0 0 5 -0 6 .

■ .

1 "'"i"" mm”**"I v M M M M S a & g

■

_______ ■ ·."·" ' ":τ~-· ·· *

O utfall stru cture fo r the Buronga Salt Interception Scheme

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 7 5

Rufus River Salt Interception Scheme (South Australia)

All fo u r w e llp o in t lines have been successfully operating in accordance w ith the

operating criteria and have drawn th e g ro u n d w a te r levels dow n to just below

target. The im plem entation o f an e ffe ctive iron bacteria co n tro l system, to g e th e r

w ith the m ore recently im plem ented m ethods o f acid cleaning o f the spears

and pipelines, have greatly assisted w ith keeping the scheme operational and

significantly increasing the intervals betw een cleaning operations.

In accordance w ith Schedule C to the A greem ent, and as sta te d in the BSMS

O perational Protocols, a p ro g ra m o f jo in t w orks and measures c u rre n tly involving

an a d d ition a l fo u r schemes has been established to o ffse t the p re d ic te d fu tu re

increase on the average sa lin ity a t M organ arising from accountable actions and

delayed im pacts b y a to ta l o f 61 EC b y D ecem ber 2007. These are o u tlin ed below.

Pyramid Creek Salt Interception Scheme

In December 2002, approval was g ranted to co n s tru c t the Pyramid Creek Salt

Interception and Harvesting Scheme as a jo in t w o rk as defined in Schedule C o f

the Agreem ent, at a total estim ated cost o f $12.7 million.

Pyramid Creek is an enlarged natural stream in northern V ictoria th a t is used as

a m ajor irrigation carrier. A p p ro xim a te ly 50 0 0 0 tonnes o f salt enters Pyramid

Creek each year from highly saline regional g ro u n d w a te r discharge, m ainly in

the upper reaches. W ater not d ive rte d fo r irrig a tio n eventually enters the River

Murray via the Kerang Lakes, the Loddon River and the L ittle Murray River.

The G roundw ater Interception Scheme w ill in te rc e p t this saline gro u n d w a te r

before it im pacts on the Ramsar-listed w etlands (Kerang Lakes) and the

River Murray and w ill provide 4.3 EC benefits to the River Murray at Morgan.

In addition, to o ffse t the operations and m aintenance costs o f this scheme, a

financial arrangem ent has been ne g o tia te d w ith a com m ercial salt harvester to

harvest salts from this interception w orks. To this end an agreem ent between

G oulburn-M urray W ater and Pyramid Salt Pty Ltd has been executed.

During 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , stage 1 w o rk was com pleted. This involves approxim ately

one-third o f the interception works and a p p ro xim a te ly half o f the salt harvesting

ponds. W ork has begun on stage 2 o f these works.

7 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Bookpurnong Salt Interception Scheme

In March 2003, th e Ministerial Council approved the construction o f the

B ookpurnong Scheme as a shared scheme between a Joint W ork and a State

A ctio n as defined in Schedule C to the A greem ent at a total estim ated cost of

$11.1 million.

The B ookpurnong - Lock 4 Prelim inary Land and W ater Management Plan,

prepared in 1999 by the Loxton and Bookpurnong Local A ction Planning Group,

identified the need fo r an integrated solution to issues of floodplain degradation,

irrigation drainage disposal and saline groundw ater discharge to the River

Murray. The plan included th re e main elements: im provem ent of an on-farm

irrigation efficiency; in te rce p tio n o f saline groundw ater before it reaches the

river; and disposal o f inte rce p te d w ater through an existing and underused

pipeline to Noora Basin.

It is estim ated th a t the in te rce p tio n o f saline groundw ater will achieve a total

benefit at Morgan o f 32.5 EC units (20.5 EC fo r the jo in t works com ponent and

12 EC fo r the State A ctio n com ponent).

C onstruction o f th e bore fie ld and stage 1 o f the pipe-laying contract were

com pleted in June 2 0 0 4 . Stage 2 o f the pipe-laying to collect saline w ater from

13 floodplain bores is expe cte d to com m ence in July 2005. Stage 3 o f the pipe­

laying, to co m p le te the highland borefield connections, will be carried o u t in

2 0 0 5 -0 6 .

Loxton Salt Interception Scheme This scheme is an extension o f the Bookpurnong Salt Interception Scheme and

was also id e n tifie d by in th e B ookpurnong - Lock 4 Preliminary Land and W ater

M anagem ent Plan.

In March 2 0 0 4 , th e M inisterial Council approved the construction of the Loxton

scheme as a shared schem e between a Joint W ork and a State Action as defined

in Schedule C o f th e A greem ent at a total estim ated cost o f $24 million.

It is estim ated th a t the interception o f saline groundw ater will achieve a total

b e n e fit at M organ o f 16.5 EC units (12.5 EC fo r the Joint W orks Com ponent and

4 EC fo r th e State A ctio n com ponent).

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 7 7

During 2 0 0 4 -0 5 around 50 per cent o f the observation and p ro d u ctio n bores

were drilled and pipes have been delivered fo r the laying o f a b o u t 7 km o f

4 5 0 mm diam eter MPVC pipeline, w hich is expected to begin in S eptem ber 2005.

Subject to funding, the scheme is expected to be fully comm issioned by early 2008.

Integration and optimisation of salt interception in the Sunraysia region

A com prehensive study to investigate possibilities fo r o p tim isin g salt in te rce p tio n

in the Sunraysia Region was in itia te d d u rin g 2 0 0 0 -0 1 The study takes a regional

‘no borders’ approach inco rp o ra tin g th e M ildura-M erbein, Buronga, Mallee Cliffs

and Psyche Bend salt interception schemes.

In June 2 0 0 4 the Commission was advised th a t the study had been finalised

and reviewed. Based on the fin d in gs o f this study, the Com m ission agreed

to the establishm ent o f a Sunraysia Regional S teering C om m ittee to oversee

a cross-border approach to salt in te rce p tio n and to im m ediately progress a

program o f investigations, w hich includes the establishm ent o f an integrated

m onitoring program , review disposal requirem ents in the region, rehabilitation

and augm entation requirem ent fo r the M ildura-M erbein interception scheme and

future operation o f lakes H aw thorn and Ranfurly.

Commission Salinity Registers

The Commission Salinity Registers are th e p rim a ry record o f p artner governm ent

accountability fo r salinity d e b its and credits.

Register A lists salinity credits and d e b its fo r actions th a t have occurred afte r the

baseline date (1 January 2 0 0 0 fo r Queensland and 1 January 1988 fo r New South

Wales, South Australia and V icto ria ) including th e ir salinity (EC) e ffe ct at Morgan

and salinity dam age cost to d ow nstream w a te r users.

Register B records debits fo r actions th a t o ccurred before the baseline date

( ‘Legacy o f H istory’), th e ir EC e ffe c t at Morgan, and th e ir salinity dam age cost.

It also records credits fo r actions taken a fte r the baseline date th a t w ill o ffse t

these impacts.

A sum m ary o f the Commission S alinity R egisters A a n d B is p re se n te d in

Table 3.3.

7 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Table 3.3: Summary of credits and debits (in equivalent EC) to Salinity Registers A and B (currently transitional)

■ 1

iC re d its an d d e b its fro m jo in t sche m es 14.8 14.8 0 0 29.5C re d its a n d d e b its fro m s ta te a c tio n s -8 .5 -4 .8 5.1 0 -8 .2Balance - R egister A 6.2 10.0 5.1 0 21.3 ■9C re d its and d e b its fro m jo in t sch e m e s 0 0 0 0 0C re d its an d d e b its fro m d e la y e d -3 .8 -4.1 -8 .6 -0 .3 -16.7S a lin ity im p a c tsBalance - R egister B -3 .8 -4.1 -8 .6 -0 .3 -16.7Balance - R egister A and B 2.5 5.9 -3.6 -0 .3 4.6"N o te : N e g a tive s in d ic a te s a lin ity d e b its . Please re fe r to th e BSMS A n n u a l Im p le m e n ta tio n R e p o rt 2 0 0 3 - 0 4 fo r th e d e ta ile d S a lin ity R e g iste r en tries.Sustainable Rivers A u d it 2 0 0 4 - 0 5The Sustainable Rivers A u d it (SRA) is a river health assessment program that started in July 2 0 0 4 a fte r successful trials over the previous three years. It aims to provide consistent, B asin-w ide inform ation on the health of the Basin’s rivers in order to p ro m o te sustainable land and w ater management. To achieve this, the program has now developed indicators and m ethods fo r river health assessment th a t are robust and consistent across catchm ents (and jurisdictions) and will be used repeatedly over tim e.The SRA program , th ro u g h the partner agencies, undertakes data collection across the Basin across th re e indicator them es - field sampling fo r fish and m acroinvertebrates and m odelling fo r hydrology - and then reports using a standard set o f indicators. The program has identified three more indicator them es to be fu rth e r developed - physical form, riparian vegetation and floo d p la in health.ANNUAL REPORT 200 4-2 0 0 5 79

Highlights

The SRA program design was finalised, w ith governance structures put in

place and a jo in t m onitoring effo rt, using consistent m ethods, started across

Queensland, New South Wales, V ictoria, South Australia and the Australian

Capital Territory.

The first full year o f m onitoring was co m pleted in June 2005, w ith some 5 0 0

sites across the Basin sampled fo r m acroinvertebrates and fish.

Inform ation is now being assembled to enable the first SRA Im plem entation

R eport to be prepared by the Independent Sustainable Rivers A u d it Group

and tabled to Commission in D ecem ber 2005. This re p o rt will build tow ards

the first audit o f basin river health, w hich w ill be tabled fo r Ministerial Council

in 20 0 7 -0 8 .

Achievements

The Sustainable Rivers A u d it Im plem entation W orking Group (SRAIW G) has

representation from each o f the five p a rtn e r governm ents and the CAC. The

w orking group is responsible fo r overseeing the im plem entation o f the SRA. Four

m eetings were held during 2 0 0 4 -0 5 and one year o f im plem entation has been

effectively supervised through this group.

The Independent Sustainable Rivers A u d it Group has provided direction fo r the

new themes and developm ent and ecological advice to the im plem entation

themes over the first year o f the audit. It has also form alised its schedule fo r

audit reporting and the processes fo r pro vid in g advice to the SRAIWG.

Financial service agreem ents were established betw een the MDBC and each

partner governm ent to form alise the cost-sharing arrangem ents fo r the audit.

Mapping o f stream netw orks and site selection was com pleted fo r 16 of the

23 valleys in the Basin. Fish and m acroin ve rtebrate sam pling was com pleted

to schedule, covering nearly half the Basin. Technical reference groups have

been established to s u p p o rt current sam pling fo r each them e (fish and

macroin vertebrates) and the three new them es under d e velopm ent over the next

three years (physical form , flo o d p la in health and riparian vegetation).

8 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Personnel involved in the Sustainable Rivers A u d it firs t annual

m eeting, Albury, June 2005

A com m unication plan and a program evaluation plan (covering conceptual

developm ent, risk m anagem ent, program design review and quality assurance)

have been developed.

The SRA program report, published in Novem ber 2004, sets out the basis fo r the

program and describes th e m o n ito rin g program in detail.

N ative Fish S tra te g y

In May 2 0 0 4 th e Native Fish S trategy (NFS) was released by the Chairman of

the M urray-D arling Basin M inisterial Council. This strategy is designed to bring

com m unities and governm ents to g e th e r to ensure th a t the Basin sustains viable

native fish p o p u la tio n s th ro u g h o u t its rivers over the next 50 years. The first year

o f the stra te g y has been successful in establishing m anagement arrangem ents to

achieve the objectives o f th e strategy over the next 50 years.

ANNUAL REPORT 200 4-2 0 0 5 81

Highlights

During 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , significant activities have included:

• increasing awareness o f the strategy across the Basin

• establishing the infrastructure fo r im plem enting the NFS, including the Fish

Managem ent and Science C om m ittee and ‘o n -g ro u n d ’ NFS coordinators in

each ju risdiction

• constructing and m onitoring the perform ance of fishways at locks and weirs

along the River Murray

• refining and p rom oting the 'dem onstration reach’ concept

• m ajor projects on fish re cru itm e n t and lateral m ovem ent in the B arm ah-

Miliewa Forest; daughterless carp; resnagging; and the qu a n tifica tio n o f fish in

w ater supply off-takes.

Annual implementation report

The Native Fish S trategy com pleted its firs t annual im plem entation re p o rt in

June 2005. This report provides a fram ew ork fo r the re p o rtin g o f national and

state progress tow ards im plem entation o f the NFS.

The first year o f the strategy has been successful in se ttin g up a way forw ard

for native fish m anagem ent over the next 50 years. The im plem entation report

provides a synopsis o f w ork in each o f the six key areas o f the strategy:

• rehabilitating fish habitat

• p ro te ctin g fish habitat

• managing fish translocation and stocking

• p ro te ctin g threatened species

• co n tro llin g alien fish species

• managing riverine structures.

Future NFS annual im plem entation reports w ill con tin u e to track the progress

made in each o f the jurisdictions in regard to native fish m anagem ent, as well as

th a t made by the Commission itself. Copies o f th e annual im plem entation report

are available from the MDBC office or the MDBC w ebsite .

8 2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Sea to Hume Dam fish passage program

D uring the past year, fishways were com pleted at Lock 7, Lock 9, and at

Tauwitchere Barrage.

A to ta l of 59 821 fish w ere sam pled from the Lock 1-3 sites between Sept

2001 and Feb 2005. So fa r 4747 fish have had Passive Integrated Transponder

(PIT) tags inserted as p a rt o f the Murray River Fishways Assessment Program;

2266 dow nstream o f Locks 1-3 and 2481 in the vicin ity o f Lock 7 and 8.

Golden perch and com m on carp were the m ost abundant PIT tagged species

recorded at the Lock 7 and 8 fishways follow ed by Silver perch, Murray cod

and Bony herring.

Investigative w o rk co n tin u e d on a num ber of innovative projects designed to

im prove the effectiveness and cost efficiency o f future fishways.

Community stakeholder group’s Darling River tour

PIT tag being inserted into com m on carp

On 16 May 2 0 0 5 , m em bers o f the MDBC C om m unity Stakeholder Group, NFS

coordinators and MDBC NFS program staff left Moree for a week-long to u r

o f the Darling River. The purpose o f this to u r was to engage the Darling River

com m unity, raise awareness o f the NFS, and discuss local issues relating to native

fish in the region.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 8 3

Children learning the s to ry o f the

G olden perch, W arrego River, Queensland

Native fish and wetlands workshop

On 7 and 8 June 2005, the MDBC hosted a w orksh o p en title d ‘Native fish

and wetlands', another in the series o f w orkshops held under the NFS. Fish

scientists and managers, as well as representatives fro m local governm ent,

catchm ent m anagem ent authorities, recreational fishing, and the conservation

movem ent, attended the workshop. P articipants heard presentations from a

num ber o f experts the ecology and m anagem ent o f both native and alien fish

in wetlands, and discussed means o f raising co m m u n ity awareness o f these

issues. Key recom m endations and a prio ritise d a ctio n plan w ill be included in the

proceedings o f the workshop, w hich w ill be finalised in late 2005.

Murray cod reference group

Follow ing a recom m endation from the successful w orkshop on the m anagem ent

and conservation o f Murray cod in June 2004, a M urray cod reference g roup was

form ed to advise on key issues such as:

• the identity, size, stru ctu re and dynam ics o f cod populations

• the level o f fishing catches from cod populations

8 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

• co m m u n ity liaison and involvem ent

• the adequacy o f current m anagem ent arrangem ents to p ro te ct the Murray cod.

Carp control

The MDBC fu n d e d $1.38 m illion in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 tow ards the developm ent o f

‘daughterless c a rp ’ te c h n o lo g y by the Pest Anim al Control Cooperative

Research Centre. Medaka (Japanese rice fish) was selected fo r testing o f

d iffe re n t daughterless g e n e tic constructs. These constructs have been b u ilt and

integrated into th e Medaka fish, w hich are then grow n to a d ulthood and crossed

w ith suitable o ffs p rin g to d e te rm in e w hether a daughterless construct works.

This allows scientists to see w h e th e r the co nstruct is present and fu n ctio n in g in

the rig h t way, cre a tin g m ale fish only. To date, tw o constructs have reached this

stage o f developm ent.

Some o f the o th e r p ro je cts under this program th a t contribute to the overall

focus on carp m anagem ent include:

• validating th e age o f c a rp fro m sub-tropical parts o f the Murray-Darling

catchm ent

• integrated ta g g in g fo r d e te rm in in g m ovem ent and m igration o f carp

• id e n tificatio n o f ‘hot sp o ts ' o f carp reproduction

• developm ent o f a national generic response plan fo r incursions of alien

freshw ater fish

• sensory a ttra c ta n ts /re p e lle n ts fo r control o f pest fish.

As well, im provem ents in design and perform ance continue to be made by

o fficers o f A rth u r Rylah In stitu te and others on the W illiam s’ ‘Carp Separation

Cage’ fo r use at fishways.

Demonstration reaches

Raising awareness

Raising the awareness o f th e dem onstration reach concept w ith the com m unity

and pa rtn e r governm ents is critical to its success. Accordingly, papers were

presented a t key conferences in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , including the Fourth Australian Stream

M anagem ent C onference in Launceston, O ctober 2 0 0 4 and the Fourth National

W aterw atch Conference in Melbourne, February 2005.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 8 5

Workshop in Queensland Representatives fro m Queensland state agencies, regional bodies, Landcare,

research institutions, fishing organisations and conservation groups m et at a

dem onstration reach w orkshop in S tanthorpe du rin g May 2005. The w orkshop

was an o p p o rtu n ity fo r p articipants to learn more ab o u t the dem onstration

reach concept, to discuss existing o p p o rtu n itie s and activities, id e n tify

potential dem onstration reach sites, and to agree a way forw ard to establish

dem onstration reach sites in the Queensland M urray-Darling Basin.

Publications During the last year the MDBC released the N ative Fish S trategy Annual

Im plem entation R eport 2 0 0 3 -0 4 . This reports on the first year o f im plem entation

o f the NFS and provides a fram ew ork fo r re p o rtin g on progress at both state and

Basin level. Future reports w ill continue to track progress in im plem enting the

NFS by partner governm ents and by the Commission.

A range o f publications was also developed to raise awareness on issues such as

the role of large w oody debris as fish habitat, fish ta g g in g technology, and the

concept of dem onstration reaches.

Indigenous A ction Plan

The Indigenous A ction Plan (IAP) p ro je ct team finalised a series o f Nation-

based forums. The team also established a relationship w ith Indigenous groups

in the northern Basin, w ith a fa c ilita to r to s u p p o rt this process and to assist in

establishing a consistent approach on both sides o f the Queensland-NSW border.

The IAP team held a series o f m eetings w ith Indigenous po licy sta ff from the

various p artner governm ents of the Basin to develop a collaborative w orking

relationship. This w ill both fa cilita te fu tu re IAP im p le m e n ta tio n processes and

the sharing o f know ledge to create a synergy betw een state and Australian

G overnm ent po licy and the IAP.

Throughout the year the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations

(MLDRIN), the C om m unity A dviso ry C om m ittee (CAC), the IAP project board,

and the integrated catch m e n t m anagem ent policy co m m itte e (ICM PC) each

con trib u te d to the preparation o f the IAP.

8 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Briefing of pa rticipan ts in the ANU Field Studies program by members o f the local com m unity aboard PS Ruby, W entw orth, New South Wales, A pril 2 0 05

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 8 7

C apacity-building a ctivitie s this year include:

• com m encem ent of course 3 o f the MDB Leadership Program. This brings the

to ta l num ber o f leadership course participants to 47

• com pletion o f a m ajor stu d y on quantifying and valuing land use change in

the M urray-Darling Basin th a t trialled a new, more cost-effective way o f using

rem ote sensing to estim ate land and w ater use in the Basin. The re p o rt also

provides info rm a tio n on land use and agricultural revenue on a catchm ent

basis, as shown in Figure 3.5.

Basin C om m u nities Program

The aims o f th e MDBC’s Basin C om m unities Program (as established by the

MDBC 2001 Human Dimension S trategy) are to:

• build the capacity o f the natural resource m anagem ent sector in the Basin

• sup p o rt go o d w orking partnerships between Basin com m unities and the

partner governm ents.

Figure 3.5: Amount and proportions of gross revenue from broad agricultural land uses by catchment management region in the Murray-Darling Basin, 2000-01

M a ra n o a -B a lo n n e

G w y d ir

N a m o i

W e s te rn

L o w e r M urray : D a rlin g ■

r- C e n tra l W e st

L a ch la n

R iv e r M u rra y

M allee M u ru m b id g e e

M u rra y

N o rth East

W im m e ra

N o rth C e n tra l

G ouJbUrh

gp 1 B o rd e r R ivers (_/ '4 (OLD)

Revenue from broad agricultural land uses 2000-01

The MDBC continues to s u p p o rt the C ooperative Venture fo r C apacity Building

in Rural Industries (m anaged through the Rural Industries Research and

D evelopm ent C orporation). The Cooperative Venture provided a submission to

a House o f Representatives inquiry into rural skills training and research in May

2005, based on studies undertaken over the last tw o years w hich outlined the

changing nature o f agricultural extension in Australia.

8 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

A c tiv itie s su p p o rtin g good w orking partnerships betw een Basin com m unities

and C om m ission p artner governm ents include th e follow ing:

• A co lla b o ra tio n betw een the MDBC, NSW D epartm ent o f Infrastructure,

Planning and Natural Resources and the M urrum bidgee Catchm ent

M anagem ent A u th o rity, to s u p p o rt the National Museum o f Australia

and Museum o f the Riverina to develop an online com m unity exhibition

Pass the Salt. This dem onstrates the im pact o f large-scale environm ental

change, nam ely salinity, on the com m unity in and around W agga W agga,

New South Wales.

• A co llaboration betw een th e MDBC, the Queensland D epartm ent o f Natural

Resources and Mines, th e A ustralian G overnm ent D epartm ent o f Environm ent

and H eritage and the Q ueensland Murray-Darling Com m ittee, fo r an

Indigenous oral h isto ry p ro je c t in the Maranoa-Balonne, Queensland.

• Under the C om m ission’s Native Fish S trategy and in conjunction w ith relevant

agency and c a tch m e n t authorities, a study o f com m unity perceptions, risks

and o p p o rtu n itie s o f d e m o n stra tio n reaches fo r native fish in six reaches in

the Basin.

• W ork w ith New S outh W ales and Queensland natural resources agency staff

to s u p p o rt a c o m m u n ity -le d in itia tive focusing on im proved natural resource

m anagem ent in th e D arling Basin.

Research in to river environm ents

Research pro je cts in to rive r e co lo g y to ta llin g $2.04 m illion were conducted

during the year th ro u g h o n g o in g s u p p o rt to the M urray-Darling Freshwater

Research C entre a t A lb u ry and Mildura and the CRC fo r Freshwater Ecology. This

su p p o rt enabled la b o ra to rie s at Mildura, A lbury and G oondiw indi to undertake

projects th a t investigate th e im portance o f rive r-flo o d p la in interactions,

environm ental flo w s and th e ecology o f wetlands.

One study co m p le te d du rin g the year investigated the ecology o f Menindee

Lakes and th e ir response to flooding. It provided critical inform ation fo r the

m anagem ent o f these lake systems and resulted in the production o f a set of

m anagem ent guidelines fo r ephemeral deflation-basin lakes. These guidelines

provide a reference fo r managers, containing advice on the duration, depth, rate,

frequency, tim in g and va ria b ility o f flo o d events in these lakes.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 8 9

The National River C ontam inants Program , our partnership w ith Land and W ater

Australia, showed excellent results in this final year o f funding, w ith a series of

projects providing:

• predictions o f the loss o f b io d ive rsity induced by increasing salinity

• im provem ents in the m anagem ent and applica tio n o f fertilisers

• m easurements of endo crin e -d isru p tin g chem icals in river environm ents

• insights into sedim ent and n u trie n t fluxes fo llo w in g bushfires.

In ad d ition to these projects, a m ajor stu d y into physical and biological responses

to flo w continued at Narran Lakes and a num ber o f studies were also co nducted

into factors affecting com m unities and habitats o f native fish.

River M urray W a te r Q u a lity M onitoring Program The long-term W ater Q uality M onitoring Program underw ent the third and final

stage o f a review, w hich has substantially im proved and updated the program

(see Figure 3.6). Revised objectives have given a m ore targeted focus to the

m onitoring. New physico-chem ical param eters have been included in some

sites and oth e r param eters now seen as re dundant have been removed from

oth e r sites. Further analyses have been id e n tified fo r the m acroinvertebrate and

p h ytoplankton sam pling w hich w ill allow these results to b e tte r com plem ent

the physico-chem ical data. The review included a useful history o f the program

and explained the background to this s ta tu to ry requirem ent. The review is

docum ented in the report Review o f the River M urray W ater Q uality M onitoring

Program , due to be published in July 2005. The new m o n ito rin g arrangem ents

w ill sta rt at th e beginning o f July 2005.

The program provides the baseline inform ation on the current status and trends

in w ater q u a lity in the River Murray, w ith all research and investigations relating

to the River relying on this fo undation know ledge. Data fro m the program , at

35 locations along the Murray Valley going back to 1978, is available from the

Commission by em ailing < DataRequests@ m dbc.gov.au>.

9 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Lake V ictoria

BURTUNDY

MORGAN

MERBEIN RED CLIFFS

LOCKS

WAIKERIE

jUSTON

BALRANALD

MURRAY^ BRIDGE | |

MILANG iTAILEM BEND

SWAN HILL

^ * 0 0 1 R.

--..BARHAM

KERANG'

VICTORIA

ECHUC>

ROCHESTER,

A Physico-chemical sampling w ith M acroinvertebrates sampling

HI Physico-chemical sampling with Phytoplankton sampling

Physico-chemical sampling with both M acroinvertebrate and Phytoplankton sampling

Figure 3.6: Revised MDBC River Murray Quality Monitoring Program

NEW SOUTH WALES

La ch i» *

^ r r u m b id g e e R iver

Legend

S Physico-chemical sampling

Water Quality Parameters MorirtoredarEachClass ol Station

pH

Electrical Conductlvfty Temperature

Oxidise Nitrogen Total KJeldahl Nitrogen Tote I Phosphorus Filterable Reactive

Phosphorus

Soluble Organic Carbon Quarterly Bicarbonate Chloride Sulphate

Magnesium • Phytoplankton. Chlorophyll a and Phaeophytin monitored weekly at selected sites (see legend). • Macroinvertebrates monitored twice yearly at selected sites (see legend). • Metals monitored at Morga

Y a rra w o n g a ., W e i , Murray

July 2005

AN NU AL RE!

Research and co m m u n icatio n The need to b e tte r understand the com plex systems o f the M urray-D arling Basin

and to m ore effectively inform m anagem ent responses and decision-m aking

underlies the MDBC’s investm ent in research and com m unication.

During 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , there has been a focus on com m unicating the outcom es

from the research programs, funded th ro u g h the Strategic Investigations and

Education program , which have run fo r a pproxim ately 10 years.

D ryland program

Groundwater Status Report

The production of the

Groundwater Status Report

(GSR) inform ation package

has been a key achievem ent

of the dryland program , and

has allowed ta rg e t audiences,

including state agency staff,

regional hydrogeologists and

catchm ent managers, to more

easily access groundw ater data

from across the Basin.

This inform ation package makes use o f free GIS softw a re to allow users to access

M urray-D arling Basin groundw ater in a spatial context, and encourages users

to access d iffe re n t levels o f detail according to th e ir inform ation requirements.

Demonstration workshops fo r this inform ation package have been held across the

Basin.

This G roundw ater Status R eport w ill be com piled every five years, w ith the

next one due to begin at the end o f 2005. It will inco rp o ra te feedback fro m an

evaluation o f the GSR process and an inform ation package.

9 2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

National Dryland Salinity Program

The MDBC, as a m ajor partner o f the National Dryland Salinity Program (NDSP),

continued its involvem ent in the NDSP Enhanced C om m unication Year through

the d istrib u tio n and p ro m o tio n o f its integrated com m unication products,

including a resource d ire c to ry and action manual fo r catchm ent managers and an

interactive CD-ROM.

Other

O ther publications th a t have been produced or are

currently in p ro d u ctio n as part o f the MDBC's

K now ledge Series include:

• H ill c o u n try native grasslands: a report on better

m anagem ent fo r healthy catchm ents and a summ ary

brochure.

• D ryland and urban sa lin ity costs across the

M urray-D arling Basin: an overview and guidelines

fo r id e n tifyin g and valuing the im pacts o f salinity.

Irrig a te d Regions Program

The Irrigated Regions Program (IRP) has been an MDBC program since 1992.

In th a t tim e, som e 70 individual projects have been com pleted through an

estim ated investm ent o f over $ 4 0 m illion by the MDBC and other organisations.

A ctions to dissem inate info rm a tio n on the IRP programs include the collation

o f project sum m aries and the p roduction o f 'them e reports’ th a t are intended

to com m unicate the key findings o f w ork undertaken by the IRP to a variety of

audiences, including the Com m ission and Ministerial Council, and others involved

in w ater m anagem ent and policy developm ent.

A num ber o f them e reports are currently in that will com m unicate outcom es of

the IRP covering topics such as groundw ater and channel seepage.

«

I

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 9 3

9 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

4. C o rp o ra te services

S ecretariat 96

M anagem ent o f hum an resources 97

In fo rm a tio n and co m m u n ica tio n te ch n o lo g y 102

C orporate co m m u n ica tio n s 104

S ec re ta riat S upport services to the M urray-D arling Basin M inisterial Council and the Murray-

Darling Basin Commission are provided th ro u g h the Secretariat. A long w ith the

full range o f secretariat services to the Council and Commission, in 2 0 0 4 -0 5

the Secretariat began providing s u p p o rt to the high-level com m ittees w ith in the

Commission office - the Finance C om m ittee, the A u d it C om m ittee, the River

Murray W ater A dvisory Board and The Living Murray Board.

Ministerial Council m et in N ovem ber 2 0 0 4 and again in A pril 2005, the la tte r

including a jo in t m eeting w ith the C o m m u n ity A dviso ry C om m ittee. The

Commission m et in S eptem ber 20 0 4 , N ovem ber 2004, March 2 0 0 5 and June

2005. Twelve high-level com m ittee m eetings were supported thro u g h o u t the year.

In addition, the Secretariat manages out-of-session decision-m aking processes

fo r Council, Commission and high-level com m ittees. The corp o ra te record of all

agendas, papers, minutes and reports fo r these com m ittees is m aintained by

the Secretariat along w ith m em bership details fo r th e Council and Commission.

Appendixes A and C detail the m em bership o f M inisterial Council and the

Commission respectively.

From early 2004, the Secretariat com m enced a coo rd in a tin g role fo r the

m anagem ent o f the Murray-Darling Basin A greem ent, including tracking the

progress of am endm ents through the parliam ents o f partner governm ents.

A m aster copy o f the Agreem ent is m aintained and public versions issued as

am endm ents are incorporated. A m endm ents agreed in 2001 and 2002 w ere in

train, w ith ta b lin g processes in the p a rtn e r governm ents begun b u t not finalised

by June 2005.

The Manager Secretariat is also the Executive O ffic e r o f the C om m unity A dvisory

C om m ittee and, along w ith the sta ff o f the Secretariat, supports the activities o f

the CAC (re p o rte d on separately).

9 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

M an ag em en t o f human resources

O v e rvie w

The p rio rity fo r th e Human Resources team in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 was the developm ent

and im plem entation o f co n te m p o ra ry human resources policies and procedures

to support the operational needs o f the MDBC and the developm ent of a Human

Resources S trategic Plan fo r the future.

Workforce planning, recruitment and retention

A num ber o f senior positions in the Commission were filled in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 including

the Chief Executive, General Manager Natural Resources, D irector W ater Policy

C oordination and D ire cto r River Murray Environmental Management. There

were significant changes in th e structure o f the Natural Resource Management

Division to b e tte r align w ith the overall natural resource managem ent priorities o f

the Commission.

In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 the to ta l n u m ber o f fixe d -te rm employees employed by the

Commission was 123 and th e a ttritio n rate was approxim ately 10 per cent.

The m ajority o f s ta ff are em ployed in the Natural Resource Management Division,

illustrated in Figure 4.1.

Figure 4.1: MDBC employees by division

Chief Executive

Natural Resource Management

River Murray Water

Corporate Services & Secretariat

*

The C om m ission’s salary structure is based on six broad salary bands

(Professional O ffice r (PO) levels 1-6). Figure 4.2 shows the num ber of employees

classified according to salary bands.

ANNUAL REPORT 20 0 4-2 0 0 5 9 7

Figure 4.2: MDBC employees by classification bands

Female employees constitute 53 per cent o f Com m ission employees; the average

age o f employees is 41 years.

Senior Executives

All Senior Executives are em ployed under five-year co ntracts th a t specify their

conditions o f em ploym ent. In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 Executive pay rises were aligned w ith

the 4 per cent increase provided fo r all sta ff in the C om m ission’s C ertified

Agreem ent.

Performance management

A key h ig h lig h t fo r 2 0 0 4 -0 5 was the im plem entation o f the refreshed

Perform ance M anagem ent and Developm ent Scheme (PMDS) and a review of

individual career developm ent plans. The system is now on an annual cycle w ith

all perform ance assessments to be com pleted by the end o f May each year.

Individual em ployees’ PMDSs w ill reflect the goals set out in the Com m ission’s

Strategic Plan.

9 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

O ccu p atio n al health, safety and w elfare

The Com m ission continues to prom ote im proved w ork practices and attitu d e s

fo r a sustainable health and safe w ork environm ent. The Employee Assistance

Program com m enced in S eptem ber 2 0 0 4 and OSA Group was selected as the

successful co n tra c to r to provide this service.

An OH&S a u d it o f the Com m ission Office was conducted in Septem ber 2 0 0 4 and

all audit recom m endations were im plem ented by June 2005. The Commission

held OH&S training fo r all managers and staff and training fo r sta ff in manual

handling and e rgonom ic assessments as preventative measures fo r w orkplace

injuries during th e year.

The Com m ission continues to p rom ote a healthy balance betw een w ork and

private life th ro u g h the use of flexitim e, tim e o ff in lieu for senior officers,

personal carers' leave, provision o f lunchtim e ‘yogalates’ classes, sup p o rt for

em ployees in spo rtin g events, inclusion o f fam ily members at w ork functions and

training o f employees in th e resolution o f w orkplace harassment. The healthy

w orkplace culture o f the Commission is supported by the normal use o f sick

leave and by th e fa c t th a t there have been no stress com pensation claims.

Rew ards and reco g n itio n

The Com m ission held its inaugural rewards and recognition cerem ony fo r

employees in March 2005, dem onstrating its com m itm ent to building a modern,

flexible w o rkplace w here individual, team and organisational achievem ent is

practised and valued. The Commission recognises the significant benefits in

investing in its people consistent w ith the benefits available to other partner

contracting governm ents.

Awards were presented fo r outstanding c o n trib u tio n by a team or employee,

outstanding co n trib u tio n to safety, outstanding co n trib u tio n by a support

employee, leadership and service to the com m unity. The rewards and recognition

policy also prom otes inform al awards th ro u g h o u t the year th a t recognise the

high achievem ents o f individual sta ff members o r teams.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 9 9

Learning and d e v e lo p m e n t

The C om m ission’s Learning and D evelopm ent Fram ework, w hich supports the

C om m ission’s goals to be a learning organisation, was endorsed in December

2004.

The Commission provides professional developm ent o p p o rtu n itie s and supports

employees in undertaking developm ent activities. There is alignm ent betw een

learning and developm ent activities and the C om m ission’s business planning

processes through the Perform ance M anagem ent and D evelopm ent Scheme.

The Com m ission’s learning and developm ent fram ew ork concentrates on five

d istin ct but com plem entary elements:

1 external studies support (study leave)

2. specialised training relating to a specific p ro je ct or program

3. corporate initiatives including leadership program s

4. attendance and participation at significant conferences/sem inars

5. the MDBC m anagem ent developm ent program .

The Commission will m o n ito r and evaluate its learning and developm ent strategy

in 2 0 0 5 -0 6 to ensure it remains effe ctive in m eeting key organisation goals.

Chief Executive’s awards

The Rewards and Recognition Initiatives were id e n tified during 2 0 0 4 as p a rt of

a series of inter-related HR policies fo r im p le m e n ta tio n w ith in the Commission.

Their developm ent involved the cooperation and assistance o f the W orkplace

C onsultative C om m ittee (W CC) and reflected th e desire o f the WCC and

m anagem ent to p u t in place a suitable arrangem ent fo r acknow ledging the

efforts o f sta ff generally. The w inner of the award fo r outstanding c o n trib u tio n by

a team or em ployee was the RMW P roduction Team.

W hen nom inated, the team was noted fo r providing an e ffe ctive 2 4 /7 service

in a d iffic u lt year. It dem onstrated a c o m m itm e n t to ‘not waste a d ro p ’

during a prolonged and severe drought. The team , w hich is fundam ental to

the C om m ission’s re p u ta tio n as a co m p e te n t and respected w ater manager,

undertook a num ber o f new initiatives during the year. It also dem onstrated a

willingness and enthusiasm to train new m em bers and devolve responsibilities as

individuals’ skills developed.

1 0 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

arc' < · l T3K a * *

~S§pi· ,

I

H h d · | ® ·

1 M . M m

The River Murray W ater p ro d u ctio n tea m —w inners o f the award fo r ou tstand ing

c o n trib u tio n by a team o r em ployee. Back row, le ft to r ig h t

Damian Green, Janice Coggan, Jim Foreman, Peter Shaw,

Neville Garland, Sandie Brown. F ro n t row, le ft to right.

Julianne Martin, Heather Peachey, Chris Diaconu, Judy Swann, Bryan Harper

The O utstanding Service aw ards are designed to acknow ledge both perform ance

and co m m itm e n t to the Com m ission over the longer term.

This year there were 13 recipients o f the 10-year service awards:

(le ft to rig h t)

Brian Lawrence, Ray Leister, Paul Nanninga, Keryn Cobden, S cott Keyworth, R obert Triggs, Maurice Layne, Simon Pellatt, Jud y Andrews, A ndy Close, Joanne Roberson, Bryan Harper (.absent:

Trevor Jacobs)

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 101

W o rk p lac e relations

The Commission and employees continue to w ork co o p e ra tive ly through the

W orkplace Consultative C om m ittee (W CC) to im prove w orkplace relations in the

Commission. Executive M anagement o f the Commission and sta ff representatives

m eet regularly to address w orkplace relations m atters. The WCC w ill play a

pivotal role in fo rth co m in g n egotiations fo r the next C ertified Agreem ent.

Inform ation and com m unication technology

S trateg ic Plan

A high-level ICT Strategic Plan was co m pleted in D ecem ber 20 0 4 . Key

recom m endations o f the plan have been im plem ented and have resulted in:

• establishm ent o f the Inform ation M anagem ent C om m ittee (IMC) to oversee

ICT governance and risk m anagem ent

• establishm ent o f an ICT Reference Panel to advise the IMC and to manage,

d ocum ent and com m unicate the C om m ission’s Enterprise A rch ite ctu re

• increased resource levels w ith in the ICT Services unit to m itig a te id e n tified

risks to service continuity.

The ICT Strategic Plan w ill be updated to s u p p o rt the Com m ission’s Strategic

Plan and will be underpinned by operational plans fo r each o f the areas in the

Commission responsible fo r delivering ICT services.

In frastructure

Three key infrastructure initiatives com m enced in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 .

1. Storage consolidation based on the purchase o f a base level Storage Area

N etw ork. This investm ent w ill enable storage to be m anaged independently

o f servers. It allows the integration o f Unix-based and W indow s-based

storage, and it represents a scalable storage solution w hich can grow to cater

fo r fu tu re inform ation storage needs.

102 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

___________________________________________________________ ____________________________ J

2. Server consolidation based on virtual servers. Like m ost organisations, the

Com m ission has experienced significant grow th in the num ber of physical

servers required to s u p p o rt application and inform ation requirements. This

initiative allow s a single physical server to host many virtual servers, providing

efficiencies in term s o f capital and operating costs and providing im proved

m anagem ent capabilities.

3. Infrastructure to establish a Commission extranet. This w ill support new

initiatives like th e Sustainable Rivers A u d it th a t require the Commission to

collaborate w ith stakeholders located outside o f the Commission Office.

This year has also seen the in tro d u c tio n of the use o f personal digital assistant

(PDA) devices in the fo rm o f the Blackberry, providing staff w ith m obile access

to voice and email services.

The level of resources and e ffo rt needed to secure the Com m ission’s ICT systems

has grow n significantly. New measures are being considered to:

• im prove id e n tity m anagem ent

• secure and p ro te c t in fo rm a tio n

• im prove defences against viruses and spy ware

• defend client w o rksta tio n s and laptops.

A pplicatio n s

A lo t o f e ffo rt has gone in to im proving the records managem ent capabilities of

the Commission Office. The records m anagem ent policies o f the Commission

have been updated th ro u g h co nsultation w ith staff. A new business classification

scheme has been developed and an inform ation container structure im plem ented

consistent w ith this scheme. This has been done in parallel w ith a m igration to

the latest version o f the C om m ission’s records m anagem ent software and has

been accom panied by extensive sta ff training.

A pplications s u p p o rtin g th e human resource function have been upgraded jj

providing im proved executive reporting capability and additional functionality. A

web-based interface to th e application, which w ill provide staff w ith ready access

to th e ir personal info rm a tio n and streamline processes such as application for

leave, is scheduled fo r im plem entation.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 1 0 3

New and upgraded financial applications have been established to s u p p o rt

im proved financial m anagem ent and reporting.

C lien t services

A dditional resources have been established to s u p p o rt ICT in cid e n t m anagem ent

and problem resolution. The new help desk softw are th a t has been im plem ented

to docum ent incidents, problem s and resolutions w ill lead to im proved service

levels and re porting capability.

C o rp o rate com m unications

M edia relations

Issues m anagem ent through the use o f a com prehensive media tracking log has

im proved the MDBC’s a b ility to focus on, m anage and build on specific areas of

com m unication th ro u g h o u t 2 0 0 4 -0 5 . The log was used to id e n tify journalists

and their specific requirem ents so th a t media relations became more proactive.

The ongoing use o f video news releases using con te m p o ra ry and archived

fo o ta g e enabled the MDBC to p o rtra y the Basin and its natural resource

m anagem ent issues in a visual fo rm a t m ore closely aligned to its and its partner

governm ents’ perception, rather than the ofte n sensational broader media

industry view.

Media co n ta ct netw orks were m aintained and the num ber o f media releases

issued rem ained stable at about tw o or three per m onth.

Two internal tw o -d a y media and presentation skills w orkshops were conducted

using consultants Econnect. W orking journalists fro m television, radio and print

were guest professionals during these workshops.

Media protocols and o th e r com m unications requirem ents were re-iterated to

sta ff both th ro u g h media training and the MDBC email system.

1 0 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Several events th a t to o k place during 2 0 0 4 -0 5 provided the MDBC with

o p p o rtu n itie s to build upon relationships w ith partner governm ents. An inform al

netw ork of natural resource management com m unicators was started to maximise

opp o rtu n itie s, reduce duplica tio n and streamline aspects o f com m on projects.

MDBC w eb site

The num ber o f visitors to th e MDBC w ebsite and the num ber o f pages they

viewed during 2 0 0 4 -0 5 increased steadily to nearly double the previous year.

Hits were regularly over one m illion a month, pages viewed averaged about

130 0 0 0 per m onth, and individual visits about 25 0 0 0 per m onth. The m ost

consistently s o u g h t-a fte r areas throughout the year were River Murray W ater

weekly reports, media releases, the online encyclopaedia (especially w ildlife,

m ining and agriculture pages) and general inform ation on natural resources,

environm ental issues and salinity.

In response to changing needs o f stakeholders, a new, re-developed version of

th e w ebsite was initiated. The new site will be driven by an open source content

m anagem ent system w hich w ill allow individual areas o f the MDBC to update

th e ir own subject areas. A p ro to ty p e was com pleted w ithin the reporting period

w ith the final version due to replace the current site in 2 0 0 5 -0 6 .

E -le tte r

The Commission's m o n th ly email new sletter was re-designed in htm l form at

w ith a hyperlinked menu. By the end o f the reporting period, subscriptions

to ta lle d 830, an increase o f m ore than a third on the previous year. The

new sletter co ntinued to re fle ct im p o rta n t developm ents and initiatives w ithin

the Commission and th ro u g h o u t the Basin. Towards the end o f 2 0 0 4 -0 5 items

from the new sletter were being used in a trial comm ercial radio segment project

called 'Basin News’.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 1 0 5

MDBC library

MDBC maintains a small specialised library, staffed p art-tim e, o ffering loan and

reference services to s ta ff and external clients. The library operates w ith in the

MDBC Com m unications team, w orking to com plem ent an e ffic ie n t inform ation

provision service. The collection com prises m ore than 12 2 0 0 items, w ith steady

grow th, in particular, over recent years. Between Novem ber 2 0 0 2 and June 2005,

4 3 0 0 items were added to the collection.

The collection continues to be a valuable technical source fo r inform ation, w ith

113 requests fo r inform ation recorded betw een O ctober 2 0 0 4 and June 2005.

All MDBC publications continued to be sent to 166 libraries th ro u g h o u t the

basin, including school, university, p u b lic and council libraries, ensuring th a t

stakeholders have ready access to hardcopy. W hile this increases the MDBC's

profile and p ro d u ct am ong the com m unity, it also encourages a good w orking

relationship between Basin libraries and the MDBC library.

The library continued w orking on a p ro je ct to restore the MDBC’s historical

images. The project will continue to encapsulate the restoration and access to

the rem ainder o f these images, as w ell as the storage, access and indexing o f

audiovisual material. This project foreshadow s a disaster m anagem ent plan to be

undertaken in 2 0 0 5 -0 6 .

From O ctober 2 0 0 4 the librarian also c o n trib u te d to the p roduction o f Newscan,

a w eekly selective com pilation o f new spaper stories taken from the m ajor dailies

and regional papers across the Basin. A rticle s are c o p y rig h t cleared and are

arranged w ith in the follow ing broad subject categories: integrated catchm ent

m anagem ent, w ater quality, w ater sharing, riverine ecosystem health and

terrestrial biodiversity. This free inform ation service is d istrib u te d each week to

some 4 0 0 subscribers.

1 0 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

M arking S tu rt’s epic M urray-D arling journey

The Commission sponsored

several activities to

com m em orate the 175th

anniversary of the arrival

o f Captain Charles S tu rt

at the ju n ctio n o f the

m ighty Murray and Darling

rivers at W entw orth on

23 January 1830.

The celebrations began

in Merbein and travelled

down the Murray, ju st like

Sturt, to historic W entw orth.

The Commission saw the

anniversary as a way to

bolster and deepen a sense

o f local and Basin history

w ithin the com m unity. The

main organisations involved

were the PS Ruby Board of

Management, the W entw orth

and Merbein Historical Society,

local service clubs and the

W entw orth Main Street Events

Committee.

The poster pictured at left was

used to publicise the events.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 1 0 7

Lock 1 under con structio n, Murray River, 29 March 1918

The p ictu re shows the cofferda m w ith the River M urray behind. A d e rrick-m o u n te d pile d rivin g a 7 2 -fo o t long barge is m oored behind the dam, and o th e r barges and a paddle steam er can be seen in the background.

A gravel h o p p e r fo r concrete ba tching is to the le ft and th e lig h t rail and w orkm en's site can be seen on the rig h t bank o f the river.

1 0 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

I S Dedindge t Vic), Η H Dare (NSW), Senator Pi. Lyndi (( ommwweahiu P A Gourgaud iecrctar> (in boater), G S. Stewart

Functions of th e M u rray-D arlin g Com m ission The Murray-Darling Basin A greem ent states th a t the functions o f the Commission

are to:

• advise the Ministerial Council in relation to th e planning, d evelopm ent and

m anagem ent o f the water, land and o th e r environm ental resources o f the

Murray-Darling Basin

• assist the Ministerial Council in developing measures fo r the equitable,

e fficie n t and sustainable use o f water, land and other environm ental resources

o f the M urray-Darling Basin

• coordinate the im plem entation o f or, w here th e Ministerial Council so requires,

to im plem ent any measures authorised by the Ministerial Council

• give effect to any policy or decision o f the Ministerial Council, w hich the

Ministerial Council requires the Com m ission to im plem ent.

The Basin The Murray-Darling Basin, w hich covers the catchm ents o f the Murray and

Darling rivers, occupies an area o f over one m illion square kilom etres in so u th ­

eastern Australia (see Figure 5.1). C onsisting largely o f plains rising to the Great

D ividing Range on its eastern and southern rim, the Basin covers 14 per cent

o f Australia’s land area and contains A ustralia’s largest and m ost developed

river system. It contains only 6 per cent o f the c o n tin e n t’s w ater resources,

approxim ately tw o -th ird s o f the value o f irrigated a g riculture and approxim ately

4 0 per cent o f Australia’s to ta l gross value o f agricultural p ro d u ctio n com e from

the Basin. It is hom e to over 2 m illion people and another m illion outside the

Basin rely upon its w ater resources.

Clim atic conditions and natural landscapes vary dra m a tica lly across the Basin

- from sub-tropical clim ates in the far N orth, cool hum id eastern uplands, and

dry sem i-arid and arid western plains, to the high alpine c o u n try o f the Snowy

Mountains. The Basin is hom e to an extraordinary d ive rsity o f com m unities,

1 1 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

landscapes and natural resources. This diversity is accentuated by the vo la tility

in both the Basin’s w eather and the econom ic conditions in w hich its industries

compete.

Table 5.1 presents the evolution of the m anagement o f the Murray-Darling Basin,

Table 5.2 shows sig n ifica n t milestones fo r the Basin between 1992 and 2005.

Figure 5.2 shows the cu rre n t structure of the Commission.

F ig u re 5.1: T he M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin

Tambo

■Augathella

{♦ Morven Charteville-

; ChinchiH

QUEENSLAND

• _ Toowoomba ♦

‘ Watwck.

«Cunnamu

iTenterfield

♦ Wanaaring

White Cliffs

]♦ Armidale

♦Coonamble Gunnedah*--

Wilcanniai

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Tamworth Broken Hill NEW SOUTH WALES

-Wellington'

Ivanhoe

ADELAIDE

♦Nairandera

■ Munay Bridge

Wagga Wagga

♦ Deniliquin \Meningie

fCooma Horsham

200 km

VICTORIA MELBOURNE

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 111

T a b le 5.1: E v o lu tio n o f M u r r a y - D a r lin g B a s in m a n a g e m e n t

pre 1900 S elf-governing state colonies In terstate c o n flic ts on w a te r use

unable to resolve in te r-sta te w ater

m anagem ent.

and navigation.

1900-17 Drought, co m m u n ity a ctio n & River M urray W aters A g reem ent

Federation p ro vid e im petus fo r ad o pte d by C om m onw ealth,

creation o f River M urray Com m ission. NSW, V ictorian & South Australian governm ents. River

Murray Com m ission established.

1917-80 Conservation, regulation & diversion Large-scale irrig a tio n

w orks constructed. Analysis &

m anagem ent o f w ater resources.

developm ent in each state.

1970-80 Growing awareness o f w a te r q u a lity R ecognition o f lim its o f th e River

problem s, p a rticu la rly sa lin ity & w a te r

logging.

Murray W ater A greem ent.

1983 Recognition o f need to m anage on A g re e m e n t to extend role o f

w hole Basin basis. River M urray Com mission

• states to refer relevant

proposals before

im p le m e n ta tio n

• w a te r q u a lity targets to be set.

1985-86 A ll governm ents o f th e Basin agree M urray D arling Basin M inisterial

th a t water, land & enviro n m e n t Council and Com mission

m anagem ent m ust co o rd in a te to established by statute.

achieve Basin-w ide sustainable C o m m u n ity A d viso ry C om m ittee outcom es. created re p o rtin g to Council.

1988 to date Need fo r continuously im proved M inisterial Council links

know ledge base to deal w ith: gove rn m e nts and com m unities in

• salinity & w ater lo g g in g in irrig a tio n fu n ding and im plem enting: areas • sa lin ity & drainage strategy

• long-term d rylan d salinity im pacts 0 9 8 8 & 2001)

due to v e g e ta tio n clearing • agreed lim its on water

• unsustainable increase in diversions (1995)

diversions • a d o p tio n o f ICM strategy

• declining health o f rivers (2001)

• loss o f biodiversity. • The Living M urray in itia tive

- healthy w o rkin g River (2003).

112 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

T a b le 5 .2 : M D B C a n d m e m b e r g o v e rn m e n ts : s ig n if ic a n t m ile s to n e s in th e B a s in ,

1 9 9 2 - 2 0 0 5

1992 M D B A g re e m e n t sig n e d

1994 C O AG W a te r R e fo rm F ra m e w o rk

1996

E m e rg e n c y re s p o n s e - H um e Dam s tru c tu ra l c h a n g e s in itia tin g m a jo r

re m e d ia l w o rk s

1997 N S W - W a te r p r ic in g in tro d u c e d

1998

M D B ‘C a p ’ o n w a te r d iv e rs io n s set fo r NSW, SA, Vic

‘R ive r M u rra y W a te r ' e s ta b lis h e d

1999 N S W - W h ite P a p e r on W a te r R e fo rm re le ased

2 0 0 0

M o ra to riu m o n fu r th e r w a te r d iv e rs io n s in O ld w h ile 'C a p ' d e v e lo p e d

Q LD W a te r R e s o u rc e A c t 2 0 0 0

MDBMC E nvironm ental W orks & Measures Program

200Ί MDBMC Inte gra te d C atchm ent M anagem ent Policy S tatem ent

MDBMC Basin S a lin ity M anagem ent Strategy

MDBMC N ative Fish S trategy

COAG W ater R eform Agenda refreshed and $500m announced to address

w ater ove ra llo ca tio n

MDBMC The Living Murray First Step decision to balance water needs o f all users

200 3 NSW - NRM re fo rm s announced 15 O ctober 2003 including intro d u ctio n of

the N a tu ra l R e s o u rc e s C o m m is s io n A c t 2 0 0 3 and C a tc h m e n t M a n a g e m e n t

A u th o ritie s A c t 2 0 0 3

OLD Regional NRM bodies established

SA - R iv e r M u rra y A c t 2 0 0 3 .

V ictorian W h ite Paper released 23 June 2 0 0 4

N ational W a te r In itia tive and 'MDB' Intergovernm ental A greem ents signed

The Living M urray Business Plan approved

MDBMC Sustainable Rivers A u d it

NSW - C a tch m e n t m anagem ent authorities constituted as sta tu to ry bodies

2004 Jan 2004

OLD - W ater Resource Plan in place fo r the Border Rivers, Moonie & Warrego,

Paroo, B ulloo & N ebine catchm ents

ACT - 'Think W ater, A ct W a te r’ strategy released

SA - N a tu ra l R e s o u rc e s M a n a g e m e n t A c t 2 0 0 4

NSW - W ater A c t im plem entation (pa rt o f NWI reforms)

NSW - W ater Sharing Plans introduced, July

The Living M urray Business Plan and water recovery proposals activated

QLD - W ater Resource Plan in place fo r Condamine & Balonne catchm ents

I

l

ANNUAL REPORT 20 0 4-2 0 0 5 113

F ig u re 5.2: M DBC o rg a n is a tio n c h a rt as a t 3 0 J u n e 2 0 0 5

Chief Executive

Natural Resource Management

Communications

River Murray Environmental Management

Human Resources

Water Policy

Coordination

Strategy Implementation

Water Resources

Special Projects

1 1 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

S u s tain a b ility report: co n text and drivers o f chan ge

C on text

The M urray-D arling Basin Commission, in addressing natural resource

m anagem ent issues in th e Basin, operates w ithin the philosophy and fram ew ork

o f its 'Integrated C atch m e n t M anagem ent Policy’. The policy recognises that

the Basin’s natural resources are p a rt o f a connected system, w ith interactions

between land and w a te r and th e ir associated biophysical processes. Economic,

environm ental and social fa c to rs all have an im pact on - and are affected by

- the condition o f the Basin’s natural resources.

The quality and q u a n tity o f th e w a te r in the Basin’s catchm ents d ire ctly affect

all aspects o f life in the Basin. That q u a lity and qu a n tity is essential to cities and

tow ns and to the e c o n o m ic success o f the region’s industries and com m unities

- not just fo r irrig a te d a g ric u ltu re b u t also fo r more recent grow th industries such

as tourism . Basin residents (in c lu d in g those in urban centres such as Canberra),

and many outside the region, ob ta in th e ir drinking w ater from the Basin and will

require ong o in g access to a q u a lity resource.

The sustainability o f th e Basin's natural resource base is also essential to the

social and cultural w e llb e in g o f the Basin’s com m unities. W ater occupies a

central position in the fa b ric o f many com m unities - it provides a social and

leisure focus and a sp iritu a l dim ension.

A t the tim e o f pre p a rin g a revised Strategic Plan in mid 20 0 4 , the Murray-Darling

Basin was experiencing a pro lo n g e d period o f extreme drought, w ith inflows to

the highly regulated and utilised Murray River system fo r the preceding four-year

period being th e low est on record. D ram atically reduced w ater availability and

w idespread w a te r use re strictio n s have severely eroded the econom ic foundation I

o f the Basin and aggravated stresses on the natural resource base. I

The stresses created by these extrem e w eather conditions, together w ith a

deepening u n d e rsta n d in g o f significant em erging threats to the Basin's shared

natural resources, have reinforced the need fo r flexible and innovative natural

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 115

resource m anagem ent approaches th a t can respond to the co m peting needs of

all users, w hile ensuring ecosystems have su fficie n t w ater to thrive.

The Commission's m em ber governm ents and the Basin com m unities recognise

w ater as essential to human life and to the econom ic, environm ental, social and

cultural value o f the Basin’s w ater and o th e r natural resources. Their response to

the challenges o f im plem enting sustainable natural resource m anagem ent over

the last decade has been marked by significant milestones, shown in Table 5.2.

The Commission aims to maintain and develop a safe and productive

w orkforce and w ork environm ent. Initiatives to su p p o rt this goal are detailed

in the M anagement of Human Resources in C hapter 4 o f this report and

cover w orkforce planning, retention, recruitm ent, perform ance m anagement,

occupational health and safety, rewards and re cognition and learning and

developm ent.

Drivers o f change

Four broad ‘drivers o f change’ present m ajor challenges fo r the Basin. They are

shaping the state o f the Basin and will continue to do so over the next five years.

Global developments

The im pact o f global clim ate change, w hich may substantially change clim atic

behaviour across the Basin, poses long-term challenges to Basin resources and

th e ir users. In addition, the im pact of global m arket trends on the Basin’s export

industries can be significant in affecting the p ro sp e rity o f com m unities and land

and w ater use decisions.

Basin level factors

There is a set o f environm ental, econom ic and social factors at a Basin level

th a t have the pote n tia l to significantly a ffect the q u a lity and q u a n tity o f w ater

and natural resources. A lth o u g h w ork to id e n tify risks to shared resources is an

ongoing task, a num ber o f risks are already known:

• unrestrained g ro w th in g ro u n d w a te r use, posing a potential threat to the

a b ility of surface w ater supplies to be delivered w ithin Cap lim its

116 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

• broader land use and m anagem ent practices, including reforestation, which

affect w a te r q u a lity and availability

• unrestrained g ro w th o f farm dams and floodplain harvesting, which can

increase w a te r in te rce p tio n in catchm ents

• more e ffic ie n t irrig a tio n practices, w hich may reduce return flows to rivers

• bushfires, w hich can p o te n tia lly im pact catchm ents generally, and the Basin’s

w ater specifically.

The m agnitude and c o m p le x ity o f these challenges will stretch the capacity of

Australia’s human resource expertise in natural resource and w ater management.

National Water Initiative MDBC m em ber g o vernm ents have com m itted to the National W ater Initiative

(N W I) and to delivering th e fo llo w in g NWI com m itm ents in the Basin:

• nationally co m p a tib le w a te r access entitlem ents

• nationally fu n c tio n in g w a te r markets

• best practice w a te r p ricin g

• integrated m anagem ent o f environm ental water, and

• im proved m easuring and m o n ito rin g and provision o f inform ation regarding

the use o f water.

The NWI con stitu te s a new fram ew ork. Roles w ithin that framework, and

relationships betw een th e National W ater Commission and bodies such as the

Murray-Darling Basin Com m ission, w ill fu rth e r evolve and crystallise over the next

five years. However, this S trategic Plan aims to ensure th a t relevant Commission

activities are aligned w ith NWI com m itm ents.

Member governments’ initiatives

The Com m ission’s m em ber governm ents are co m m ittin g increased e ffo rt w ithin

th e ir own ju risd ictio n s. G overnm ents recognise th a t simultaneously m eeting the

demands o f w ealth p ro d u c tio n and the environm ent requires continual attention

to the sustainable m anagem ent o f land and w ater resources. Initiatives such

as w ater resource planning and the National A ction Plan for Salinity and W ater jj

Q uality (N A PS W Q ) play an im p o rta n t and com plem entary role in achieving |

sustainable m anagem ent o f w ater and land in the Basin. They also strengthen the

capacity o f regional ca tch m e n t m anagem ent organisations to deliver catchm ent­

w ide natural resource outcom es. The Commission will w ork closely w ith its

m em ber governm ents to ensure activities are complementary.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2005 117

In summary, the Commission and Basin com m unities recognise th a t in the long

term the Basin m ust achieve sustainability in term s o f econom ic, environm ental

and social outcom es. Indeed, w ith o u t long-term sustainability on all three o f

these dim ensions the via b ility o f the Basin is threatened. The challenge fo r the

Commission and partner governm ents is to determ ine at w h a t pace they should

e ffe ct transition to more sustainable natural resource m anagem ent practices. In

essence, the challenge is ‘how qu ickly should change occur and, given current

extrem e conditions, when and how should the next changes occur?’

Given th a t the Commission and the Basin com m unities see sustainability as a

core objective, the Commission has m oved to integrate this philosophy into its

culture, its operations, and its m anagem ent systems. R eporting on sustainability

is becom ing increasingly im portant, and this co m ponent o f the annual re p o rt is

being progressively expanded.

The process began w ith the p ilo t 'trip le b o tto m line’ report produced by River

Murray W ater in 2002. Next year the annual re p o rt w ill be restructured to contain

an expanded sustainability report, based on trip le b o tto m line principles and

including some aspects of the natural resources business and corporate functions.

The Commission’s sustainability report will be expanded progressively over the tw o

succeeding years, follow ing in large measure the fo rm a t o f the 20 0 2 ‘Sustainability

R eporting Guidelines’ published by the Global R eporting Institute (see box).

The Global R eporting Initiative (GRI) is an international organisation based

in the Netherlands w hich develops and publishes guidelines fo r sustainability

reporting. It is associated w ith the United N ations and sponsored by a num ber

o f m ajor public and private sector organisations.

The latest published guidelines were issued in 20 0 2 , and the next revision is

due in 2006. The current guidelines propose th e fo llo w in g re p o rt contents:

1. Vision and strategy

2. Profile (organisation and operations)

3. Governance structure and m anagem ent systems

4. Perform ance indicators - re porting on defined econom ic, environm ental

and social param eters

5. A co n te n t index relating the re p o rt to the GRI guidelines.

118 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

The Commission intends to follow the general reporting principles set out by

the GRI, w hile recognising that the unique nature o f the Commission will prevent

precise com pliance in every detail. It is expected th a t close correspondence

w ith the GRI principles w ill be achieved by the re p o rt fo r 20 0 7 -0 8 .

The planned d e velopm ent o f sustainability (or ‘trip le b o tto m line’) parameters

and perform ance indicators over the next three years is shown in Figure 5.3.

Figure 5.3: Projected sustainability reporting, 2 0 05-08

Investing in future generations

The MDBC continues to invest in im proving the a b ility o f p rim a ry school

children to value natural resources through the pro je ct Special Forever. The

MDBC has now expanded this investm ent into a series o f tw o -d a y youth

conferences around the Basin. These conferences involve a p proxim ately

2 0 0 -2 5 0 children and are based on young people teaching each o th e r about

how to manage natural resources.

The conferences feature

a range o f presentations

and w orkshops and

field activities. Since

N ovem ber 2 0 0 3 three

conferences have been

held. Two o f these were

held during the year

under review —one in

Toowoom ba (July 2 0 0 4 )

and one in Narrabri

(A ugust 200 4 ).

Four fu rth e r youth

conferences are

scheduled fo r 2 0 0 5 -0 6 ,

in Adelaide, Bendigo,

Canberra and W agga. In

a ddition, an allocation

has been provided

fo r sm aller one-day

workshops.

1 2 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

6. Financial statem ents 123

Australian National

Audit Office

INDEPENDENT AUDIT REPORT

To the Chairman of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council

Scone

The financial statements and President and Chief Executive Officer’s responsibility

The financial statements comprise:

• Statement by the President and the Chief Executive o f the Commission;

• Statements o f Financial Performance, Financial Position and Cash Flows;

• Schedule o f Commitments; and

• Notes to and forming part o f the Financial Statements

o f the Murray-Darling Basin Commission for the year ended 30 June 2005.

The President and the Chief Executive Officer o f the Commission is responsible for preparing the financial statements that give a true and fair view o f the financial position and performance o f the Commission, and that comply with accounting standards, other mandatory financial reporting requirements in Australia, and in the form required by the

Minister o f Finance and Administration. The President and Chief Executive Officer o f the Commission is also responsible for the maintenance o f adequate accounting records and internal controls that are designed to prevent and detect fraud and error, and for the accounting policies and accounting estimates inherent in the financial statements.

Audit approach

I have conducted an independent audit of the financial statements in order to express an opinion on them to you. My audit has been conducted in accordance with the Australian National Audit Office Auditing Standards, which incorporate the Australian Auditing and Assurance Standards, in order to provide reasonable assurance as to whether the financial statements are free o f material misstatement. The nature o f an audit is influenced by factors such as the use o f professional judgement, selective testing, the inherent limitations o f internal control, and the availability o f persuasive, rather than conclusive, evidence. Therefore, an audit cannot guarantee that all material misstatements have been detected.

GPO Box 707 CANBERRA ACT 2601 Centenary House 19 National Circuit BARTON ACT Phone (02) 6203 7300 Fax (02) 6203 77

While the effectiveness o f management’s internal controls over financial reporting was considered when determining the nature and extent o f audit procedures, the audit was not designed to provide assurance on internal controls.

1 have performed procedures to assess whether, in all material respects, the financial statements present fairly, in accordance with the requir ements o f the Finance Minister, including accounting standards and other mandatory financial reporting requirements in

Australia, a view which is consistent with my understanding o f the Commission’s financial position, and o f its performance as represented by the statements of financial performance and cash flows.

The audit opinion is formed on the basis o f these procedures, which included:

• examining, on a test basis, information to provide evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements; and

• assessing the appropriateness o f the accounting policies and disclosures used, and the reasonableness o f significant accounting estimates made by the President and the Chief Executive Officer o f the Commission.

Independence

In conducting the audit, I have followed the independence requirements o f the Australian National Audit Office, which incorporate the ethical requirements o f the Australian accounting profession.

Audit Opinion

In accordance with sub-clause 84(4) of the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement 1992, 1 now report that the financial statements are in agreement with the accounts and records o f the Murray-Darling Basin Commission and in my opinion:

(i) the financial statements are based on proper accounts and records;

(ii) the financial statements are in agreement with those accounts and records;

(in) the receipt, expenditure and investment o f moneys, and the acquisition and disposal o f assets by the Commission during the year have been in accordance with the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement 1992\ and

(iv) the financial statements give a true and fair view, in accordance with applicable Accounting Standards and other mandatory professional reporting requirements in Australia o f the financial position o f the Murray-Darling Basin Commission as at 30 June 2005, and its financial performance and cash flows for the year then

ended.

Australian National Audit Office

Carla Jago Executive Director

Delegate o f the Auditor-General

Canberra

12 September 2005

MURRAY-DARLING BASIN COMMISSION

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE

COMMISSION ON 12 SEPTEMBER 2005

In our opinion, the attached financial statements fo r the year ended 30 June 2005:

(a) com ply w ith A ustralian A ccounting Standards and other m andatory

professional requirem ents;

(b ) give a tru e and fair view o f the Murray-Darling Basin Commission's financial

position as at 30 June 2 0 0 5 and o f its performance, as represented by the results

o f its operations and cash flows, fo r the financial year ended on th a t date.

(c) there are reasonable g rounds to believe th a t the Commission will be able to

pay its debts as and w hen th e y fall due and payable.

R t H on Ian S in cla ir AC

President

W e n d y C raik

Chief Executive

ANNUAL REPORT 200 4-2 0 0 5 1 2 5

Murray-Darling Basin Commission Statement of Financial Performance fo r the ye ar ended 3 0 June 2 0 0 5

N otes 2 0 0 5

$ '0 0 0

2 0 0 4

$ ’0 0 0

R e v e n u e s f r o m o r d in a r y a c t iv it ie s

Revenues fro m G overnm ent 3A 91,244 97,026

G oods and services 3B 1,808 1,091

Interest 3C 2,110 1,890

Revenue fro m sale o f assets 3D 94 141

Revenue on re cognitio n o f assets 3E - 529

R e v e n u e s f r o m o r d in a r y a c t iv it ie s 95,256 100,677

E x p e n s e s f r o m o r d in a r y a c t iv it ie s

Employees 4A 10,246 8,614

Suppliers 4B 70,693 58,456

D epreciation and am ortisatio n 4C 22,565 15,007

Value o f assets sold 3D 105 185

W rite -d o w n o f assets 4D - 27

C orrection o f fundam ental acco unting e rro r 4E - 422,637

E x p e n s e s f r o m o r d in a r y a c t iv it ie s

(e x c lu d in g b o r r o w in g c o s ts e x p e n s e ) 103,609 504,926

B orrow ing costs expense 5 16 21

N e t s u rp lu s / ( d e f ic it ) fr o m o r d in a r y a c t iv it ie s (8 ,3 6 9 ) (4 0 4 ,2 7 0 )

Net cre d it to asset revaluation reserve 11A - 148,007

T o ta l re v e n u e s , e x p e n s e s a n d v a lu a tio n a d ju s tm e n ts

r e c o g n is e d d i r e c t ly in e q u it y 148,007

T o ta l c h a n g e s in e q u i t y o t h e r th a n th o s e r e s u lt in g fr o m

tr a n s a c tio n s w ith o w n e rs as o w n e rs (8 ,3 6 9 ) (256,263)

The above sta te m e n t should be read in co n ju n ctio n w ith th e accom panying notes.

1 2 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Murray-Darling Basin Commission Statement of Financial Position as a t 3 0 June 2 0 0 5

Notes 20 05 2 0 0 4

$’0 0 0 $ '0 0 0

ASSETS F in a n c ia l a s s e ts

Cash 6A 40,199 42,583

Receivables 6B 7,380 5,301

O ther fina ncial assets 6C 824 888

T o ta l f in a n c ia l a s s e ts 4 8 ,403 48,772

N o n - f in a n c ia l a s s e ts

Infrastructure assets 7A,D 1,345,907 1,350,259

Property, p la n t & e q u ip m e n t 7B,D 1,002 1,000

Intangibles 7D 124 -

Inventories 7E 203 64

Leasehold im provem ents 7C 153 162

O ther non-fina ncial assets 7F 150 72

Investm ent in jo in t ve n tu re e n tity 7G 517 502

T o ta l n o n - f in a n c ia l a s s e ts 1,348,056 1,352,059

T o ta l A s s e ts 1,396,459 1,400,831

LIABILITIES in t e r e s t b e a r in g lia b ilit ie s

Leases 8 133 204

T o ta l in te r e s t b e a r i n g li a b ili t ie s 133 20 4

P ro v is io n s

Employees 9 1,632 1,592

O ther 9 104 "

T o ta l p ro v is io n s 1,736 1,592

P a y a b le s

Goods and Services 10A 26,855 22,976

Revenue received in ad vance 10B 4,700 4,655

T o ta l p a y a b le s 31,555 27,631

T o ta l L ia b ilitie s 33,424 29,427

NET ASSETS 1,363,035 1,371,404

EQUITY C on trib u tio n s by c o n tra c tin g G overnm ents fo r purchase 1ΊΑ 3,144 3,144

o f assets Asset R evaluation Reserve 11A 148,007 148,007

Retained Surpluses 11A 1,211,884 1,220,253

TO TA L E Q U IT Y 1,363,035 1,371,404

C u r re n t a s s e ts 48,403 48,908

N o n - c u r r e n t a s s e ts 1,348,056 1,351,923

C u r r e n t lia b ilit ie s 32,653 28,471

N o n - c u r r e n t li a b ili t ie s 771 956

The above sta te m e n t should be read in con ju nction w ith the accom panying notes.

ANNUAL REPORT 20 0 4-2 0 0 5 127

Murray-Darling Basin Commission Statement of Cash Flows fo r the ye ar ended 3 0 June 2 0 0 5 ________

N otes 2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

$ ’0 0 0 $ ’0 0 0

OPERATING ACTIVITIES C as h r e c e iv e d

C o n trib u tio n s fro m G overnm ent 91,449 87,726

G oods and Services 1,714 1,332

Interest 2,156 1,842

Net GST received from Australian Taxation O ffice 8,088 6,233

T o ta l c as h r e c e iv e d 103,407 97,133

C as h u s e d

Employees 10,172 8,685

Suppliers 77,177 64,462

B orrow ing costs 16 21

T o ta l c as h u s e d 87,365 73,168

N et cash fro m o p e ra tin g a c tiv itie s 12 16,042 23,965

INVESTING ACTIVITIES C as h r e c e iv e d

Proceeds fro m sales o f property, plan t and e q uipm e nt 94 141

Proceeds fro m Investm ents -

T o ta l c a s h r e c e iv e d 94 141

Cash used Purchase o f infrastru cture assets 17,728 20,763

Purchase o f property, plant and eq uipm e nt 721 530

T o ta l c a s h u s e d 18,449 21,293

N et cash (used by) investin g a c tiv itie s (18,355) (21,152)

FINANCING ACTIVITIES C a s h r e c e iv e d

C on trib u tio n s by co n tra ctin g G overnm ents fo r - 530

purchase o f assets T o ta l c a s h r e c e iv e d - 530

Cash used

R epaym ent o f lease de bt 71 65

T o ta l c as h u s e d 71 65

N et cash fro m fin a n c in g a c tiv itie s (71) 465

Net increase / (d ecrea se) in cash held (2 ,3 8 4 ) 3,278

Cash a t th e beginnin g o f th e re p o rtin g period 42,583 39,305

Cash at th e end o f th e re p o rtin g p e rio d 6A 40,199 42,583

The above statem en t should be read in co n ju n ctio n w ith th e accom panying notes.

1 2 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

Murray-Darling Basin Commission Schedule of Commitments as a t 30 June 2 0 0 5

N ote 2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

$■000_________ $'000

BY TYPE

C a p it a l c o m m it m e n t s

Infrastructure, p ro p e rty, p la n t and eq uipm e nt (a ) __________ - __________ -

TOTAL CAPITAL COMMITMENTS = z

O t h e r c o m m itm e n ts

O perating leases 1,469 2,384

O ther co m m itm e n ts 10,077 5,513

T o ta l o t h e r c o m m it m e n t s 11,546 7,897

C o m m itm e n ts r e c e iv a b le (1,155) (718)

N e t c o m m itm e n ts b y t y p e 10,391 7,179

BY MATURITY O p e r a t in g le a s e c o m m it m e n t s

One year or less 9 6 4 836

From one to five years 50 5 1,548

Over five years - -

T o ta l o p e r a t in g le a s e c o m m it m e n t s 1,469 2,384

C a p it a l c o m m itm e n ts

One year or less - -

T o ta l c a p it a l c o m m it m e n t s - z

O t h e r c o m m itm e n ts

One year or less 5,074 3,624

From one to five years 5 ,0 03 1,889

Over five years _________ - _________ _

T o ta l o t h e r c o m m it m e n t s 10,077 5,513

C o m m itm e n ts r e c e iv a b le _____ (1,155) _______(718)

N e t c o m m itm e n ts b y m a t u r i t y 10.391 7,179

All co m m itm e n ts are stated inclusive o f G oods and Service Tax where relevant.

(a) The C om m ission does n o t have co n tra cts w ith the State C onstruction A utho rities w h o carry

o u t w ork on th e ir behalf. A ll co n stru ctio n contracts are between the construction authorities

and the various c o n tra c to rs th a t the y engage to com plete the work.

The above sta te m e n t should be read in con ju nction w ith the accom panying notes.

ANNUAL REPORT 200 4-2 0 0 5 1 2 9

Murray-Darling Basin Commission Schedule of Commitments as a t 3 0 June 2 0 0 5

O perating leases are e ffe ctive ly non-cancellable and com prise:

L e a s e s f o r o f f ic e a c c o m m o d a tio n

Lease paym ents are subject to annual increases in acco rdan ce w ith upw ards m ovem ents in the Consum er Price Index and m ay be renewed fo r up to five years at MDBC’s op tion, fo llo w in g a o n c e -o ff ad ju stm en t o f rentals to c u rre n t m a rket levels.

L e a s e f o r o f f ic e a c c o m m o d a tio n f i t - o u t

An a d ditiona l rent is paid on the o ffice a cco m m o d a tio n fo r the fit-o u t o f the o ffice prem ises. Fit- o u t rent is a set am ount each year fo r th e co n tin u in g term o f the lease.

L e a s e f o r c o m p u t e r e q u ip m e n t

Lease paym ents are made fo r the su p p ly o f o ffic e co m p u te r eq uipm e nt fo r a period o f three years. C om p uter eq uipm e nt rent is a set a m o u n t each year fo r the term o f the lease. All leased eq u ip m e n t w ill remain the p ro p e rty o f th e lessor.

The above sta te m e n t should be read in co n ju n ctio n w ith the acco m pan ying notes.

1 3 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

M urray-Darling Basin Commission

Schedule of Contingencies

as a t JO J u n e 2 0 0 5

2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

$’ 0 0 0 $ '0 0 0

C o n tin g e n t lia b ilitie s

Claims fo r dam ages / costs - -

C o n tin g e n t assets

Claims fo r dam ages / costs - -

N e t c o n tin g e n t lia b ilitie s - -

Details o f each class o f c o n tin g e n t lia b ilitie s and assets, including those no t included above because they can not be q u a n tifie d o r are considered remote, are disclosed in Note 13: C ontingent Liab ilitie s and Assets.

The above sta te m e n t should be read in con ju nction w ith the accom panying notes.

ANNUAL REPORT 20 0 4-2 0 0 5 131

M urray-Darling Basin Commission

Notes to and form ing part o f the Financial Statem ents

fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 3 0 Ju n e 2 0 0 5

N o te 1 S u m m a ry o f S ig n ific a n t A c c o u n tin g P o licie s

N o te 2: A d o p tio n o f A A S B e q u iv a le n ts to In te rn a tio n a l F in a n cia l R e p o rtin g S ta n d a rd s

fro m 1 J u ly 2 0 0 5

N o te 3: O p e ra tin g R evenues

N o te 4: O p e ra tin g E xpenses

N o te 5: B o rro w in g C osts E xpen se

N o te 6 F in a n cia l A ssets

N o te 7: N o n -F in a n c ia l A sse ts

N o te 8: In te re s t B earin g L ia b ilitie s

N o te 9: P rovision s

N o te 10: P ayables

N o te 11: E q u ity

N o te 12: Cash F lo w R e c o n c ilia tio n

N o te 13: C o n tin g e n t L ia b ilitie s an d A sse ts

N o te 14: E xe cu tive R e m u n e ra tio n

N o te 15: R e m u n e ra tio n o f M e m b e rs o f th e C o m m is s io n

N o te 16: R e m u n e ra tio n o f A u d ito rs

N o te 17: A ve ra g e S ta ffin g Levels

N o te 18: F in a n cia l In s tru m e n ts

N o te 19: E vents O c c u rrin g a fte r R e p o rtin g D ate

N o te 20 : U n re c o g n is e d L ia b ilitie s

N o te 21: L ia b ilitie s assu m ed b y G o v e rn m e n ts

N o te 22: E c o n o m ic D e p e n d e n c y

N o te 23: L o c a tio n o f Business

N o te 24: R e la te d P a rty D isclosures

1 3 2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Note 1: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

1.1 O b jective of M urray-Darling Basin Commission

The M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin C o m m issio n (M D B C ) is th e e x e c u tiv e a rm o f th e M u rra y-D a rlin g

Basin M in is te ria l C o u n cil. T h e C oun cil is a p a rtn e rs h ip o f six g o v e rn m e n ts - N ew S o u th W ales,

V ic to ria , S o u th A u s tra lia , Q u e e n s la n d , th e A u stra lia n C a p ita l T e rrito ry a n d th e A u s tra lia n

G o v e rn m e n t. T h e p a rtn e rs h ip is e n a b le d b y th e M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin A g re e m e n t 1992.

The p u rp o s e o f th e p a rtn e rs h ip , as s ta te d in th e A g re e m e n t, is to :

P ro m o te a n d c o o rd in a te e ffe c tiv e p la n n in g and m a n a g e m e n t fo r th e e q u ita b le , e ffic ie n t and

sustainable use o f th e w ater, land a n d o th e r environm ental resources o f th e M u rray-D arling Basin.

1.2 Basis of A ccounting

The Fin ancial S ta te m e n ts a re re q u ire d b y C lause 8 4 o f th e M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin A g re e m e n t

a n d are a g e n e ra l p u rp o s e fin a n c ia l re p o rt.

The Fin ancial S ta te m e n ts h a v e b e e n p re p a re d in a cco rd a n c e w ith :

• A u s tra lia n A c c o u n tin g S ta n d a rd s a n d A c c o u n tin g In te rp re ta tio n s issued b y th e

A u s tra lia n A c c o u n tin g S ta n d a rd s B oard; and

• C onsensus V ie w s o f th e U rg e n t Issues G roup.

T h is re p o rt has b e e n p re p a re d in a c c o rd a n c e w ith th e h isto rica l c o s t c o n v e n tio n , e x c e p t

fo r c e rta in assets w h ic h , as n o te d , are h e ld a t v a lu a tio n . Unless o th e rw is e sta te d , th e

a c c o u n tin g p o lic ie s are c o n s is te n t w ith th e p rio r year.

A sse ts a n d lia b ilitie s are re c o g n is e d in th e S ta te m e n t o f F inancial P o s itio n w h e n an d o n ly

w h e n it is p ro b a b le th a t fu t u r e e c o n o m ic b e n e fits w ill flo w and th e a m o u n ts o f th e assets

o r lia b ilitie s can be re lia b ly m e a s u re d . L ia b ilitie s and assets th a t are u n re c o g n is e d are

re p o rte d in th e S c h e d u le o f C o m m itm e n ts and th e S ched ule o f C o n tin g e n c ie s (o th e r th a n

u n q u a n tifia b le o r re m o te c o n tin g e n c ie s , w h ic h are re p o rte d a t N o te 13).

R evenues an d e x p e n s e s a re re c o g n is e d in th e S ta te m e n t o f Fin ancial P e rfo rm a n c e w hen

a n d o n ly w h e n th e flo w o r c o n s u m p tio n o r loss o f e c o n o m ic b e n e fits has o c c u rre d and can

be re lia b ly m e a su re d .

1.3 Revenue reco g nition

The re venue s re fe rre d to in th e n o te s are revenues re la tin g to th e c o re o p e ra tin g a c tiv itie s

o f th e C o m m is s io n .

O th e r R even ue

Revenue fro m th e sale o f g o o d s is re c o g n is e d u p o n th e d e liv e ry o f g o o d s to c u sto m e rs.

Revenue fro m re n d e rin g o f s e rv ic e s is re c o g n is e d b y re fere nce to th e sta g e o f c o m p le tio n o f

c o n tra c ts o r o th e r a g re e m e n ts to p ro v id e services.

In te re s t re v e n u e is re c o g n is e d on a tim e p r o p o rtio n a te basis th a t ta ke s in to a c c o u n t the

e ffe c tiv e y ie ld o n th e re le v a n t asset.

R evenue fro m d is p o s a l o f n o n -c u rre n t assets is re c o g n is e d w h e n c o n tro l o f th e asse t has

pa ssed to th e buyer.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 1 3 3

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Note 1: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

R even ue fro m C o n trib u tin g G o v e rn m e n ts

R evenue re ce ive d fro m p a rtn e r g o v e rn m e n ts is re c o g n is e d in th e y e a r in w h ic h th e

e x p e n d itu re re la tin g to th e c o n trib u tio n is e x p e n d e d . A n y re ve n u e w h ic h has be en

a p p ro v e d to be c a rrie d fo rw a rd , in a c c o rd a n c e w ith C lause 75 o f th e M D B A g re e m e n t, to be

m a tc h e d w ith e x p e n d itu re in th e n e x t y e a r is tre a te d as re ve n u e re c e iv e d in ad vance.

1.4 Receivables

R e ce iva b le s fo r g o o d s and se rvice s are re c o g n is e d a t th e n o m in a l a m o u n ts due, less an y

p ro v is io n fo r ba d a n d d o u b tfu l d e b ts . C o lle c ta b ility o f d e b ts is re v ie w e d a t b a la n c e da te.

P rovision s are m a d e w h e n c o lle c ta b ility o f th e d e b t is ju d g e d to be less ra th e r th a n m o re likely.

1.5 Transactions with the Owners as Owners

E q u ity in je c tio n s

C o n trib u tio n s fro m p a rtn e r g o v e rn m e n ts w h ic h are d e s ig n a te d as 'e q u ity in je c tio n s ' are

re c o g n is e d d ire c tly in C o n trib u te d E q u ity in th a t year.

1.6 Em ployee Benefits

(i) W a g e s a n d salaries, an n u a l leave a n d s ic k leave

L ia b ilitie s fo r se rvice s re n d e re d b y e m p lo y e e s are re c o g n is e d a t th e re p o rtin g d a te to th e

e x te n t th a t th e y have n o t b e en s e ttle d .

L ia b ilitie s fo r w a g e s a n d salaries (in c lu d in g n o n -m o n e ta ry b e n e fits ) a n d an nual leave are

re c o g n is e d in o th e r c re d ito rs in re s p e c t o f e m p lo y e e s ' s e rv ic e u p to th e re p o rtin g d a te and

are m e a su re d a t th e a m o u n ts e x p e c te d to be p a id w h e n th e lia b ilitie s are s e ttle d . N o lia b ility

is re c o g n is e d fo r sic k leave as all sick leave is n o n -v e s tin g a n d th e e x p e c te d a ve ra g e sick

leave ta k e n in fu tu re years is c o n s id e re d to be less th a n th e a n n u a l e n title m e n t.

( ii) L o n g S e rv ic e Leave

The lia b ility fo r lo n g se rvice leave e x p e c te d to be s e ttle d w ith in 12 m o n th s o f th e re p o rtin g

d a te is re c o g n is e d in th e p ro v is io n fo r e m p lo y e e b e n e fits a n d is m e a su re d in a c c o rd a n c e

w ith (i) a b o ve . The lia b ility fo r lo n g s e rv ic e leave e x p e c te d to be s e ttle d m o re th a n 12

m o n th s fro m th e re p o rtin g d a te is re c o g n is e d in th e p ro v is io n fo r e m p lo y e e b e n e fits a n d

m e a su re d a t th e p re s e n t v a lu e o f e x p e c te d fu tu re p a y m e n ts to be m a d e in re s p e c t o f

se rv ic e s p ro v id e d b y th e e m p lo y e e s u p to th e re p o rtin g d a te . C o n s id e ra tio n is g iv e n to

e x p e c te d fu tu re w a g e and sa la ry levels, e x p e rie n c e o f e m p lo y e e d e p a rtu re s and p e rio d s o f

service . E stim a te s o f e m p lo y e e d e p a rtu re s is b a se d o n an A u s tra lia n G o v e rn m e n t A c tu a ry

re p o rt d a te d J u n e 2 0 0 4 .

E x p e c te d fu tu re p a y m e n ts are d is c o u n te d u sin g m a rk e t y ie ld s a t th e re p o rtin g d a te on

n a tio n a l g o v e rn m e n t b o n d s w ith te rm s o f m a tu rity th a t m a tc h as c lo s e as p o s s ib le th e

e s tim a te d fu tu re cash o u tflo w s .

The leave lia b ilitie s are c a lc u la te d on th e basis o f e m p lo y e e s ’ re m u n e ra tio n , in c lu d in g th e

A g e n c y ’s e m p lo y e r su p e ra n n u a tio n c o n trib u tio n rates to th e e x te n t th a t th e leave is like ly to be

ta k e n d u rin g s e rv ic e ra th e r th a n p a id o u t on te rm in a tio n . The c la s s ific a tio n o f an nual a n d long

s e rvice leave lia b ilitie s in to c u r re n t a n d n o n -c u rre n t is ba sed on th e p a s t h is to ry o f p a y m e n ts .

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( iii) S u p e ra n n u a tio n

S ta ff o f M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin C o m m issio n are m e m b e rs o f th e C o m m o n w e a lth

S u p e ra n n u a tio n S chem e, th e P u b lic S e c to r S u p e ra n n u a tio n S chem e a n d o th e r

S u p e ra n n u a tio n S ch e m e s. T h e lia b ility fo r CSS and PSS s u p e ra n n u a tio n b e n e fits are

re c o g n is e d in th e F in a n c ia l S ta te m e n ts o f th e A u stra lia n G o v e rn m e n t a n d are s e ttle d b y th e

A u s tra lia n G o v e rn m e n t in d u e co u rse . M u rra y-D a rlin g Basin C o m m issio n m akes e m p lo y e r

c o n trib u tio n s to th e A u s tra lia n G o v e rn m e n t a t rates d e te rm in e d b y an a c tu a ry to be

s u ffic ie n t to m e e t th e c o s t to th e G o v e rn m e n t o f th e su p e ra n n u a tio n e n title m e n ts o f th e

C o m m is s io n ’s e m p lo y e e s .

1.7 Leases

A d is tin c tio n is m a d e b e tw e e n fin a n c e leases and o p e ra tin g leases. F in ance leases e ffe c tiv e ly

tra n s fe r fro m th e le sso r to th e lessee s u b s ta n tia lly all th e risks and b e n e fits in c id e n ta l to

o w n e rs h ip o f leased n o n -c u r re n t assets. In o p e ra tin g leases, th e lessor e ffe c tiv e ly re tains

s u b s ta n tia lly all su ch risks a n d b e n e fits . W h e re a n o n -c u rre n t asset is a c q u ire d b y m eans o f

a fin a n c e lease, th e a sse t is c a p ita lis e d a t th e p re se n t value o f m in im u m lease p a y m e n ts a t

th e b e g in n in g o f th e lease te r m a n d a lia b ility re co g n ise d a t th e sam e tim e and fo r th e sam e

a m o u n t. The d is c o u n t ra te u s e d is th e in te re s t rate im p lic it in the lease.

Leased assets are a m o rtis e d o v e r th e p e rio d o f th e lease. Lease p a y m e n ts are a llo c a te d

b e tw e e n th e p rin c ip a l c o m p o n e n t a n d th e in te re s t expense.

O p e ra tin g lease p a y m e n ts a re e x p e n s e d on a basis w h ic h is re p re s e n ta tiv e o f th e p a tte rn o f

b e n e fits d e riv e d fro m th e le a s e d assets.

Lease in c e n tiv e s ta k in g th e fo r m o f ‘fre e ’ leasehold im p ro v e m e n ts and re n t h o lid a y s are

re c o g n is e d as lease lia b ilitie s . T h e se lia b ilitie s are re d u ce d b y a llo c a tin g lease p a y m e n ts

b e tw e e n re n ta l e x p e n s e a n d re d u c tio n o f th e liability.

1.8 Assets held by C onstructing Authorities acquired with Commission funds.

In fra s tru c tu re asse ts use d fo r th e s to ra g e an d d is trib u tio n o f b u lk w a te r and fo r re la te d

a c tiv itie s have b e e n c o n s tru c te d w ith fu n d s p ro v id e d b y th e C om m ission. These assets are

lo c a te d in th e S ta te s a n d o p e ra te d b y e m p lo ye e s o f S ta te G o v e rn m e n t agencies. The s ta te

g o v e rn m e n t a g e n c ie s in v o ic e th e C o m m is s io n fo r all expenses in c u rre d in th e o p e ra tio n ,

m a in te n a n c e a n d re n e w a l o f th e s e assets.

The M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin A g re e m e n t re q u ire s each C o n s tru c tin g A u th o rity to a c c o u n t

to th e C o m m is s io n f o r all m o n ie s re ce ive d fro m th e C om m ission u n d e r th e A g re e m e n t.

The C o m m is s io n m u s t ca u se a list to be k e p t o f b o th th e assets it acq u ire s and th e assets

C o n s tru c tin g A u th o ritie s a c q u ire w ith fu n d s m a de ava ila ble by th e C om m ission. To m e et

th e s e re q u ire m e n ts , all in fra s tru c tu re assets are in c lu d e d in asset re g iste rs held b y th e

C o m m issio n a n d a c c o u n te d fo r in th e b o o ks o f th e C om m ission as assets o f th e C om m ission.

M in o r p la n t a n d e q u ip m e n t, w ith s h o rt live d lives, a cq u ire d w ith C o m m issio n fu n d s are

in c lu d e d o n a sse t lis ts h e ld b y th e S ta te g o v e rn m e n t a g encies and are exp ensed b y th e

C o m m is s io n in th e y e a r o f pu rch a se . A n y revenue re ce ive d on dispo sal o f th e m in o r p la n t

a n d e q u ip m e n t b e in g re p la c e d is o ffs e t a g a in st th e c o s t o f th e re p la c e m e n t e q u ip m e n t.

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Note 1: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

1.9 Cash

F o r p u rp o s e s o f th e s ta te m e n t o f c a s h flo w s , cash in c lu d e s cash a t b a n k an d s h o rt te rm

d e p o s its h e ld w ith fin a n c ia l in s titu tio n s w h ic h have s h o rt p e rio d s to m a tu rity , can be re a d ily

c o n v e rte d in to cash an d are s u b je c t to an in s ig n ific a n t ris k o f c h a n g e s in value, n e t o f an y

b a n k o v e rd ra fts .

1.10 O ther Financial Instruments

T ra d e C re d ito rs

Trade c re d ito rs a n d a ccru a ls are re c o g n is e d a t th e ir n o m in a l a m o u n ts , b e in g th e a m o u n ts

th a t are e x p e c te d to be s e ttle d . L ia b ilitie s a re re c o g n is e d to th e e x te n t th a t th e g o o d s o r

se rvice s have b e e n re ce ive d p r io r to th e re p o rtin g d a te .

C o n tin g e n t L ia b ilitie s an d C o n tin g e n t A s s e ts

C o n tin g e n t lia b ilitie s (a sse ts) are n o t re c o g n is e d in th e S ta te m e n t o f F in ancial P o s itio n

b u t are d is c lo s e d in th e re le v a n t sch e d u le s a n d n o te s. T h e y m a y arise fro m u n c e rta in ty

as to th e e x is te n c e o f a lia b ility (a s s e t), o r re p re s e n t an e x is tin g lia b ility (a s s e t) in re s p e c t

o f w h ic h s e ttle m e n t is n o t p ro b a b le o r th e a m o u n t c a n n o t be re lia b ly m e a su re d . R e m o te

c o n tin g e n c ie s are p a rt o f th is d isclo su re . W h e re s e ttle m e n t b e c o m e s p ro b a b le , a lia b ility

(a s s e t) is re co g n ise d . A lia b ility (a s s e t) is re c o g n is e d w h e n its e x is te n c e is c o n firm e d by a

fu tu re eve nt, s e ttle m e n t b e c o m e s p ro b a b le o r re lia b le m e a s u re m e n t b e c o m e s p o ssib le .

1.11 Acquisition of Assets

A sse ts are re c o rd e d at c o s t on a c q u is itio n e x c e p t as s ta te d be lo w . T h e c o s t o f a c q u is itio n

in c lu d e s th e fa ir va lu e o f assets tra n s fe rre d in e x c h a n g e a n d lia b ilitie s u n d e rta k e n .

A sse ts a c q u ire d a t no co st, o r fo r n o m in a l c o n s id e ra tio n , are in itia lly re c o g n is e d as assets

a n d re venue s a t th e ir fa ir v a lu e a t th e d a te o f a c q u is itio n .

1.12 Property, Plant and Equipm ent (Ρ,Ρ&Ε)

A s s e t R e c o g n itio n T h re s h o ld

P urch ases o f p ro p e rty , p la n t and e q u ip m e n t are re c o g n is e d in itia lly a t c o s t in th e S ta te m e n t

o f F in a n cia l P o sitio n , e x c e p t fo r pu rch a se s c o s tin g less th a n $ 2 ,0 0 0 in w h ic h case th e y are

e x p e n s e d (o th e r th a n w h e re th e y fo rm p a rt o f a g ro u p o f s im ila r ite m s w h ic h are s ig n ific a n t

in to ta l).

R e v a lu a tio n s

In fra s tru c tu re a sse ts are c a rrie d a t v a lu a tio n . Fair v a lu e is m e a su re d fo r in fra s tru c tu re assets

on th e ba sis o f d e p re c ia te d re p la c e m e n t co st.

A re va lu a tio n w as u n d e rta k e n o f th e C o m m issio n ’s in fra s tru c tu re assets as at 3 0 Ju n e 2 0 0 3 .

The re va lu a tio n w as p e rfo rm e d b y q u a lifie d in d e p e n d e n t valuers, SMEC A U S T R A L IA P ty Ltd.

R evalu ation s are c o m p le te d e ve ry th re e years and asset values are re g u la rly m o n ito re d to

en sure th a t th e re is no m a te ria l d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n th e c a rry in g va lu e a n d th e asset's fa ir value.

F re q u e n c y

R e va lu a tio n s o f in fra s tru c tu re asse ts are u n d e rta k e n on a th re e -y e a rly cycle.

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D e p re c ia tio n

D e p re c ia b le p ro p e rty , p la n t an d e q u ip m e n t assets are w r itte n - o ff to th e ir e s tim a te d residual

value s o v e r th e ir e s tim a te d u se fu l lives to th e C om m issio n using, in all cases, th e s tra ig h t-lin e

m e th o d o f d e p re c ia tio n . L e aseho ld im p ro ve m e n ts are d e p re c ia te d on a s tra ig h t-lin e basis over

th e lesser o f th e e s tim a te d use ful life o f th e im p ro ve m e n ts o r th e u n e xp ire d p e rio d o f th e lease.

D ep re cia tio n ra tes (u se fu l lives) and m e th o d s are review ed annually and necessary a d ju stm en ts

are re c o g n is e d in th e c u rre n t, o r c u rre n t and fu tu re re p o rtin g p e rio d s as a p p ro p ria te .

R esidual va lu e s a re re -e s tim a te d fo r a ch a n g e in p rice s o n ly w h e n assets are re valued .

D e p re c ia tio n ra te s a p p ly in g to e a ch class o f d e p re c ia b le assets are ba sed on th e fo llo w in g

use ful lives.

2005 2 0 0 4

M otor Vehicles 6.67 years (15% pa) 6.67 years

Com puters and IT e q u ip m e n t 3 years (30% pa) 3 years

O ffice E quipm ent 5.88 years (17% pa) 5.88 years

Furniture, fixtu re s and fittin g s 7,69 years (13% pa) 7.69 years

Infrastructure Assets Up to 4 0 0 years based Up to 4 0 0 years based on

on an assessment o f the an assessment o f the useful useful econom ic life econom ic life

The a g g re g a te a m o u n t o f d e p re c ia tio n a llo c a te d fo r each class o f asse t d u rin g th e re p o rtin g

p e rio d is d is c lo s e d in N o te 4C .

1.13 Im pairm ent o f N on -cu rrent Assets

N o n -c u rre n t asse ts c a rrie d a t fa ir v a lu e a t th e re p o rtin g d a te are n o t s u b je c t to im p a irm e n t

te s tin g .

N o n -c u rre n t asse ts c a rrie d a t c o s t o r d e p riv a l value, w h ic h are n o t h e ld to g e n e ra te n e t cash

in flo w s, have b e e n asse ssed fo r in d ic a tio n s o f im p a irm e n t. W h e re in d ic a tio n s o f im p a irm e n t

exist, th e c a rry in g a m o u n t o f th e a sse t is c o m p a re d to th e h ig h e r o f its ne t s e llin g p ric e an d

d e p re c ia te d re p la c e m e n t c o s t a n d is w ritte n d o w n to th a t value if greater.

1.14 Inventories

In v e n to rie s c o m p ris e p u b lic a tio n s a n d vid e o s held fo r sale. In ve n to rie s he ld fo r resale are

va lu e d a t th e lo w e r o f c o s t a n d n e t re alisable value.

1.15 Assets U nder C onstruction

A ssets u n d e r c o n s tru c tio n are c a rrie d a t c o s t and ca p ita lis e d w h e n c o m p le te d a n d re a d y fo r

use. C osts in c lu d e b o th d ir e c t and in d ire c t costs, w h ic h can be re a so n a b ly a ttrib u te d to th e

asset u n d e r c o n s tru c tio n .

1.16 Joint V enture Entity

In a c c o rd a n c e w ith A A S B 1 0 0 6 A c c o u n tin g fo r J o in t Ventures, th e C o m m issio n 's in te re s t in

a jo in t v e n tu re e n tity , M u rra y -D a rlin g F re sh w a te r R esearch C entre is a c c o u n te d fo r using th e

e q u ity m e th o d . The share o f th e surplus o r d e fic it o f th e jo in t ven ture e n tity is re cognise d in th e

S ta te m e n t o f F inancial P erform ance. Details o f the jo in t venture e n tity are disclose d at N ote 7G.

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The A u s tra lia n A c c o u n tin g S ta n d a rd s B o a rd has issu e d re p la c e m e n t A u s tra lia n A c c o u n tin g

S ta n d a rd s to a p p ly fro m th e firs t re p o rtin g p e rio d b e g in n in g a fte r 1 J a n u a ry 2 0 0 5 . In th e

case o f th e C o m m issio n , th e s e s ta n d a rd s w ill be a d o p te d fo r th e 2 0 0 5 /0 6 re p o rtin g year.

The n e w s ta n d a rd s are th e A u s tra lia n E q u iv a le n ts to In te rn a tio n a l F in a n c ia l R e p o rtin g

S ta n d a rd s (A E IF R S ). The p u rp o s e o f issu in g A EIFR S is to e n a b le A u s tra lia n fin a n c ia l re p o rts

to b e m o re re a d ily c o m p a ra b le to fin a n c ia l re p o rts issu e d b y e n titie s re p o rtin g fro m o th e r

c o u n trie s .

The AEIFR S c o n ta in c e rta in a d d itio n a l p ro v is io n s th a t w ill a p p ly to n o t- fo r - p r o fit e n titie s ,

in c lu d in g G o v e rn m e n t agencies. S o m e o f th e s e p ro v is io n s are in c o n flic t w ith th e IFRS an d

th e re fo re M DBC w ill o n ly be a b le to a sse rt c o m p lia n c e w ith th e AEIFRS.

E xis tin g A A S B s ta n d a rd s th a t have no IFRS e q u iv a le n t w ill c o n tin u e to a p p ly, in c lu d in g in

p a rtic u la r A A S 2 9 F in a n c ia l R e p o rtin g b y G o v e rn m e n t D e p a rtm e n ts .

A c c o u n tin g S ta n d a rd A A S B 1047 D is c lo s in g th e Im p a c t o f A d o p tin g A u s tra lia n E q u iv a le n ts

to IFRS re q u ire s th a t th e F in a n cia l S ta te m e n ts fo r 2 0 0 4 - 0 5 disclose :

• A n e x p la n a tio n o f h o w th e tra n s itio n to th e A E IF R S is b e in g m a n a g e d ; and

• A n a rra tiv e e x p la n a tio n o f th e key d iffe re n c e s in a c c o u n tin g p o lic ie s a ris in g fro m th e

tra n s itio n .

• A n y k n o w n o r re lia b ly e s tim a b le in fo rm a tio n a b o u t th e im p a c ts o n th e fin a n c ia l re p o rt

had it been p re p a re d u sin g A EIFR S an d

• If th e im p a c ts o f th e a b o ve are n o t k n o w n o r re lia b ly e s tim a b le , a s ta te m e n t to th a t

e ffe ct.

The p u rp o s e o f th is N o te is to m a ke th e s e d is c lo s u re s .

M anagem ent o f the transition to AASB Equivalents to IFRSs

M DBC has ta k e n th e fo llo w in g ste p s fo r th e p re p a ra tio n to w a rd s th e im p le m e n ta tio n

o f AEIFRS:

The M DBC A u d it C o m m itte e is ta s k e d w ith o v e rs ig h t o f th e tra n s itio n to a n d

im p le m e n ta tio n o f th e AEIFRS. The G en era l M a n a g e r - C o rp o ra te S e rvice s is fo r m a lly

re s p o n s ib le fo r th e p ro je c t a n d w ill re p o rt re g u la rly to th e A u d it C o m m itte e on p ro g re s s

a g a in s t th e fo rm a l plan to be a p p ro v e d b y th e C o m m itte e .

The plan re q u ire s th e fo llo w in g ste p s to be u n d e rta k e n a n d sets d e a d lin e s fo r th e ir

a c h ie v e m e n t:

1. Id e n tific a tio n o f key sta ff, p ro je c t te a m m e m b e rs a n d s ta k e h o ld e rs in re la tio n to

im p le m e n tin g AEIFRS.

2. Id e n tific a tio n o f all m a jo r a c c o u n tin g p o lic y d iffe re n c e s b e tw e e n c u r re n t A A S B

s ta n d a rd s a n d th e AEIFRS.

3. Id e n tific a tio n o f syste m s c h a n g e s ne ce ssa ry to be a b le to re p o rt u n d e r th e AEIFRS,

in c lu d in g th o s e ne ce ssa ry to e n a b le c a p tu re o f d a ta u n d e r b o th se ts o f rules fo r 2 0 0 4 -

OS, a n d th e te s tin g a n d im p le m e n ta tio n o f th o s e ch a n g e s.

4. A tra n s itio n a l b a la n c e s h e e t as at 1 J u ly 2 0 0 4 u n d e r A EIFR S has b e e n c o m p le te d and

p re s e n te d to th e a u d it c o m m itte e in A p ril 2 0 0 4 . N o m a te ria l c h a n g e s to th e fin a n c ia l

p o s itio n w e re n o te d .

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Note 2: Adoption of Australian equivalents to International Financial Reporting Standards from 1 July 2005 (continued)

5. A n A E IF R S c o m p lia n t b a la n c e s h e e t as a t 3 0 Ju n e 2 0 0 5 w ill be c o m p le te d b y 3 0

S e p te m b e r 2 0 0 5 to m e e t th e re p o rtin g d e a d lin e s o f th e A u s tra lia n g o v e rn m e n t.

6. As a t re p o rtin g d a te , th e C o m m issio n is on tra c k to m e e t th e se tim e fra m e s .

N o syste m c h a n g e s ha ve b e e n id e n tifie d to en sure c o m p lia n c e w ith th e new sta n d a rd s.

Major Changes in A ccounting Policy

C hanges in a c c o u n tin g p o lic ie s u n d e r AEIFRS are a p p lie d re tro s p e c tiv e ly ie. as if th e new

p o lic y had a lw a ys a p p lie d . T h is ru le m eans th a t a ba la n ce sh e e t p re p a re d u n d e r th e AEIFRS

m u s t be m a d e as a t 1 J u ly 2 0 0 4 , e x c e p t as p e rm itte d in p a rtic u la r c irc u m s ta n c e s by A A S B 1

F irs t-tim e A d o p tio n o f A u s tra lia n E q u iv a le n ts to In te rn a tio n a l F in a n c ia l R e p o rtin g S tandards.

This w ill also e n a b le th e 2 0 0 5 - 2 0 0 6 F in ancial S ta te m e n ts to re p o rt c o m p a ra tiv e s u n d e r th e

AEIFRS.

C hanges to m a jo r a c c o u n tin g p o lic ie s are discusse d in th e fo llo w in g pa ra g ra p h s.

Infrastructure Assets

In fra s tru c tu re A s s e ts are c u r r e n tly re v a lu e d on a th re e ye a rly cycle. U n d e r AEIFRS, it

is e x p e c te d th a t th e c a r ry in g v a lu e o f th e s e assets w ill be a t u p -to -d a te fa ir v a lu e fro m

2 0 0 5 -0 6 . It is n o t e x p e c te d th a t th is c h a n g e in a c c o u n tin g p o lic y w ill m a te ria lly a ffe c t th e

c a rry in g v a lu e o f th e a s s e ts as s h o w n u n d e r th e c u rre n t a c c o u n tin g p o lic y h o w e v e r as a t th e

d a te o f th is re p o rt, th e e ffe c t has n o t b e e n m easured.

Im pairm ent o f N o n -C u rren t Assets

M D BC ’s p o lic y o n re v a lu a tio n o f n o n -c u rre n t assets is a t N o te 1.12.

U n d e r AEIFRS, all a sse ts m u s t b e assessed fo r in d ic a tio n s o f im p a irm e n t. W h ils t assets

on hand as a t 3 0 J u n e 2 0 0 5 d o n o t a p p e a r to be im p a ire d , an an nual a sse ssm ent w ill be

re q u ire d u n d e r AEIFRS.

Employee Benefits

The p ro v is io n f o r lo n g s e rv ic e leave is m e a su re d a t th e p re se n t va lu e o f e s tim a te d fu tu re

cash o u tflo w s u s in g m a rk e t y ie ld s as a t th e re p o rtin g d a te on n a tio n a l g o v e rn m e n t bonds.

U n d e r th e n e w A EIFR S , th e sa m e d is c o u n t ra te w ill be used unless th e re is a d e e p m a rk e t in

h ig h q u a lity c o r p o ra te b o n d s , in w h ic h case th e m a rk e t y ie ld on such b o n d s m u s t be used.

Revenue from sale o f assets

A A S B 1 0 04 R e v e n u e re q u ire s th e fa ir value o f th e c o n s id e ra tio n re ce ive d fro m th e dispo sal

o f assets to b e re c o g n is e d as revenue. C o nse que ntly, w h e n a n o n -c u rre n t asset is d ispo sed,

an e n tity w ill re c o g n is e re v e n u e fo r th e g ro ss p ro c e e d s re ceived on dispo sal o f th e asset

a n d a c o r re s p o n d in g e x p e n s e fo r th e c a rry in g a m o u n t.

U n d e r th e A E IF R S th e In c o m e S ta te m e n t w ill sho w a sin g le ne t a m o u n t fo r th e ga in / loss

on d isp o sa l.

ANNUAL REPORT 20 0 4-2 0 0 5 1 3 9

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Note 2: Adoption of Australian equivalents to International Financial Reporting Standards from 1 July 2005 (continued)

Financial Instruments

U n d e r th e AEIFRS, A A S B 132 F in a n cia l In s tru m e n ts th e c h o ic e o f d is c lo s in g th e e ffe c tiv e

in te re s t ra te o r w e ig h te d a ve ra g e e ffe c tiv e in te re s t ra te n o lo n g e r e xists. The e ffe c tiv e

in te re s t ra te m u s t be d isclo se d . A m o re e x te n s iv e s p lit is re q u ire d to be d is c lo s e d w h e n

s h o w in g th e c a rry in g a m o u n ts o f fin a n c ia l in s tru m e n ts . M a n a g e m e n ts b e s t e s tim a te o f

th e q u a n tita tiv e im p a c ts o f A EIFR S in d ic a te as a t th e d a te o f th is re p o rt th a t no m a te ria l

ch a n g e s are e x p e c te d to th e n e t asse ts re p o rte d u n d e r c u rre n t A u s tra lia n A c c o u n tin g

S ta n d a rd s.

The a c tu a l e ffe c ts o f th e im p a c ts o f A EIFR S m a y d iffe r fro m th e s e e s tim a te s d u e to :

• c o n tin u in g re v ie w o f th e im p a c ts o f A E IFR S o n th e C o m m is s io n 's o p e ra tio n s :

• p o te n tia l a m e n d m e n ts to th e A EIFR S a n d A EIFR S in te rp re ta tio n s ; a n d

• e m e rg in g in te rp re ta tio n as to th e a c c e p te d p ra c tic e in th e a p p lic a tio n o f A E IF R S a n d

AEIFR S in te rp re ta tio n s .

1 4 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Notes 2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

Note 3: Operating Revenues

N ote 3A: Revenues from Governments

Australian G overnm ent

New South W ales

V ictoria

South Australia Queensland

Australian Capital T e rrito ry A d d revenue recognised fro m p rio r year

A dd co n trib u tio n s paid in p rio r year

Less revenue carried to fo rw a rd year Less e q u ity c o n trib u tio n fo r pu rchase o f assets

Total revenues fro m G ove rnm ents

N ote 3B: Sale of Goods and Services

Hydro generation Land and c o tta g e rents

Sale o f pu blication s and video s O ther

Total sales o f g o o d s and se rvice s

N ote 3C: Interest Revenue

Interest on deposits

Note 3D: N et Gains from Sale of Assets

M o to r Vehicles:

Proceeds fro m disposal 94 129

Net book value o f assets d isp o se d (105) (145)

N et (loss) fro m d isp o sa l o f m o to r veh icle s 01) (16)

O ffice E quipm ent:

Proceeds fro m disposal - -

Net book value o f assets disp o se d ; 0 6 )

N et (loss) fro m d isp o sa l o f o ffic e e q u ip m e n t - (16)

C om puters and IT e q u ip m e n t:

Proceeds fro m dispo sal - 12

Net book value o f assets d ispo sed 2 (24)

N et (loss) fro m d isp o sa l o f c o m p u te rs and IT e q u ip m e n t - (12)

TOTAL proceeds fro m disposal 94 141

TOTAL value o f assets dispo sed (105) (185)

Total net (lo ss) fro m d isp o sa l o f assets (11) (4 4 )

N ote 3E: O th e r Revenues

Revenue fro m J o in t V enture E n tity 7G __________ - _______ 529

Revenue on re co g n itio n o f assets fo r the 2 0 0 3 -0 4 financial year refers to the Com m ission’s initial re co g n itio n o f its 50% share o f M urray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre jo in t venture w ith C om m onw e alth S cientific and Industrial Research O rganisation (CSIRO). The revenue recognised in th e 2 0 0 4 -0 5 year is the Com m ission's share o f the jo in t venture surplus fo r 2 0 0 4 -0 5 .

$-000 $’000

16,484

27,641

25,820

20,359 875

270

4,431

(4 ,6 3 6 )

91,244

16,614

26,628 24,852

19,522

869

270

12,982

250

(4,431) (5 3 0 )

97,026

1,273

519

16

1,808

538

519

19

__ 15 1,091

2,110 1,890

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 141

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

N otes 2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

$■000 ___________$'000

Note 4: Operating Expenses

N ote 4A: Employee Expenses

W ages and Salaries

Superannuation

Separation and redundancy

R ecruitm ent Training and developm ent W orkers com pensation

Salary oncosts FBT

O th er Total em ployee b e n e fits expense

8,391 6,675

980 839

" 263

283 186

176 99

44 73

217 33 0

102 63

53 86

10,246 8,614

The increase in em ployee expenses relates to th e increase in the num ber o f em ployees and th e 5% salary increase as per the c e rtifie d agreem ent.

Note 4B: Supplier Expenses

Expenditure by State C onstructing A u th o ritie s 42,118 32,561

Consultants 22,888 22,029

Supply o f goods and services 5,027 3,199

O perating lease rentals 6 6 0 667

Total su p p lie r expenses 70,693 58,456

N ote 4C: Depreciation and A m ortisation

i) D epreciation

Infrastructure, property, plant and e q u ip m e n t (a ) 22,486 _____ 14,947

Total d e precia tion 22,486 _____ 14,947

ii) A m o rtisa tio n Leasehold Im provem ents _________ 79 _________ 60

Total am ortisatio n 79 6 0

Total d e p re c ia tio n and a m o rtisa tio n 22,565 _____ 15,007

The aggreg ate am ounts o f de precia tion o r am ortisation expensed during the reporting period fo r each class o f depreciable asset are as follow s:

M o tor Vehicles 14 41

O ffice E quipm ent 91 91

C om puters 282 224

Furniture, fixtu re s and fittin g s 18 18

Infrastructure Assets (a) 2 2 ,0 8 0 14,573

Leasehold im provem ents 79 6 0

Total d e p re c ia tio n and a m o rtis a tio n 22,564 15,007

(a) D epreciation expense on infra stru ctu re assets includes an ad ju stm en t relating to p rio r years o f $7m to re flect changes in the assessm ent o f assets rem aining life.

1 4 2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Note 4: Operating Expenses (continued)

N ote 4D: W rite Down o f Assets

2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

$ ’ 0 0 0 __________ $ '0 0 0

Non-financial assets:

Investm ent in jo in t ven ture e n tity

Total w rite -d o w n o f assets

27

27

N ote 4E: C orrection o f fundam ental accounting error in 2 0 0 3 /0 4

The fundam ental acco u n tin g e rro r o f $422.6 m illion disclosed in 2 0 0 3 /0 4 related to an error in the calculation o f th e fa ir value o f In fra stru ctu re Assets recognised fo r the firs t tim e in the 2 0 0 2 /0 3 year. The e ffe c t o f th is e rro r w as to reduce the carrying value o f Infrastructure Assets as at 1/7/03 by th a t am ount.

Note 5: Borrowing Costs Expense

Leases Total b o rro w in g costs exp ense

Note 6: Financial Assets

Note 6A: Cash

Cash at bank

Cash on hand

Investm ents Total cash

J 6 _________ 21

16 21

10.199 13,575

- 8

3 0 ,0 0 0 2 9 ,000

40.199 42,583

ANNUAL REPORT 200 4-2 0 0 5 1 4 3

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Note 6: Financial Assets (continued)

2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

$ ’0 0 0 $ ’0 0 0

N ote 6B: Receivables

G oods and services 4,455 1,808

GST receivable fro m the Australian Taxation O ffice 2,802 3,324

A ccrue d interest 123 169

Total receivable (n e t) 7,380 5,301

Receivables is represented by:

C urrent 7,380 5,301

N on-current " -

Total receivables (n e t) 7,380 5,301

Receivables (gross) are aged as follows:

N ot overdue 7,380 5,288

O verdue by less than:

Less than 30 days - 8

30 to 60 days

6 0 to 90 days - "

More than 90 days - 5

13

Total receivables (gross) 7,380 5,301

N ote 6C: O ther financial assets

Advances to C onstructing A u th o ritie s 824 888

Total o th e r fin a n cia l assets 824 888

Note 7: Non-Financial Assets

N ote 7A: Infrastructure Assets

a t 2 0 0 3 -2 0 0 4 valuation (fa ir value) 1,940,872 1,928,478

- accum ulated depreciation (613,253) (591,173)

1,327,619 1,337,305

Assets under co n stru ctio n - a t cost 18,288 12,954

T otal In fra s tru c tu re Assets (n o n -c u rre n t) 1,345,907 1,350,259

1 4 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Note 7: Non-Financial Assets (continued)

2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

S'OOO_________ $'000

N ote 7B: P ro perty Plant and Equipm ent

M o to r Vehicles - at cost 43 4 303

- accum ulated d e p re cia tio n _______ (6 4 ) _______ (5 0 )

370 253

F u rnitu re, F ittin g s and O ffic e E q u ip m e n t - at cost 973 927

- accum ulated d e p re cia tio n ______ ( 6 8 6 ) ______ (577)

287 ________350

C om puters & IT e q u ip m e n t - at cost 1,508 1,299

- accum ulated d e p re cia tio n _____ (1,163) ______ (9 0 2 )

345 ________397

Total Plant and E q u ip m e n t 1.002 1,000

(n o n -c u rre n t)

N ote 7C: Leasehold im provem ents

- at cost 5 0 9 439

- accum ulated a m o rtis a tio n (3 5 6 ) (277)

Total leasehold im p ro v e m e n ts 153 162

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 1 4 5

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Note 7: Non-Financial Assets (continued)

2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

$ ’ 0 0 0 _________ $ '0 0 0

N ote 7E: Inventories

Finished go ods (c o s t) ________203 _________64

Total Inve ntories h e ld fo r sale 203 _________64

All inventories are c u rre n t assets.

N ote 7F: O th er N on-Financial Assets

Prepaym ents ISO 72

All o th e r no n-financial assets are c u rre n t assets.

N ote 7G: Investm ent in jo in t venture entity

The M urray-D arling Freshw ater Research C entre (MDFRC) was established as a jo in t venture betw een the Com m ission and th e CSIRO. On inception, the Centre was charged w ith th e task of carrying ou t m edium to lo n g -te rm research w hich would be o f benefit to th e m anagem ent o f the w ate r resources o f th e M u rray-D arling Basin. Investm ent in the jo in t venture e n tity refers to the C om m ission’s 50% share o f M u rra y-D a rlin g Freshwater Research Centre jo in t venture w ith the CSIRO.

C arrying am ount on re co g n itio n o f investm ent 50 2 529

Share o f jo in t venture e n tity ’s n e t o p e ra tin g surplus / (d e fic it) 15 (27)

fo r the financial year

In ve stm e n t in jo in t ve n tu re e n tity a t th e e n d o f the fin a n c ia l ye a r 517 502

Note 8: Interest Bearing Liabilities

Leases

Finance Lease C om m itm e n ts

Payable:

W ithin one year 86 86

In one to five years 57 143

M inim um lease pa ym ents 143 229

D educt: fu tu re fin a n ce charges 10 25

N et Lease L ia b ility 133 2 0 4

Lease lia b ility is re presented by:

C urrent 77 71

N on-current 56 133

N et Lease L ia b ility 133 20 4

The finance lease exists in re la tion to the fito u t o f offices a t 15 Moore Street, Canberra. The lease is non cancellable and fo r a fixed term expiring on 28 February 2007. The initial term o f the lease is still c u rre n t and m ay be renewed fo r a fu rth e r five years at the Com m ission’s option.

The interest rate im p lic it in th e lease is 8.75%.

ANNUAL REPORT 20 0 4-2 0 0 5 1 4 7

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

$ '0 0 0 _________ $ '0 0 0

Note 9: Provisions

E m ployee Provisions

Annual Leave 638 576

Long service leave 7 9 0 823

A g g re g a te em ployee e n title m e n t lia b ility 1,428 1,399

O n-costs 2 0 4 193

A g g re g a te em ployee e n title m e n t lia b ility and re la te d o n -costs 1,632 1.592

C urrent 861 769

N on-current 771 823

...... 1,632 1,592

O th e r Provisions

Leadership N etw ork 104 -

______1,736 1,592

A ccrued salaries and wages, are disclosed at N ote 10 - Payables.

Note 10: Payables

Note 10A: Goods and Services Payable

Trade cre ditors and accruals 2 6 ,820 22,976

A ccrued salaries and wages 35 -

Total go ods and services pa yable 26,855 22,976

Goods and Services payable are represented by:

Current _____26,855 _____ 22,976

Total s u p p lie r payables 26,855 _____ 22,976

S ettlem ent is usually made ne t 30 days

N ote 10B: Revenue Received in Advance

C arry-over o f c u rre n t year co n trib u tio n s to fo rw a rd yea r 4,6 36 4,431

O th er 6 4 224

T otal revenue received in advance 4 ,7 0 0 4,655

A ll revenue received in advance are current liabilities.

148 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

$’0 0 0 _________$’0 0 0

Note 12: Cash Flow Reconciliation

R e co n cilia tio n o f n e t surplus to ne t cash fro m o p e ra tin g a c tiv itie s

N et surplus / (d e fic it) (8 ,3 6 9 ) (256,263)

D epreciation / a m ortisatio n 22,565 15,007

Share o f jo in t ven ture (s u rp lu s)/d e ficit (15) -

Assets recognised fo r the firs t tim e - (529)

Loss on disposal o f assets 11 4 4

C orrection o f fundam ental error - 422,637

N et c re d it to asset revaluation reserve - (148,007)

Net w rite do w n o f no n-fina ncial assets - 27

Decrease in advances held by co n stru ctio n au thoritie s 64 -

(Increase) in net receivables (2 ,0 6 5 ) (2 ,053 )

(Increase) in inventories (139) (4 7 )

Decrease in prepaym ents (78) 32

Increase / (decrease) in em ployee provisions 4 0 (71)

Increase in supplier payables 3,880 2,488

(Decrease) in revenue received in advance 45 (9 ,3 0 0 )

Increase in oth er provisions 103 "

N et cash fro m o p e ra tin g a c tiv itie s 16,042 23,965

Note 13: Contingent Liabilities and Assets Q u a n t if ia b le C o n tin g e n c ie s

Nil

U n q u a n t if ia b le C o n tin g e n c ie s

In O cto b e r 2 0 02, a landow ner com m enced proceed ings ag ainst the Com m ission and fo rm e r Com m issioners in the Supreme Court o f New South W ales in relation to th e release o f w a te r from Hume Dam in 1996. The Comm ission is d e fend in g the actio n.

In 2 0 03, the Com m ission was joine d as a p a rty to a m a tte r before th e co u rts related to land rights. It is no t possible to estim ate any liabilities arising o u t o f th is m atter.

1 5 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Note 14: Executive Remuneration

The nu m ber o f executives w h o received o r were due to

receive to ta l re m une ratio n o f $1 00,0 00 o r more:

2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

$1 0 0 ,0 0 0 to $109,999 - 1

$110,000 to $119,999 - 1

$120,000 to $129,999 1 -

$130,000 to $139,999 - 3

$1 40,0 00 to $149,999 1 1

$170,000 to $179,999 2 2

$190,000 to $199,999 1 -

$ 2 3 0 ,0 0 0 to $239,999 - 1

$ 2 5 0 ,0 0 0 to $259,999 1 -

The aggregate a m o u n t o f to ta l rem une ratio n o f executives shown above. $1,059,397 $1,361,516

The aggregate a m ount o f sep a ra tio n and redundancy/term ination be nefit paym ents d u ring th e year to executives shown above. Nil $227,561

"R em uneration" refers to salary, accrued leave, perform ance pay, em ployer superannuation, estim ated cost o f m o to r veh icle s p ro vid e d as part o f a rem uneration package, spouse travel en titlem ents, sep aratio n and re d u n d a n cy/te rm in a tio n benefit paym ents and related on costs

including frin g e be n e fits ta x p a id d u rin g 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5 fo r officers concerned w ith the m anagem ent o f th e O ffice o f th e C om m ission w here the to ta l paid in respect o f an individual exceeded $ 100,0 0 0 .

Note 15: Remuneration of Members of the Commission Rem uneration is paid to on e exe cutive member. No rem uneration is paid to non-executive m em bers w h o are S tate o r C om m onw e alth public servants or officers o f State agencies. The rem uneration p a id to the e xe cu tive m e m ber is less than $100,000.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 151

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

2 0 0 5

$

2 0 0 4

$

Note 16: Remuneration of Auditors

Rem uneration to be paid to Australian N ational A u d it O ffice

fo r au d itin g Financial S tatem ents fo r the re p o rtin g p e rio d 31,000 4 3 ,0 0 0

AEIFRS op ening balance sheet a u d it 7 ,0 0 0 __________ -

3 8 ,0 0 0 4 3 ,0 0 0

N o o th e r services were provided by th e A ustralian N ational A u d it O ffice

R em uneration paid fo r internal a u d it services d u rin g th e re portin g p e riod

O th er services

100,679

137,637

238,316

31.000

31.000

Note 17: Average Staffing Levels

2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

The average staffing levels fo r the Com m ission d u ring th e year were: 117 ________ 103

1 5 2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Note 18: Financial Instruments (continued)

N ote 18B: C redit Risk Exposure C redit risk represents the loss th a t w o u ld be recognised if c o u n te rp a rtie s failed to p e rfo rm as con tracte d. The risk on financial assets o f the C om m ission w hich have been recognised on the S tatem ent o f Financial Position, is th e c a rryin g a m o u n t ne t o f any provision fo r d o u b tfu l debts. Due to the nature o f th e m a jo rity o f the C om m ission’s clients, such risk is considered by the Com m ission to be low.

N ote 18C: N et Fair Values o f Assets and Liabilities The net fair values o f investm ents have been co m p u te d a t net realisable value at balance date. For o th e r assets and liabilities, the net fair value a p p ro xim a te s th e ir carrying value. No fina ncial assets o r liabilities are readily tra ded on organise d m arkets in standardised form o th e r than investm ents. The aggreg ate net fa ir values and ca rryin g am o u n ts o f fina ncial assets and financial lia b ilitie s are disclosed in the S tatem ent o f Financial Position.

N otes 2 0 0 5 2 0 0 4

T otal C a rryin g A g g re g a te Net Total C arrying A g g re g a te N et

A m o u n t Fair Value A m o u n t Fair Value

$ ’0 0 0 $ -0 0 0 $’ 0 0 0 $’ 0 0 0

F inancial Assets

Cash at Bank 6A 10,199 10,199 13,575 13,575

Cash on hand 6A - - 8 8

Short Term D eposit 6A 3 0 ,0 0 0 3 0 ,0 0 0 2 9 ,0 0 0 2 9 ,0 0 0

Receivables 6B 7,380 7,380 5,301 5,301

A dvance to C onstructing A utho rities 6C 82 4 824 888 888

Total F inancial Assets 4 8 ,4 0 3 4 8 ,4 0 3 48,772 48,772

F inancial L ia b ilitie s

Finance Lease 8 133 133 204 2 0 4

Trade and oth er cre ditors 10A 26,855 26,855 22,976 22,976

Total F inancial L ia b ilitie s 26,988 26 ,988 23,180 23,180

1 5 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Note 19: Events Occurring after Reporting Date No m aterial events occu rred a fte r balance date.

Note 20: Unrecognised Liabilities The C om m ission is n o t aware o f any significa nt unrecognised liabilities at 30 June 2 0 0 5 oth er than tho se re corde d in the Schedule o f C om m itm ents.

Note 21: Liabilities assumed by Governments E xcept as indica ted by these statem en ts no liabilities have been assumed by Governm ents.

Note 22: Economic Dependency The Com m ission is d e p e n d e n t on co n trib u tio n s by C ontracting G overnm ents to un dertake its norm al activities.

Note 23: Location of Business W ith the exce ption o f assistance pro vid e d to the Mekong River Comm ission under AusAID funding the Com m ission operates solely in Australia.

ANNUAL REPORT 20 0 4-2 0 0 5 1 5 5

N o t e s t o a n d f o r m i n g p a r t o f t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

Note 24: Related Party Disclosures M em bers o f th e C om m ission

M em bers o f th e Com m ission d u ring 2 0 0 4 -0 5 were:

M em ber R e p re se n ta tive of: P erio d o f M e m bership

P resident Rt. Hon 1. Sinclair From 1/12/2003

C om m issioners Mr. D. B o rth w ick C om m onw e alth From 1 9 /2 /2 0 0 4

Dr. M. Cooper ACT To 2 2 /2 /2 0 0 5

Ms. L. C orbyn NSW To 3 0 /6 /2 0 0 5

Mr B. C oulter OLD From 2 2 /7 /2 0 0 4

Mr. R. Freeman SA From 17 /4/20 03

Mr. J. Hallion SA From 2 0 /6 /2 0 0 2

Mr P. Harris VIC From 1 9 /1 0 /2 0 0 4

Ms. J. H ew itt C om m onw e alth From 16 /1 2 /2 0 0 4

Prof. L. Neilson VIC From 2 4 /2 /2 0 0 3

Mr. P. O ttesen ACT From 2 3 /2 /2 0 0 5

Mr. J. Purtill QLD From 2 2 /7 /2 0 0 4

Mr. M. Taylor C o m m onw e alth To 2 9 /1 0 /2 0 0 4

Ms. J. W e sta co tt NSW From 1 6 /5 /2 0 0 3

D eputy Commissioners Mr. G. Claydon QLD From 9 /9 /2 0 0 4

Mr. D. F lett VIC To 3 0 /6 /2 0 0 5

Ms. E. Fow ler ACT From 2 8 /9 /2 0 0 1

Mr. D. Harriss NSW From 1/10/1997

Mr. A. Holmes SA From 2 0 /6 /2 0 0 4

Ms. A. Howe SA From 2 0 /6 /2 0 0 2

Dr. C. O’Connell C o m m onw e alth From 2 2 /2 /2 0 0 1

Mr. J. Pollock QLD From 19/7/2001

Mr. C. Robson QLD From 19/7/2001

Dr. R. Sheldrake NSW To 3 0 /6 /2 0 0 5

Mr. G. W ilson VIC From 2 0 /4 /2 0 0 4

Mr. B. W onder C om m onw e alth From 2 2 /4 /2 0 0 4

Loans to M em bers and O ffice rs No loans w ere m ade to m em bers or officers o f the C om m ission.

Transactions w ith R elated E n titie s The M urray-D arling Basin Com m ission is the executive arm o f the M inisterial Council established by the 1992 M u rray-D arling Basin A greem ent. The C om m onw e alth and th e States o f New South Wales, V ictoria, South A ustralia and Queensland are pa rties to this ag re e m e n t w hilst th e A ustralian Capital T e rrito ry p a rticip a te s by a M em orandum o f U nderstanding. Funds fo r a ctivitie s under the d ire ctio n o f the C om m ission are paid to the Com m ission by th e p a rtic ip a tin g governm ents and disbursed acco rd in g to Com m ission priorities. A high p ro p o rtio n o f th e Com m ission funded a c tiv ity is undertaken by S tate Agencies. All transactions are a t arm s le n g th and in accordance w ith budgets and program s ap prove d by the Ministerial Council.

1 5 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

APPENDIXES

A p p e n d ix A: M em bership o f the M inisterial Council 158

A p p e n d ix B: M em bership of the C om m unity 159

A d v is o ry C om m ittee

A p p e n d ix C: M em bership of the MDBC 160

A p p e n d ix D: C om m ittee s and w orkin g groups 162

2 0 0 4 -0 5

A p p e n d ix E: New publications printed by the MDBC 164

A p p e n d ix A: M em bership o f th e M inisterial Council

M em bers from 1 July 2 0 0 4 to 3 0 June 2 0 0 5

Australian Government The Hon. W a rre n Truss, MP M in is te r fo r A g ric u ltu re , F ish eries an d F o re s try (C h a irm a n )

The Hon. D r D a vid Kem p, MP M in iste r fo r th e E n v iro n m e n t an d H e rita g e ( to 17 J u ly 2 0 0 4 )

S e n a to r th e Hon. Ian C am p bell M inister fo r th e E n viro n m e n t and H eritage (fro m 18 Ju ly 2 0 0 4 )

S ena tor th e Hon. Ian M acdonald M in is te r fo r F ish e rie s, F o re s try an d C o n s e rv a tio n

New South Wales The Hon. C raig K now les, MP M in is te r fo r In fra s tru c tu re and P la n n in g an d M in is te r fo r

N a tu ra l R esou rces

The Hon. Ian M a cdona ld, MLC M in is te r fo r P rim a ry In d u s trie s

The Hon. B o b D ebus, MP A tto rn e y -G e n e ra l a n d M in is te r fo r th e E n v iro n m e n t

Victoria The Hon. J o h n T h w aites, MP D e p u ty Premier, M in iste r fo r E n viro n m e n t and M inister fo r W ater

The Hon. B o b C am e ron , MP M in is te r fo r A g ric u ltu re

South Australia The Hon. Karlene Maywald, MP

The Hon. J o h n Hill, MP

M in is te r fo r th e R ive r M u rra y (fr o m 23 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 )

M in is te r fo r E n v iro n m e n t a n d C o n s e rv a tio n

T h e Hon. R o ry M cE w en, MP M in is te r fo r A g ric u ltu re , F o o d a n d F ish eries

Queensland The Hon. S tephen Robertson, MP M in is te r fo r N a tu ra l R e so u rce s a n d M ines

T h e H on. J o h n M ickel, MP M in is te r fo r E n v iro n m e n t ( to 25 A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 th e n v a c a n t)

Australian Capital Territory* (non-voting member) M r J o n S ta n h o p e , M L A M in is te r fo r th e E n v iro n m e n t

* A C T p a rtic ip a tio n is th ro u g h a m e m o ra n d u m o f u n d e rs ta n d in g , 27 M a rch 1998.

1 5 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

A p p e n d ix B: M em bership of the C o m m u n ity A dvisory C o m m ittee

M em bers from 1 July 2 0 0 4 to 3 0 June 2 0 0 5

Chairman Ms L e ith B o u lly ( to 11 A p ril 2 0 0 5 )

M r M yles T re se d e r (A c tin g C hairm an fro m 12 A p ril 2 0 0 5 )

Member

NSW M r K elvin B a x te r

M r M a rk K in g

M r Lee O 'B rie n

Victoria M r D on C u m m in s

M r R o d n e y H a yd e n

Ms Sarah N ic h o la s

South Australia Mrs J o a n n e P fe iffe r

Mrs S ha ro n S ta ric k

M r D ere k W a lk e r

Queensland M r Jo h n G ra b b e

M r C larrie H illa rd

Ms Sarah M o le s

Australian Capital Territory P ro f Ian F a lc o n e r

Interests M r Leon B ro s te r

M r H am ish H o lc o m b e

M r Lee J o a c h im

C r P hyllis M ille r

M r M ike N o la n

M r N ick R o b e rts

M r M yles T re s e d e r

U rba n

D ryla n d F a rm ing

In d ig e n o u s

Lo cal G o ve rn m e n t

In d ig e n o u s

E n v iro n m e n t

Irrig a tio n In d u s try (A c tin g C hairm an fro m 12 A p ril 2 0 0 5 )

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 1 5 9

A p p e n d ix C: M em bership o f th e MDBC

M em bers from 1 July 2 0 0 4 to 3 0 June 2 0 0 5 R t H on. Ian S in c la ir In d e p e n d e n t P re s id e n t

Australian Government M r D avid B o rth w ic k S e cre ta ry, D e p a rtm e n t o f th e E n v iro n m e n t a n d H e rita g e

Ms Jo a n n e H e w itt S e cre ta ry, D e p a rtm e n t o f A g ric u ltu re , F ish e rie s an d

F o re s try (fr o m 16 D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 4 )

M r M ichael T aylor S e cre ta ry, D e p a rtm e n t o f A g ric u ltu re , F ish e rie s an d

F o re s try ( to 29 O c to b e r 2 0 0 4 )

M r B e rn a rd W o n d e r (D e p u ty ) D e p u ty S e cre ta ry, D e p a rtm e n t o f A g ric u ltu re , F isheries

a n d F o re s try

D r C onall O 'C o n n e ll (D e p u ty ) D e p u ty S e cre ta ry, D e p a rtm e n t o f th e E n v iro n m e n t and

H e rita g e

New South Wales Ms J e n n ife r W e s ta c o tt D ire c to r-G e n e ra l, D e p a rtm e n t o f In fra s tru c tu re , P lannin g

an d N a tu ra l R esou rces

Ms Lisa C o rb yn D ire c to r-G e n e ra l, D e p a rtm e n t o f E n v iro n m e n t and

C o n s e rv a tio n

M r D a vid H arriss (D e p u ty ) R egio nal D ire cto r, M u rra y -M u rru m b id g e e , D e p a rtm e n t o f

In fra stru ctu re , P lannin g and N atu ral Resources

D r R ich a rd S h e ld ra ke (D e p u ty ) D e p u ty D ire c to r-G e n e ra l, A g ric u ltu re and Fisheries,

D e p a rtm e n t o f P rim a ry In d u strie s

Victoria P ro f L yn d sa y N eilson S ecre tary, D e p a rtm e n t o f S u s ta in a b ility an d E n v iro n m e n t

M r P e te r H arris S ecre tary, D e p a rtm e n t o f P rim a ry In d u s trie s

(fro m 19 O c to b e r 2 0 0 4 )

M r D enis F le tt (D e p u ty ) C h ie f E xe cu tive O ffic e r, G o u lb u rn -M u rra y W a te r

M r G re g o ry W ils o n (D e p u ty ) D e p u ty S ecre tary, W a te r S e c to r D ivisio n , D e p a rtm e n t o f

S u s ta in a b ility an d E n v iro n m e n t

1 6 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

South Australia M r R o b e rt F re e m a n C h ie f E xecutive, D e p a rtm e n t o f W ater, Land an d

B io d iv e rs ity C o n se rva tio n

M r J a m e s H a llio n C h ie f E xecutive, P rim a ry In d u s trie s a n d R esources SA

Ms A n n e H o w e (D e p u ty ) C h ie f E xecutive, S o u th A u s tra lia n W a te r C o rp o ra tio n

M r A lla n H o lm e s (D e p u ty ) C h ie f E xecutive, D e p a rtm e n t fo r E n v iro n m e n t an d H e rita g e

Queensland Mr B ryan C o u lte r D e p u ty D ire c to r G eneral, D e p a rtm e n t o f N a tu ra l R esources

a n d M ines (fro m 22 J u ly 2 0 0 4 )

M r Ja m e s P u rtill D ire c to r General, E n v iro n m e n ta l P ro te c tio n A g e n c y (fro m

22 J u ly 2 0 0 4 )

Mr C h risto p h e r R obson (D e p u ty ) E x e c u tiv e D irector, N atu ral R esource Sciences,

D e p a rtm e n t o f N atu ral R esources an d Mines

M r G re g o ry C la y d o n ( D e p u ty ) G eneral M anager W a te r Planning, D e p a rtm e n t o f N a tu ra l

R esources and Mines

Australian Capital Territory M r P eter O tte s e n E x e c u tiv e D irector, O ffic e o f S u s ta in a b ility (fro m

23 F e b ru a ry 2 0 0 5 )

Dr M axine C o o p e r E x e c u tiv e D irector, E n v iro n m e n t ACT, D e p a rtm e n t o f

U rb a n S ervices (to 22 F e b ru a ry 2 0 0 5 )

Ms E liz a b e th F o w le r ( D e p u ty ) D ire cto r, E n v iro n m e n t P ro te c tio n , E n v iro n m e n t ACT,

D e p a rtm e n t o f U rban Services

ANNUAL REPORT 200 4-2 0 0 5 161

A p p e n d ix D: C o m m ittees and w o rkin g groups 2 0 0 4 - 0 5

C o rp o rate Services

A u d it C o m m itte e

F in a n ce C o m m itte e

River Murray W a te r

R ive r M u rra y W a te r A d v is o ry B oard

A d v is o ry G ro u p fo r H um e to Y a rra w o n g a W a te rw a y M a n a g e m e n t

A s s e t M a n a g e m e n t A d v is o ry Panel

H igh Level W o rk in g G ro u p on S alt In te rc e p tio n

H u m e -D a rtm o u th Technical R eview C o m m itte e

Lake V ic to ria A d v is o ry C o m m itte e

R ive r M u rra y C hannel C a p a c ity W o rk in g G ro u p

W a te r A u d it W o rk in g G ro u p

W a te r Liaiso n C o m m itte e

W a te r P o licy C o m m itte e

N atural Resource M an ag em en t

In te g ra te d C a tc h m e n t M a n a g e m e n t P o lic y C o m m itte e

Basin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t S tra te g y Im p le m e n ta tio n W o rk in g G ro u p

Fish M a n a g e m e n t an d S cience C o m m itte e

Fish P assage R e fe re n ce G ro u p

G ro u n d w a te r Technical R efe re n ce G ro u p

In d e p e n d e n t A u d it G ro u p (C a p )

In d e p e n d e n t A u d it G ro u p (S a lin ity )

In d e p e n d e n t S u sta in a b le R ivers A u d it G ro u p

In d ig e n o u s A c tio n Plan P ro je c t B o a rd

In te rs ta te W a te r T ra d e P ro je c t B o a rd

M u rra y C o d R e fe re n ce G ro u p

N arran Lakes P ro je c t S te e rin g C o m m itte e

N a tiv e Fish S tra te g y C o m m u n ity S ta k e h o ld e r G ro u p

1 6 2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

N a tive Fish S tra te g y C o o rd in a to rs

S u sta in a b le R ivers A u d it Im p le m e n ta tio n W o rk in g G ro up

W a te r Q u a lity M o n ito rin g W o rk in g G ro u p

The Living M urray

The L iv in g M u rra y B o a rd

The L iv in g M u rra y C o m m u n ic a tio n Plan W o rk in g G ro up

The L iv in g M u rra y Im p le m e n ta tio n P ro g ra m W o rk in g G ro up

E n v iro n m e n ta l W o rk s a n d M e a su re rs P rog ram M a n a g e m e n t C o m m itte e

P ro je c t A s s e s s m e n t G ro u p fo r The L iv in g M urray

ANNUAL REPORT 200 4-2 0 0 5 1 6 3

A p p e n d ix E: N ew p u b licatio n s p rin ted by th e MDBC

A lie n s in th e B asin - A n in tr o d u c tio n to a lie n fis h in th e M u rra y -

D a rlin g Basin!, J u ly 2 0 0 4

B asin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t S tra te g y 2 0 0 2 - 2 0 0 3 A n n u a l

Im p le m e n ta tio n R e p o rt, N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 4

7 4 /0 4

B a sin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t S tra te g y 2 0 0 2 - 2 0 0 3 A n n u a l

Im p le m e n ta tio n R e p o rt - S um m ary, N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 4

7 3 /0 4

B asin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t S tra te g y 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 0 4 A n n u a l

Im p le m e n ta tio n R e p o rt, A p ril 2 0 0 5

0 2 /0 5

B asin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t S tra te g y 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 0 4 A n n u a l

Im p le m e n ta tio n R e p o rt - S um m ary, A p ril 2 0 0 5

0 3 /0 5

D ry la n d a n d U rb a n S a lin ity c o sts a cro ss th e M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin

- A n o v e rv ie w a n d g u id e lin e s fo r id e n tify in g a n d v a lu in g th e im p a c ts ,

O c to b e r 2 0 0 4 .

3 4 /0 4

F o o tp rin ts b y th e River, O c to b e r 2 0 0 4 .

H ill c o u n try n a tiv e g ra ssla n d s .B e tte r M a n a g e m e n t f o r h e a lth y

c o u n trie s , O c to b e r 2 0 0 4 .

3 3 /0 4

H ill c o u n try n a tiv e g ra ssla n d s :B e tte r M a n a g e m e n t fo r h e a lth y

c o u n trie s - S u m m a ry b ro c h u re , O c to b e r 2 0 0 4 .

2 9 /0 4

K e y th re a ts to n a tiv e fish flyer, N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 4 .

L iv in g M u rra y B usiness Plan, N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 4 7 5 /0 4

L iv in g M u rra y B usiness Plan, A p ril 2 0 0 5 . 0 5 /0 5

L iv in g M u rra y E n v iro n m e n ta l W a te rin g P lan 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5 - In te rim

A rra n g e m e n ts , F e b ru a ry 2 0 0 5 .

0 8 /0 5 .

M D B C N a tiv e F ish S tra te g y 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 0 4 A n n u a l Im p le m e n ta tio n

R e p o rt, M a rch 2 0 0 5 .

0 7 /0 5

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin C om m issio n A n n u a l R e p o rt 0 3 /0 4 , O c to b e r 2 0 0 4 6 8 /0 4

M u rra y -D a rlin g B a sin E d u c a tio n M a g a z in e - The C a n b e rra Times,

A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 .

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin F lo o d p la in M a n a g e m e n t S trategy, A u g u s t 2 0 0 4 . 3 6 /0 4

1 6 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin G ro u n d w a te r S ta tu s 1 9 9 0 -2 0 0 0 : a s u m m a ry

re p o rt, M arch 2 0 0 5 .

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin G ro u n d w a te r S ta tu s 1 9 9 0 -2 0 0 0 : an overview ,

M arch 2 0 0 5 .

N a tiv e fis h o f th e M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin flyer, N o ve m b e r 2 0 0 5 .

R e c o m m e n d e d M e th o d s f o r M o n ito rin g F lo o d p la in s a n d W etlands,

Jun e 2 0 0 5

7 2 /0 4

R e p o rt o f th e In d e p e n d e n t A u d it G ro u p fo r S a lin ity 2 0 0 2 -2 0 0 3 ,

N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 4 .

8 4 /0 4

R e p o rt o f th e In d e p e n d e n t A u d it G ro u p fo r s a lin ity 2 0 0 3 -2 0 0 4 , A p ril

2 0 0 5 .

0 1 /0 5

R e v ie w o f C ap Im p le m e n ta tio n 2 0 0 3 - 0 4 - R e p o rt o f th e In d e p e n d e n t

A u d it G roup, M arch 2 0 0 5 .

1 2 /05

S u rve y o f R iv e r R e d G um a n d B la c k B o x H e a lth a lo n g th e R iver

M u rra y in N e w S o u th W ales, V ic to ria a n d S o u th A u s tra lia - 2 0 0 4 ,

A p ril 2 0 0 5 .

0 6 /0 5

S u s ta in a b le R iv e rs A u d it P ro g ra m , N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 4 . 3 8 /0 4

The D a rtin g , N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 4 . 6 9 /0 4

The L iv in g M u rra y E n v iro n m e n ta l W orks a n d M easures P rog ram ,

N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 4 .

3 1 /0 4

The R iv e r M u rra y B a rra g e s a n d F ish w a y B rochure, M arch 2 0 0 5 .

W h a t can y o u d o to a s s is t n a tiv e fis h ? Flyer, N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 4 .

W h a t is a fis h w a y ? flyer, D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 4 .

W a te r A u d it M o n ito rin g R e p o rt 2 0 0 2 -0 3 , Ju ly 2 0 0 4 . 3 5 /0 4

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2005 1 6 5

I

COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT ___________ 2 0 0 4 -2 0 0 5

S trategic A d v ic e on Natural Resource M anagem ent Issues 170

D issem inating C o u n c il’s decisions 173

P erform ance R e p o rt 176

The Hon. Peter McGauran MP

M inister fo r A griculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Parliam ent House

CANBERRA ACT 26 0 0

Dear Minister

We w ould like to subm it the C om m unity A d viso ry C o m m itte e ’s annual report

fo r 2 0 0 4 -0 5 , to be tabled to g e th e r w ith the M urray-D arling Basin C om m ission’s

annual report, in the parliam ents o f Australia, New South Wales, Queensland,

South Australia and Victoria, and the Legislative A ssem bly o f the Australian

Capital Territory.

This re p o rt marks the firs t year o f operation o f the fo u rth C om m unity A dvisory

Com m ittee. This was a year o f sig n ifica n t change and developm ent fo r the

C om m ittee and its new members. The C om m ittee was able to make a significant

c o n trib u tio n in relation to The Living Murray and fostering the beginnings o f a

Darling Initiative to provide fo r river health in the northern parts o f the Basin.

We feel stro n g ly th a t a w hole o f Basin approach is im p o rta n t to the fu tu re o f the

Murray-Darling Basin Initiative.

We com m end the 2 0 0 4 -0 5 Annual R eport o f the C om m unity A dvisory

C om m ittee to the five parliam ents and the ACT Legislative Assembly.

Yours sincerely

Leith Boully

Chairman

(1 June 2 0 0 4 to 11 A pril 2 0 05)

Myles Treseder

A ctin g Chairman

(12 A pril to 30 June 2 0 0 5 )

The Fourth C om m unity A dvisory C om m ittee (CAC) was appointed in May 2 00 4 . The first part o f 2 0 0 4 -0 5 was a tim e o f building fam iliarity w ith the M urray-Darling Basin and the Initiative and developing tea m w ork w ithin the Committee.

The CAC m et fo rm a lly seven tim es in both the northern and southern Basin,

Meetings have involved interaction w ith local com m unities to garner inform ation

on issues p e rtin e n t to th e local area, foster relationships and build netw orks

w ithin those com m unities.

The term o f th e CAC Chairman, Ms Leith Boully expired on 11 A pril 2005. W ith

the selection process fo r a new Chairman still to be finalised, D eputy Chairman

and Irrigation representative, Myles Treseder was appointed as A ctin g Chairman.

As at 30 June 2005, Myles Treseder continues in th a t role.

The CAC Chairm an a tte n d e d Ministerial Council m eetings in N ovem ber 2 0 0 4

and A p ril 2005, as w ell as all Commission m eetings until the expiry o f her term.

The A cting CAC C hairm an a ttended the Commission m eeting held in June 2005.

The CAC provided advice on a range o f issues th ro u g h o u t the year, in particular

relating to The Living Murray, establishm ent o f a Darling initiative and Indigenous

involvem ent in natural resource management.

The CAC developed its firs t Business Plan w hich was endorsed by Ministerial

Council on 26 N ovem ber 2004. The M urray-Darling Basin A g re e m e n t 1992, the

CAC’s Terms o f Reference and the Integrated Catchm ent M anagem ent Policy

(2001) pro vid e the co n te x t fo r the CAC’s w ork priorities fo r this year. The key

objectives in the Business Plan are:

1. Provide strategic advice on natural resource management issues o f significance

re fle ctin g the range o f com m unity views across the Basin to Council.

2. Dissem inate C ouncil’s decisions to the w ider com m unity.

3. Provide a dvice to C ouncil on the effectiveness o f the C om m ission’s

co m m u n ity eng a g e m e n t processes

4. P articipate in c o m m u n ity engagem ent and policy developm ent in a strategic

and tim e ly m anner as directed by Ministerial Council.

5. Provide advice to Council on the effectiveness of the Integrated C atchm ent

M anagem ent approach.

W aggam ba Landcare gro u p from G oondiw indi, (Q ld ) attendin g a farm fie ld day

in the Border Rivers area o f NSW and Qld

Strategic A dvice on Natural Resource M anagem ent Issues

The Living Murray

The Living Murray continues to be a p rim a ry focus o f CAC po licy advice to

Council, particularly relating to the co m m u n ity engagem ent process surrounding

the im plem entation o f The Living Murray Business Plan. Key areas fo r the CAC’s

advice in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 were:

• inform ing the w ider com m unity on The Living Murray Business Plan and its

im plem entation

• ensuring th a t the m anagem ent o f unregulated flo w (non-C ap w ater or surplus

flow s) does not underm ine the outcom es o f The Living Murray

• the key role o f im proved know ledge on th e ecology and co n d ition o f the

Murray to underpin im plem entation and fu rth e r decision-m aking, and build

co m m u n ity confidence in the science s u p p o rtin g The Living Murray

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• im proving co m m u n ity input to the developm ent of environm ental w atering

plans and asset m anagem ent plans

• ensuring th a t Indigenous people and their know ledge is incorporated into

environm ental w atering plans and asset m anagem ent plans.

The CAC has been concerned at the lack of inform ation and com m unity

engagem ent in the im plem entation of The Living Murray over the first year.

The CAC continues to have input into the developm ent of The Living Murray

C om m unication S tra te g y through involvement in focus groups. The S trategy is

expected to be finalised fo r im plem entation in late 2005.

In addition, the CAC has a role in providing advice on the developm ent of The

Living Murray E nvironm ental W atering Plan and the River Murray Channel Asset

Environm ental M anagem ent Plan. There were only lim ited o p p o rtu n itie s to have

input to this process in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 .

D arling In itia tiv e

Following discussions w ith com m unities in the northern Basin, the CAC provided

advice to M inisterial C ouncil th a t comm unities in the Darling Basin had indicated

th e ir desire to establish “ a com m unity-led initiative to guide the integrated

m anagem ent o f the rivers o f the Darling Basin.” A w orking group from the region

was fo rm e d to fu rth e r the developm ent of a proposal fo r the initiative, to report

back to the Darling co m m u n ity in August 2005.

In d ig en o u s A ctio n Plan

The CAC continued to provide advice on the developm ent o f the Murray-

Darling Basin Indigenous A ction Plan and engagement o f Indigenous people

in natural resource m anagem ent in general. The CAC has provided in p u t to the

developm ent o f the Plan through the Project Board and through CAC meetings.

Specific advice has also been provided to Council on the need to finalise the

M em orandum o f U nderstanding w ith Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous

Nations and to develop a sim ilar relationship w ith the N orthern Rivers Indigenous

Nations.

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W ork is cu rre n tly underw ay to develop p ro to co ls fo r th e c o n d u ct o f CAC

activities in a manner respectful o f Indigenous people. These pro to co ls are being

developed w ith the in p u t o f Indigenous people in the Basin fa cilita te d through

the CAC's Indigenous members.

Basin S alinity M a n a g e m en t

The CAC received the outcom es o f tw o ind e pe n d e n t reviews o f the Basin Salinity

Managem ent Plan. Members w ere very su p p o rtiv e o f th e progress m ade to date.

The CAC supported the recom m endations m ade by th e Independent A u d it

Group, w ith p rio rity given to:

• research and investigations in to m echanism s leading to salt accessions during

flood recessions

• fu rth e r inform ation from p a rtn e r g o vernm ents fo r provisional entries to be

made to com plete the salinity registers and allow more th o ro u g h evaluation

• tracking o f tem p o ra ry w ater trades w ith a view to assessing salinity im pacts

Cap on Diversions

The CAC noted th a t it is now 10 years since th e in tro d u c tio n o f the Cap on

Diversions and th a t although adherence to th e Cap is assessed on an annual

basis, there has been no review o f th e Cap m echanism s since 20 0 0 . The CAC

advised Ministerial Council th a t th e 10 year m ark w ould be an a p p ro p ria te tim e to

review the effectiveness o f the Cap, in c o rp o ra tin g a review o f g ro u n d w a te r use.

In terstate W a te r Trade

The CAC was briefed on the progress w ith establishing perm anent interstate

w ater trade in the southern-connected Basin. CAC m em bers advised Ministerial

Council o f the need fo r clear rules to be agreed, including consideration of

environm ental impacts, before th e m arket is opened, and to ensure there are

o p p o rtu n itie s fo r co m m u n ity in p u t p rio r to be decisions being taken on fu rth e r

reform s to interstate w ater trade.

D issem inating Council’s decisions A C om m unity Forum co-hosted by the CAC and the Commission, saw more

than 130 people representing a w ide range o f interests across the Basin gather

in Mildura on 4 June 2005. Ministers, partner governm ent representatives and

Commission sta ff explained how the The Living Murray Business Plan will guide

the im plem entation o f the First Step Decision fo r The Living Murray and outlined

processes fo r the w ater recovery, management, accounting and delivery to the

six Living Murray significant ecological assets.

A series o f sm aller local forum s at each of The Living Murray Significant

Ecological Assets com m enced w ith a meeting in Renmark on 24 June.

The CAC continues to provide inform ation on Council’s decisions through

d istrib u tin g com m uniques and attending local and regional com m unity meetings.

C o m m u n ity E n g ag em en t

CAC m eetings were held in a num ber of locations across the Basin including

Echuca, W e n tw o rth and Moree. These meetings provided CAC m em bers w ith an

o p p o rtu n ity to m eet w ith representatives from local organisations and visit sites

including Barm ah-M illewa forest, Menindee Lakes, Tandou and Cubbie Station.

The CAC invites local people involved in natural resource m anagem ent to meet

w ith CAC mem bers at these regional meetings.

Seven m em bers o f the CAC visited northern NSW in O ctober 2 0 0 4 to meet

w ith local co m m u n ity representatives and discuss natural resource m anagem ent

issues in this p a rt o f the Basin. The key issues raised during this to u r inform ed

the CAC's advice to Council and provided the ground w ork fo r tw o forum s on

the developm ent o f a natural resource management initiative for the im proved

m anagem ent o f the rivers in the Darling Basin.

In Decem ber 2 0 0 4 , th e CAC convened a representative group of people

from th ro u g h o u t the Darling Basin to consider the future natural resource

m anagem ent o f the D arling Basin. The m eeting requested the CAC coordinate a

larger co m m u n ity fo ru m to consider the issues more fully.

On 25 February 2005, more than 130 m em bers o f the Darling Basin co m m u n ity

m et in Moree to discuss a com m on goal o f developing a D arling Basin initiative.

The m eeting overw helm ingly supported the establishm ent o f a com m unity-led

initiative to guide the integrated m anagem ent o f the rivers o f the Darling Basin

and elected a w orking group, independent o f the CAC, to develop a process and

structure to take the initiative forw ard. The g ro u p w ill re p o rt progress to the

Darling Basin com m unity in A ugust 2005.

The CAC established The Living Murray C om m unity Reference Group (CRG) in

A pril 2005. This C om m ittee held its firs t m eeting in May 2005. The key roles for

this group are to provide advice on the d e velopm ent o f the River Murray Channel

Asset M anagement Plan and the overarching Environm ental W atering Plan for

all o f the Significant Ecological Assets. W ide co m m u n ity in p u t th ro u g h strong

linkages betw een the CRG, the CAC and The Living Murray initiative continues to

inform decision making on The Living Murray initiative.

Through the Secretariat, the CAC continues to s u p p o rt the M urray-D arling Basin

Leadership graduate netw ork. In March 2 0 0 5 the first m eeting o f the ne tw o rk

was held in Canberra w ith 11 graduates from courses one and tw o. The m eeting

produced a plan of action fo r the com ing year and provided advice to M inister

Truss and the President on this proposal, w hich includes utilising the ne tw o rk to

provide advice to the Commission and CAC.

Policy D evelo p m en t

CAC members continued to be active in MDBC com m itte e s th ro u g h o u t the year,

p a rticip a tin g on:

• ICM Policy C om m ittee, Finance C om m ittee and W ater Policy C om m ittee (did

not meet in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 )

* The Living Murray Board, Interstate W ater Trade Project Board, Indigenous

A ction Plan Project Board, Basin Salinity M anagem ent S trategy

Im plem entation W orking Group, Sustainable Rivers A u d it Im plem entation

W orking Group, Indigenous Interagency C oordinating Group, G roundw ater

Technical Reference Group

• C om m unity Reference Group fo r The Living Murray

• Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations, Australian Landcare Council

and CSIRO’s W ater A ccounts and Benefits Project Reference Panel.

A num ber o f com m ittees were inactive during the year, including the Program

Knowledge Com m ittees. It is expected that the com m ittee restructuring

follow ing the com p le tio n o f the Commission’s Strategic Plan will ensure an active

CAC p a rticipation in all areas o f policy developm ent in the future.

The CAC's main a c tiv ity in providing policy advice is through its reports to

Ministerial Council.

The In teg ra te d C atch m en t M anagem ent approach

Integrated C atchm ent M anagem ent in the Murray-Darling Basin 2001-2010 (ICM

Policy) was launched in 2001 and established a long-term partnership between

the CAC and the M inisterial Council. The CAC supports the ICM approach as the

basis fo r all natural resource managem ent activities across the Basin and has

adopted the values and principles in the ICM Policy to guide the way it operates.

The CAC was instrum ental in the developm ent o f a set o f d ra ft perform ance

measures a d o p te d in principle by Council in May 2003. The perform ance

measures are designed to determ ine w hether or not processes to im plem ent

th e ICM approach have been set up and how effectively they have worked.

The perform ance measures cover seven key areas: knowledge, governance,

in stitu tio n a l arrangem ents, investment, engagement, capacity building and

ta rg e t setting.

Focus groups and surveys conducted late 2 0 0 3 -e a rly 2 0 0 4 by Colmar Brunton

Social Research, have provided baseline data on the key perform ance measures

relating to co m m u n ity perceptions on key aspects o f im plem enting th e ICM

approach including knowledge, engagement and governance. Results in these three

key areas inform ed a jo in t discussion w ith Ministerial Council held 1 A pril 2005.

A publication sum m arising the key findings will be published early in the 2 0 0 5 -0 6

financial year.

1

P erform ance R ep o rt The CAC Business Plan includes a num ber o f p erform ance indicators. Analysis o f

progress in im plem enting the Business Plan is tracked against these indicators.

Effectiveness o f CAC advice is m on ito re d th ro u g h a decision tracking register.

O ther m ilestones can be m onitored th ro u g h the d e live ry o f reports or o u tp u ts

specified. In M arch-April 2005, the S ecretariat co n d u cte d a survey "CAC M em ber

Survey o f Services Provided by the S e cre ta ria t” (th e 2 0 0 5 Survey,). The purpose

was to gauge the effectiveness o f the S ecretariat in m eeting the m em bers’

needs and to provide baseline in fo rm a tio n fo r fu tu re surveys. Twelve mem bers

responded, equating to a 60 per cent return rate.

S trateg ic A dvice to C ouncil

The CAC provided advice to Council fo r the N ovem ber 2 0 0 4 and A p ril

2 0 0 5 m eetings through form al agenda papers to both m eetings covering:

im plem entation o f The Living M urray Business Plan, the need to review th e Basin

Cap on diversions, p rio rity issues fo r the Basin Salinity M anagem ent Strategy,

strategic planning priorities, im p le m e n ta tio n o f perm anent Interstate W ater

Trading rules, a com m unity-led D arling Basin initiative, Indigenous E ngagem ent

and Floodplain Management.

Discussions at the jo in t C ouncil/C AC m eeting held 1 A p ril 2 0 0 5 have been

reported under Integrated C atchm ent M anagem ent above.

Key outcom es:

Recom m endations to Council:

62% o f the CAC's recom m endations were a d o p te d

29% o f the CAC’s recom m endations were n o te d b u t n o t a d o p te d

9% o f the CAC’s recom m endations were n e ith e r a d o p te d n o r n o te d

Dissem inate Council Decisions

The 2 0 0 5 Survey showed th a t all responders are a ctive ly engaged in n e tw orking

across the range o f interests in com m unities.

CAC members use the form al Communique, issued follow ing each Council

meeting, as the basis to inform the com m unity of C ouncil’s decisions. Following

each Commission and CAC m eeting, the Secretariat also provides CAC members

w ith a Com m unique to assist in discussions w ith com m unity networks.

Key outcom es:

Two com m uniques circulated.

One regional and one local forum to inform the com m unity o f Council's Living

Murray initiative.

A dvice on C o m m u n ity E ngagem ent

The CAC continues to provide form al advice to Ministerial Council on

engagem ent activities fo r The Living Murray. The establishm ent of the CRG will

strengthen this advice in the future. Two members participated in a w orking

group on the developm ent o f The Living Murray Com m unication Strategy.

Key outcom es:

Advice to C ouncil in N ovem ber and A p ril on TLM engagement, the Darling

Initiative and the Indigenous A ction Plan

E stablishm ent o f TLM C om m unity Reference Group

F orm ation o f a CAC W orking Group to develop a M urray-Darling Basin

Engagem ent Policy

Policy D evelo p m en t

The CAC provided advice on a range o f existing policies currently under

im plem entation and p a rticip a te d in the developm ent o f policies on:

• Indigenous engagem ent

• Interstate W ater Trade

• M urray-D arling Basin Commission Strategic Plan

Key outcom es:

Eleven m em bers a tte n d e d 3 0 high-level com m ittee, p ro je c t board and

im plem entation w o rkin g gro u p m eetings o f the Commission (note th a t some

com m ittees d id n o t m e e t in 2 0 0 4 -0 5 ); 26 p e r cent su b m itte d reports

ύ K ·

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Effectiveness o f th e ICM A pproach

In 2 0 0 4 -0 5 the CAC reviewed the o u tp u t o f the first survey on perceptions of

effectiveness o f the ICM approach. Advice was provided to Ministerial Council

and a p ublication sum m arising the outcom es o f the survey was prepared.

The CAC has proposed th a t future m onitoring o f the effectiveness o f the ICM

approach be incorporated into a State of the Basin re p o rtin g fo rm a t draw ing

to g e th e r all activities o f the M urray-Darling Basin Initiative.

Key outcom es:

Perceptions on im plem enting Inte g ra te d C atchm ent M anagem ent in the Murray-

D arling Basin prepared

C om m unication and C ap acity B uilding

Under the CAC Business Plan, building effe ctive netw orks w ith in the Murray-

Darling Basin Initiative and in the w id e r co m m u n ity is seen as a high p riority.

CAC members have approached Ministers and Commissioners to establish d ire ct

com m unication and briefings p rio r to m eetings.

C apacity building for CAC mem bers was largely undertaken through developing

a b e tte r know ledge o f the Basin and the program s w ithin the Murray-Darling

Basin Initiative. CAC mem bers have now visited all sta te s/te rrito rie s w ith in the

Basin and been briefed on all o n -going projects and key policies o f the Initiative

and com m enced briefings on policies cu rre n tly under developm ent.

Key outcom es:

New South Wales has arrangem ents fo r re g u la r m eetings betw een m em bers and

Commissioners/Ministers. South A ustralia a n d Queensland have a p ro to c o l fo r

fo rm a l m eetings betw een m em bers a n d Com m issioners/M inisters.

S ecretariat su p p o rt

The CAC is sup p o rte d by a secretariat to provide effective sup p o rt to the

Chairman and m em bers and active furtherance o f the CAC’s Business Plan

Key findings o f a recent survey o f CAC members relating to the standard of

services provided by th e Secretariat were:

Professionalism o f the S ecretariat: 83 p e r cent ra te d "All" and 17 p e r cent rated

"M ost" o f the s ta ff as helpful, know ledgeable and professional, w ith no adverse

com m ents m ade on the service p ro vid e d by the Secretariat

Logistics: 84 p e r ce n t were happy w ith travel arrangem ents and the standard o f

accom m odation provided, while 91 p e r cent believed m eeting papers and other

p a perw ork was processed w ithin acceptable timeframes.

GLOSSARY

a n a b ra n ch . A b ra n ch o f a riv e r th a t leaves th e m a in s tre a m a n d re jo in s it fu rth e r

d o w n s tre a m .

b a rrag es. Five low, w id e w e irs b u ilt a t th e M u rra y M o u th to re d u c e th e a m o u n t o f se a w a te r

m o v in g in an d o u t o f th e M o u th d u e to tid a l m o v e m e n t. T h ey also h e lp c o n tro l th e w a te r

level in th e L o w e r Lakes an d R iver M u rra y b e lo w L o c k 1.

a q uifer. A n u n d e rg ro u n d layer o f soil, ro c k o r g ra ve l a b le to h o ld a n d tra n s m it w a te r.

b a se lin e c o n d itio n s . The c u rre n t sta tu s o f a system .

B asin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t S tra te g y (BSM S). This s tra te g y g u id e s c o m m u n itie s an d

g o v e rn m e n ts in w o rk in g to g e th e r to c o n tro l s a lin ity in th e M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin an d th e ir

c a tc h m e n ts . It e sta b lish e s ta rg e ts fo r th e riv e r s a lin ity o f ea ch m a jo r tr ib u ta r y v a lle y a n d th e

M u rra y -D a rlin g syste m its e lf th a t re fle c t th e sh a re d re s p o n s ib ility fo r a c tio n b o th b e tw e e n

v a lle y c o m m u n itie s and states.

b io d iv e rs ity . The v a rie ty o f life fo rm s , p la n ts , a n im a ls a n d m ic ro -o rg a n is m s ; th e g e n e s th e y

c o n ta in ; th e eco syste m s th e y fo rm ; a n d e c o s y s te m processes.

C ap on w a te r diversions. The lim it im p o s e d on th e v o lu m e o f s u rfa c e w a te r th a t can be

d iv e rte d fro m riv e rs fo r c o n s u m p tiv e uses. S ta rte d in 1995 as th e In te rim Cap.

c a tc h m e n t. The area o f la n d d ra in e d b y a riv e r a n d its trib u ta rie s .

ca v ita tio n . E rosion o f h y d ra u lic s tru c tu re su rfa ce s (e.g. ste e l o r c o n c re te ) d u e to th e

im p lo s io n o f c a v itie s in a flu id , p a rtic u la rly e v id e n t in areas o f h ig h flo w and m a rk e d c h a n g e

o f pressures, a n d c h a ra c te ris e d b y p ittin g o f th e s u rfa ce . It can be s tru c tu ra lly d a m a g in g if

severe and n o t ad dresse d.

c h a n n e l cap acity. The v o lu m e o f w a te r th a t can pass a lo n g th e riv e r c h a n n e l a t a c e rta in

p o in t w ith o u t s p illin g o ve r th e to p s o f th e banks.

c o n n e c tiv ity . R e la te d to m a in ta in in g c o n n e c tio n s b e tw e e n n a tu ra l h a b ita ts , su ch as a riv e r

c h a n n e l an d a d ja c e n t w e tla n d areas.

C o u n c il o f A u s tra lia n G o v e rn m e n ts (C O A G ). The p e a k in te rg o v e rn m e n ta l fo ru m in A u stra lia ,

c o m p ris in g th e P rim e M inister, s ta te p re m ie rs , te r r ito r y c h ie f m in is te rs a n d th e P re s id e n t o f

th e A u s tra lia n Lo ca l G o v e rn m e n ts A s s o c ia tio n .

d ra w d o w n ta rg e ts . A lake level to w h ic h it is p la n n e d to lo w e r a re s e rv o ir o r lake as p a rt o f

an o p e ra tio n s cycle , e.g. fo r e n v iro n m e n ta l o r w a te r q u a lity reasons. In so m e cases th e re is a

ta rg e te d ra te a t w h ic h th e d ra w d o w n o c c u rs , as w e ll as th e level ta rg e t.

1 8 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

d re d g in g . A pro ce ss w h e re b y m a c h in e s e q u ip p e d w ith s c o o p in g o r s u c tio n d e v ic e s re m o ve

m u d etc., in o rd e r to d e e p e n a w a te rw a y .

ea sem en t. A g ra n t o f rig h ts o v e r land b y a p r o p e rty o w n e r in fa v o u r o f a n o th e r p e rson

to e n te r o n to land fo r th e p u rp o s e o f in s ta llin g and m a in ta in in g fa c ilitie s such as cables,

p ip e lin e s , etc. A n e a s e m e n t m a y a lso g ra n t th e rig h t to cross o v e r la n d in o r d e r to ga in

access to o th e r land.

EC (u n its). E le c tric a l c o n d u c tiv ity u n it c o m m o n ly used to in d ic a te th e s a lin ity o f w a te r

(1 EC = 1 m ic ro s ie m e n p e r c e n tim e tre , m e asure d a t 2 5 "C ).

e n d -o f-v a lle y ta rg e ts . A w a te r q u a lity ta r g e t fo r salinity, set fo r a p o in t in th e lo w e r reach o f

each c a tc h m e n t.

e n v iro n m e n ta l flow s. A n y riv e r flo w p a tte rn p ro v id e d w ith th e in te n tio n o f m a in ta in in g o r

im p ro v in g riv e r h e a lth .

e n v iro n m e n ta l ou tco m e . P ro je c t o u tc o m e s th a t b e n e fit th e eco lo gical he alth o f th e rive r system .

E n v iro n m e n ta l W o rks a n d M e asure s P ro g ra m (EW M P). A n e ig h t-y e a r, $150 m illio n p ro g ra m

to d e liv e r w o rk s a n d m e a su re s to im p ro v e th e he alth o f th e R iver M u rray s y s te m b y m a k in g

th e b e s t use o f th e w a te r c u rre n tly ava ila ble, o p tim is in g th e b e n e fits o f any w a te r re co ve re d

in th e fu tu re , an d c o n s id e rin g o th e r p o lic y in te rv e n tio n s .

estu ary. The p a rt o f a riv e r in w h ic h w a te r levels are a ffe c te d b y sea tid e s, a n d w h e re fre sh

w a te r a n d s a lt w a te r m ix.

fa ilu re m o d e s e ffe c ts an alysis. A p rocess to d e te rm in e all th e m o d e s by w h ic h an asset m a y

fa il, th e lik e lih o o d o f th a t fa ilu re a n d th e con seque nces o f failure.

F ir s t S te p D e cisio n . A d e c is io n a n n o u n c e d in N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 3 b y th e M u rra y -D a rlin g

Basin M in is te ria l C o u n c il. T h e in itia l fo cu s o f the F irst S tep D e cisio n is on m a x im is in g

e n v iro n m e n ta l b e n e fits fo r th e six s ig n ific a n t e c o lo g ic a l assets.

fishw ay. A s tru c tu re th a t p ro v id e s fish w ith passage p a s t an o b s tru c tio n in a stre am .

flo w re g im e . T h e s p a tia l a n d te m p o ra l p a tte rn o f flo w s in a river.

fresh. A sm a ll rise in riv e r flo w s , o v e r an d ab ove n o rm a l flo w c o n d itio n s .

g ro yn e . A p r o te c tiv e s tru c tu re o f s to n e o r c o n c re te th a t e xte n d s fro m th e s h o re in to th e

w a te r t o p r e v e n t a b e a c h o r riv e rb a n k fro m w a sh in g away.

h y d ro lo g y . T h e s tu d y o f th e d is trib u tio n an d m o v e m e n t o f w ater.

in te g ra te d c a tc h m e n t m a n a g e m e n t (ICM ). A process th ro u g h w h ic h p e o p le can d e v e lo p a

visio n , a g re e o n sh a re d value s an d b e haviou rs, m a ke in fo rm a l d e c is io n s and a c t to g e th e r to

m a n a g e th e n a tu ra l re so u rce s o f th e ir c a tc h m e n ts . T h e ir d e cisio n s on th e use o f land, w a te r

a n d o th e r e n v iro n m e n ta l resources are m a d e by c o n s id e rin g th e e ffe c t o f th a t use on all

th o s e re s o u rc e s and o n all p e o p le w ith in th e c a tc h m e n t.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 181

lock. C o n sists o f a re c ta n g u la r c h a m b e r o f c o n c re te w ith g a te s a t e a ch end. It a llo w s vessels

to m o ve fro m o n e w a te r level to a n o th e r.

m a c ro in v e rte b ra te . A n in v e rte b ra te a n im a l (a n im a l w ith o u t a b a c k b o n e ) la rg e e n o u g h to be

seen w ith o u t m a g n ific a tio n .

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin (M D B ). The e n tire tr a c t o f la n d d ra in e d b y th e M u rra y a n d D a rlin g

Rivers. The ba sin cove rs land in Q u e e n sla n d , N ew S o u th W ales, th e A u s tra lia n C a p ita l

T e rrito ry, V ic to ria an d S o u th A u stra lia .

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin C om m issio n (M D B C ). The e x e c u tiv e a rm o f th e M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin

M inisterial C ouncil. MDBC is re sponsib le fo r m a n a g in g th e River M urray and th e M e nin d e e Lakes

system o f th e lo w e r D arling R iver and a d v is in g th e M iniste rial C ouncil on m a tte rs re la te d to th e

use o f w ater, land and o th e r e n v iro n m e n ta l re so u rce s o f th e M u rra y -D a rlin g basin.

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin In itia tiv e . A p a rtn e rs h ip o f g o v e rn m e n ts a n d c o m m u n itie s fo r m e d to

e n h a n ce th e e n v iro n m e n ta l re so u rce s o f th e M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin.

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin M in is te ria l C o u n c il (M D B M C ). A c o u n c il o f m in is te rs o f c o n tra c tin g

g o v e rn m e n ts w h o h o ld land, w a te r a n d e n v iro n m e n t p o rtfo lio s . A m in is te r o f th e A u s tra lia n

C a p ita l T e rrito ry also p a rtic ip a te s u n d e r th e te rm s o f th e m e m o ra n d u m o f u n d e rs ta n d in g .

N a tio n a l A c tio n Plan fo r S a lin ity a n d W a te r Q u a lity (N A P S W Q ). A c o m m itm e n t o f $ 1 4 b illio n

o v e r seven yea rs fo r a p p ly in g re g io n a l s o lu tio n s to s a lin ity a n d w a te r q u a lity p ro b le m s . The

a im is fo r all levels o f g o v e rn m e n t, c o m m u n ity g ro u p s , in d iv id u a l land m a n a g e rs an d local

businesses to w o rk to g e th e r in ta c k lin g s a lin ity a n d im p ro v in g w a te r q u a lity .

N a tio n a l W a te r In itia tiv e (N W I). In J u n e 2 0 0 4 th e C o u n c il o f A u s tra lia n G o v e rn m e n ts

re a ch e d a g re e m e n t on a N a tio n a l W a te r In itia tiv e to im p ro v e th e s e c u rity o f w a te r access

e n title m e n ts , en sure e c o syste m h e a lth , e x p a n d w a te r tra d in g , a n d e n c o u ra g e w a te r

c o n s e rv a tio n in o u r cities.

N a tiv e Fish S tra te g y (NFS). This s tra te g y a im s to e n su re th a t th e M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin

su sta in s v ia b le fish p o p u la tio n s an d c o m m u n itie s th r o u g h o u t its rivers. The g o a l o f th is

s tra te g y is to re h a b ilita te n a tiv e fish c o m m u n itie s to 6 0 p e r c e n t o f th e ir e s tim a te d p re -

E u ro p e a n s e ttle m e n t levels w ith in 5 0 yea rs o f im p le m e n ta tio n .

p ile fie ld . A serie s o f c lo s e ly s p a c e d tim b e r lo g s d riv e n v e rtic a lly in to stre a m b e d s a n d ba nks

to re d u ce e ro s io n b y d is p e rs in g s tre a m e n e rg y a n d d iv e r tin g flo w a w a y fro m s e n s itiv e areas.

ra in re je c tio n . The re je c tio n o f w a te r (b e c a u s e it has ra in e d w h ile th e w a te r is in tra n s it via

riv e r o r irrig a tio n c a n a l) o rd e re d fo r irrig a tio n a fte r it leaves th e re s e rv o ir b u t b e fo re it is

ta k e n up b y irrig a to rs .

R a m s a r-lis te d w e tla n d . A w e tla n d o f in te rn a tio n a l im p o rta n c e as lis te d in th e R am sar

C o n v e n tio n in Iran.

R e fe re n ce G roup. A c o m m itte e in v o lv in g a ra n g e o f e x p e rtis e to in fo rm and c ritiq u e p ro je c ts

a n d p ro je c t fin d in g s .

1 8 2 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

re g u la te d flow . A c o n tro lle d flo w ra te re s u ltin g fro m th e in flu e n ce o f a re g u la tin g s tru c tu re ,

such as a d a m o r weir.

re m o te ly o p e ra te d g ate. A re g u la tin g g a te th a t m a y be o p e ra te d fro m a re m o te lo c a tio n ,

such as an o ffice .

re n e w a ls a n nuities. A c o n s ta n t a n n u a l a m o u n t o f fu n d s th a t o v e r a g iv e n tim e w ill p ro v id e

s u ffic ie n t fu n d s fo r fo re s e e a b le m a in te n a n c e p ro g ra m s to keep assets a t a s ta n d a rd f it fo r

p u rp o se .

rip a ria n . Of, in h a b itin g , o r s itu a te d on, th e b a n k and flo o d p la in o f a river.

riv e r h e a lth . S ta tu s o f a riv e r s y s te m ba sed on w a te r qu ality, e c o lo g y an d b io d iv e rs ity .

R ive r M u rra y W a te r (R M W ). A n in te rn a l business u n it o f th e M DBC re s p o n s ib le b y s p e c ific

d e le g a tio n fo r e x e rc is in g th e M D B C ’s fu n c tio n fo r w a te r and asset m a n a g e m e n t.

salinity. The c o n c e n tra tio n o f d is s o lv e d salts in g ro u n d w a te r o r riv e r w ater, u s u a lly exp ressed

in EC u n its o r m illig ra m s o f d is s o lv e d so lid s pe r litre.

s a lin ity c re d its a n d d e b its . A c c o u n tin g u n its fo r th e S a lin ity an d D ra in a g e S tra te g y. C re d its

are o b ta in e d th ro u g h m e a su re s th a t re d u ce s a lin ity o f th e R iver M urray.

s a lt in te rc e p tio n schem e. Invo lves larg e-sca le g ro u n d w a te r p u m p in g a n d d ra in a g e p ro je c ts

th a t in te rc e p t saline w a te r flo w s and d isp o se o f th e m , g e n e ra lly by e v a p o ra tio n .

s ig n ific a n t e c o lo g ic a l a s s e t (SEA). Six sites th a t w e re chosen be ca u se th e y are o f re g io n a l,

n a tio n a l a n d in te rn a tio n a l im p o rta n c e fo r th e ir e c o lo g ic a l value, an d th e re is c o n c u rre n c e

th a t th e y are a t risk a n d re q u ire im p ro v e d w a te r flo w regim es. T hese sites are B a rm a h -

M illew a F o re st, G u n b o w e r a n d K o o n d ro o k -P e rric o o ta forests, H a tta h Lakes, C h o w illa

F lo o d p la in , M u rra y M o u th , C o o ro n g and L o w e r Lakes, and th e R iver M u rray C hannel.

s to p lo g . A b e a m (tim b e r, c o n c re te o r ste e l) in se rte d in to a s lo tte d fra m e to re ta in w ater.

S u s ta in a b le R iv e rs A u d it (S R A ). A p ro g ra m d e sig n e d to m easure th e h e a lth o f th e rivers

w ith in th e M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin. The A u d it aim s to d e te rm in e th e e c o lo g ic a l c o n d itio n

an d h e a lth o f riv e r v a lle ys in th e M u rra y-D a rlin g Basin; to g ive us a b e tte r in s ig h t in to th e

v a ria b ility o f riv e r h e a lth in d ic a to rs across th e Basin o v e r tim e ; and to tr ig g e r ch a n g e s to

na tura l re s o u rc e m a n a g e m e n t b y p ro v id in g a m o re co m p re h e n s iv e p ic tu re o f riv e r he alth

th a t is c u r re n tly a va ila b le .

tu rb id ity . T h e re la tiv e c la r ity o f w ater, w h ic h m ay be a ffe c te d b y m a te ria l in su sp e n sio n in

th e w ate r.

w a te r m a rk e t. T h e b u y in g and s e llin g o f w a te r e n title m e n ts , on e ith e r a te m p o ra ry o r

p e rm a n e n t basis, in o r d e r to im p ro v e th e e ffic ie n c y o f w a te r use.

weir. A d a m p la c e d a cross a riv e r o r canal to raise o r d iv e rt th e w ater, o r to re g u la te o r

m e a su re th e flo w .

w e ir p o o l. T h e b o d y o f w a te r s to re d b e h in d a weir.

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 1 8 3

;;

INDEX

A b o r ig in a l A u s tra lia n s , see

In d ig e n o u s A u s tra lia n s a c c o m m o d a tio n , 39

A d a p tiv e m a n a g e m e n t p ro je c t,

59

A d e la id e , 2 0 a d v a n c e s o f w a te r, 19, 27

A d v is o ry G ro u p fo r H u m e to

Y a rra w o n g a W a te rw a y

M a n a g e m e n t, 3 0

a g re e m e n ts , 9, 14-15, 76, 9 6 , 110

B o rd e r R ivers R esou rce

O p e ra tio n s Plan, 67

M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin

In te rg o v e rn m e n ta l A g re e m e n t, 3, 59

P y ra m id C re e k S alt In te rc e p tio n S chem e, 76

a g ric u ltu ra l e x te n s io n , 88 a g ric u ltu ra l la n d use, 26, 8 7 -8

fa rm d a m s, 63

A lb u ry , 89 a llo c a tio n s o f w a te r, 15-16, 17,

1 8 -2 0

a n n u a l a u d it o f th e C ap, 6 5 -7

a n n u a l im p le m e n ta tio n re p o rt,

N a tiv e Fish S tra te g y , 82 a n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 0 5 - 0 6 , 118

A r th u r R yla h In s titu te , 85

a sse t m a n a g e m e n t, 3 4 - 4 3 , 5 0

a u d its B asin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t

S tra te g y , 172

C ap, 6 5 -7

o c c u p a tio n a l h e a lth a n d

s a fe ty , 9 9

riv e r h e a lth , 79 -81

s a lin ity , 6 9 , 72

A u s tra lia n C a p ita l T e rrito ry , 9, 114

C a p a u d it fin d in g s , 67

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry

C o m m itte e m e m b e rsh ip , 159

M D BC m e m b e rs h ip , 161

M in is te ria l C o u n c il

m e m b e rs h ip , 158

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin IG A , 3

S u s ta in a b le R ivers A u d it, 8 0

a v a ila b ility o f w a te r, 16-21

a w a rd s a n d re c o g n itio n , 3 4 , 35

s ta ff s c h e m e s , 99 , 10 0-1

B a lo n n e , 67, 8 9

b a n k e ro s io n c o n tro l, 31

B a rh a m C u t re g u la to r, 5 8

B a rm a h -M ille w a F o re s t, 53 , 57,

173

e n v iro n m e n ta l w a te rin g , 28

R ive r re d g u m c o m m u n itie s

d o w n s tre a m , 29

u n s e a s o n a l flo o d in g p re v e n tio n , 4 6

w a te r b o rro w e d fro m , 19, 2 8

B a rm a h -M ille w a F o re s t

E n v iro n m e n ta l W a te r

A llo c a tio n , 28

B a rr C re e k D ra in a g e D iv e rs io n

S c h e m e , 74

B a rra g e s , 2 9 , 3 0 , 39

fis h w a y s , 6, 39

re m o te o p e ra te d g a te s , 57, 58

B a r w o n - D a r lin g /L o w e r D a rlin g

V a lle y, 6 6

b a s e lin e in fo rm a tio n o f w a te r

q u a lity , 9 0

B asin C o m m u n itie s P ro g ra m , 7, 8 7 -9

B asin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t

S tra te g y 2 0 0 1 -2 0 1 5 , 7 0 -2 , 172

B asin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t

S tra te g y C o m m u n ic a tio n s Plan, 7 0

B asin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t

S tra te g y Im p le m e n ta tio n

W o rk in g G ro u p , 70

B e th a n g a B rid g e , 35

b io d iv e rs ity , 8 1 -6 , 9 0

B la c k b e rrie s , 103

B o n y h e rrin g , 8 3

B o o k p u rn o n g S a lt In te rc e p tio n

S ch e m e , 77

B o rd e r R ivers, 67

b o rro w e d /a d v a n c e s o f w a te r,

19, 27

B o u rk e , 23

b rid g e s , 35, 39, 4 5

b r o a d a c re d r y la n d a g ric u ltu r e ,

26 , 8 7 -8

b ro a d c a s tin g , 105

BSM S, 7 0 -2 B S M S Im p le m e n ta tio n R e p o rt, 72

B SM SIW G , 70

B u ilt E n v iro n m e n t, 41

B u ro n g a S a lt In te rc e p tio n

S ch e m e , 74, 78

b u s h fire s , 62

B u sin e ss Plan

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry

C o m m itte e (C A C ), 169, 176,

178

T h e L iv in g M u rra y , 5 3 - 4 , 6 0 ,

173

C ap, 6 5 -7 , 172 c a p a c ity b u ild in g , 8 7 -9 , 178

c a rp , 41, 83, 85

c a tc h m e n t m a n a g e m e n t o rg a n is a tio n s (C M O s), 10

c a tc h m e n t m a n a g e m e n t p o lic y ,

7 0 , 115, 175, 178

C e rtifie d A g re e m e n t, 98

C h a m b e rs C re e k, 31 c h a n g e , d riv e rs o f, 116-19

C h a n n e l, 53, 57, 59 , 6 0

C h ie f E x e c u tiv e ’s a w a rd s , 1 0 0

C h o w illa F lo o d p la in , 53, 57, 58

e n v iro n m e n ta l w a te rin g , 28,

29 , 58

c la s s ific a tio n o f s ta ff, 97

c lim a te c h a n g e a n d v a ria b ility , 62

1 8 4 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

CO AG , see C o u n c il o f A u s tra lia n

G o v e rn m e n ts c o d , 83 , 8 4

C o lm a r B ru n to n S ocial R esearch,

175

C o m m is s io n O ffic e , 9 -10

C o m m is s io n e rs , 9, 160-1

c o m m itte e s an d w o rk in g g ro u p s ,

162-3

C o m m o n w e a lth S c ie n tific an d In d u s tria l R esearch

O rg a n is a tio n , 7

c o m m u n ic a tio n s , 1 0 4 -7

B asin S a lin ity M a n a g e m e n t

S tra te g y , 70

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry C o m m itte e , 178

The L iv in g M u rra y , 171

S u s ta in a b le R iv e rs A u d it, 79 see a ls o p u b lic a tio n s ;

w o rk s h o p s , c o n fe re n c e s an d

fo ru m s

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry C o m m itte e , 8 6 , 96 , 159,

157-79

c o m m u n ity e n g a g e m e n t, see

w o rk s h o p s , c o n fe re n c e s an d

fo ru m s

c o m m u n ity re la tio n s , 7, 8 7 -9 ,

1 7 3 -4

R ive r M u rra y W a te r, 4 5 - 6

C o m m u n ity S ta k e h o ld e r G ro u p ,

83

c o m p u tin g s e rv ic e s , 1 0 2 -4

c o n c e p tu a l d e s ig n s , 3 0 C o n d a m in e -B a lo n n e , 67

c o n d itio n a s s e s s m e n ts , 3 0

co n fe re n ce s, see w o rk s h o p s ,

c o n fe re n c e s a n d fo ru m s

c o n s tru c tin g a u th o r itie s , 3 4 , 4 4

c o n s u m p tiv e a n d e n v ir o n m e n ta l uses, b a la n c e b e tw e e n , 6 5 -7

c o n ta m in a n ts , 9 0 C o o p e ra tiv e V e n tu re fo r C a p a c ity B u ild in g in R ura l

In d u s trie s , 8 8

C o o ro n g , 2 9 , 32, 53

see a lso B a rra g e s c o rp o ra te c o m m u n ic a tio n s , 1 0 4 -7

c o r p o ra te g o v e rn a n c e , 110-20

C o rp o ra te S e rvice s, 9 6 -107 , 112,

162

C o u n c il o f A u s tra lia n

G o v e rn m e n ts (C O A G ), 14

M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin In te rg o v e rn m e n ta l

A g re e m e n t, 3, 59

N a tio n a l W a te r In itia tiv e , 3,

6 4 , 117

CSIR O , 7

c u ltu ra l h e rita g e , 26

d a m s , 63

see a lso D a rtm o u th Dam;

H u m e Dam; lo c k s an d w e irs

D a rlin g Basin, 171, 17 3-4

D a rlin g c a tc h m e n t, 18, 23

D a rlin g River, 20 , 23, 83

D a rtm o u th Dam, 35, 36 -7, 47

D a rtm o u th R eservoir, 18, 21-2,

24, 71

d a ta m a n a g e m e n t system , Cap,

66

d a ta m o d e llin g , 3 7 -8 , 72

'd a u g h te rle s s c a rp ' te c h n o lo g y ,

85

d e m o n s tra tio n re aches, see

w o rk s h o p s , c o n fe re n c e s an d fo ru m s

D e p a rtm e n t o f E n v iro n m e n t a n d H e rita g e , 89

D e p a rtm e n t o f In fra s tru c tu re , P la n n in g and N a tu ra l

R esources (N S W ), 26, 34 , 8 9

D e p a rtm e n t o f N a tu ra l

R esources a n d M ines (O ld ),

89

D e p a rtm e n t o f W a te r, Land an d

B io d iv e rs ity (S A ), 28, 4 0

d e sig n s, c o n c e p tu a l, 3 0

D ig h ts C reek, 31

d is s e m in a tio n o f C o u n c il

d e c is io n s , 1 7 3,17 6-7

d iv e rs io n s , 20, 22

Cap, 6 5 -7

d r e d g in g , 3 2 -3

d riv e rs o f c h a n g e , 116-19

d ro u g h t, 3, 16-17, 3 2 -3 , 115-16

d ry la n d la n d uses, 26 , 8 7 -8

d ry la n d p ro g ra m , 9 2 -3

e a s e m e n ts , 3 3 -4 , 47

e c o lo g ic a l re se a rch , 8 9

e c o n o m ic b o tto m line, 4 8 - 5 0

see a ls o fin a n c e a n d fin a n c ia l

m a n a g e m e n t

e c o n o m ic im p a c t, RM W , 50

e d u c a tio n p ro je c ts , 7, 120

E d w a rd River, 29

e ffe c tiv e n e s s o f ICM a p p ro a c h ,

178

e le c t r ic ity g e n e ra tio n a n d

c o n s u m p tio n , 47, 4 8 , 4 9

e m a il, 103

e m a il n e w s le tte r, 105

E m e rg e n c y A c tio n Plan fo r R ive r

M u rra y W a te r, 35

e m p lo y e e s , see s ta ff

m a n a g e m e n t

e n d -o f-v a lle y s a lin ity ta rg e ts , 6 8

E n g in e e rs A u s tra lia , 35

e n v iro n m e n ta l a n d c o n s u m p tiv e

uses, b a la n c e b e tw e e n , 6 5 -7 e n v iro n m e n ta l b o tto m line, 4 6 -7

e n v iro n m e n ta l d e liv e ry , 5 9 - 6 0

E n v iro n m e n ta l D e liv e ry Team, 6 0

e n v iro n m e n ta l e n title m e n ts , 2 8 -9

E n v iro n m e n ta l M a n a g e m e n t

Plan, R ive r M u rra y C hannel,

6 0

e n v iro n m e n ta l re p o rt, 2 8 -3 0

see a ls o flo w s ; w a te r q u a lity

e n v iro n m e n ta l w a te rin g , 2 8 -9 , 5 9 - 6 0

E n v iro n m e n ta l W a te rin g G ro up,

5 9 - 6 0

e n v iro n m e n ta l w e ir p o o l

m a n ip u la tio n , 38

E n v iro n m e n ta l W o rk s an d

M e asure s P ro g ra m , 3 -4 , 5 6 - 9

e ro s io n c o n tro l, 31, 36

E u ston W eir, 39

Ewe Isla n d B a rra g e , 39

e x c h a n g e rates, 6 4

e x tra n e t, 103

fa rm d a m s, 63

fe m a le e m p lo y e e s , 98 fin a n c e a n d fin a n c ia l

m a n a g e m e n t, 104, 122-56

ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 0 4-2 0 0 5 185

T h e L iv in g M u rray, 54 , 55, 56,

57

R iv e r M u rra y W a te r, 14, 4 8 - 9 ,

5 0

fin a n c ia l s ta te m e n ts , 1 2 2 -5 6

fire s , 62 F irs t S te p D e c is io n , 5 3 -5 , 61

fis h , 8 1 -6 , 8 9 , 9 0 re fu g e h a b ita t tria l, 58

S u s ta in a b le R ivers A u d it

s a m p lin g , 8 0

Fish Passage R efe rence G ro up, 41

fis h w a y s , 6, 29, 39, 4 0 -1 , 83

W illia m s ’ 'C a rp S e p a ra tio n

C a g e ’, 85

fix e d -te r m s ta ff, 97

flo o d p la in m o n ito rin g h a n d b o o k ,

59

flo o d s a n d flo o d m itig a tio n , 35

B a rm a h -M ille w a fo re s ts , 4 6

e a s e m e n ts , 3 3 -4 , 47

H u m e D am s p illw a y c a p a c ity ,

3 7 -8

M e n in d e e Lakes, 8 9

flo w s , 23, 27, 2 8 -9

to sea, 33 to S o u th A u s tra lia , 21, 2 2 -3

see a lso in flo w s

fo re s try , 6 2 -3

fo ru m s , see w o rk s h o p s , c o n fe re n c e s a n d fo ru m s

F re n c h m a n ’s C re e k, 39

fu n c tio n s , 52 ,110

G e n e ra l S e c u rity a llo c a tio n s , 19

g lo b a l d e v e lo p m e n ts , 116

G lo b a l R e p o rtin g In itia tiv e ,

118-19

G o ld e n p e rc h , 83

G o o lw a B a rra g e , 29, 39

G o o lw a C h a n n e l, 29

G o o n d iw in d i, 89

G o u lb u rn -M u rra y W a te r, 3 4 , 76

G o u lb u rn -M u rra y W a te r

R e c o v e ry P a cka g e , 55

G o u lb u rn V a lle y, 21

g o v e rn a n c e , 110-20

see a lso a g re e m e n ts

g ra z in g m a n a g e m e n t. La ke V ic to ria , 26

g ro u n d w a te r, 62, 92, 172

in flo w s , 71, 76 G ro u n d w a te r S ta tu s R e p o rt, 92

G u lp a C ree k, 28 , 29

g u m s , see R ive r re d g u m s

G u n b o w e r F o re s t, 53, 57, 58

e n v iro n m e n ta l w a te rin g , 2 9

G w y d ir V a lle y, 67

h a n d ra ils , 39

H assall & A s s o c ia te s , 33

H a tta h Lakes, 53, 57

h a rve ste d w a te r, Lake V ic to ria , 25

h e a lth a n d s a fe ty , see

o c c u p a tio n a l h e a lth a n d

s a fe ty

h e rrin g , 83

H ig h S e c u rity a llo c a tio n s , 19

H o rs e s h o e L a g o o n , 58

H o u se o f R e p re s e n ta tiv e s

s u b m is s io n , 8 8

h u m a n re s o u rc e m a n a g e m e n t,

see s t a f f m a n a g e m e n t

H u m e D a m , 35, 3 7 -8 , 47

w illo w m a n a g e m e n t, 31

H u m e R e s e rv o ir, 18, 21-2, 2 4 , 25

H u m e -Y a rra w o n g a re a c h , 3 3 -4 , 35

W a te rw a y M a n a g e m e n t Plan, 3 0

h y d ra u lic m o d e llin g , 3 7 -8

h y d r o e le c tr ic ity g e n e ra tio n a n d

c o n s u m p tio n , 47, 4 8 , 4 9

h y d ro lo g ic a l m o d e llin g , 37

IC T S tra te g ic Plan, 102

In d e p e n d e n t A u d it G ro u p (IA G ), 65, 6 6

In d e p e n d e n t A u d it G ro u p (IA G ) -

S a lin ity , 6 9 , 72

In d e p e n d e n t S u s ta in a b le R ive rs

A u d it G ro u p , 8 0

In d ig e n o u s A c tio n Plan, 8 6 , 171-2

In d ig e n o u s A u s tra lia n s , 8 6 , 171-2

c u ltu ra l h e rita g e , 26

o ra l h is to ry p r o je c t, 8 9

in flo w s , 16-18

B a rm a h -M ille w a F o re s t, 28

g ro u n d w a te r, 71, 76

H u m e R e s e rv o ir, 22

L a ke V ic to ria , 23, 25

lo w e r lakes, 2 0

in fo rm a tio n a n d c o m m u n ic a tio n

te c h n o lo g y , 1 0 2 -4

In te g ra te d C a tc h m e n t M a n a g e m e n t P o licy, 70,115,

175, 178

in te rg o v e rn m e n ta l a g re e m e n ts ,

se e a g re e m e n ts

in te rn e t, 5, 103, 105

in te rs ta te w a te r tra d in g , see

w a te r tr a d in g

In te rs ta te W a te r T ra d in g P ilo t,

21, 6 4

irrig a te d re g io n s p r o g ra m , 93

irrig a tio n , 17, 1 8 -2 0 , 27, 4 6 re d u c e d re tu rn flo w s fro m , 63

see a lso w a te r tra d in g

J in d a b y n e R e s e rv o ir, 27

K e ra n g Lakes, 29 , 76

K ie w a R iv e r/c a tc h m e n t, 23 , 28

K o o n d ro o k -P e rric o o ta F o re st, 53

L a ke A lb e rt, see lo w e r lakes

Lake A le x a n d rin e , see lo w e r lakes

L a k e H u m e , 4 5

L a ke M o k o a n W a te r R e c o v e ry

P a cka g e , 55

L a ke M u lw a la , 31, 4 5 , 47

L a k e V ic to ria , 18, 2 2 -3 , 24 , 2 5 - 6

b r id g e , 39

fo re s h o re , 26 , 4 6 , 47

La ke V ic to ria C u ltu ra l L a n d s c a p e

P lan o f M a n a g e m e n t, 2 6

L a ke V ic to ria O p e ra tin g

S tra te g y , 25 L a ke W a lla W a lla , 58

L a n d a n d W a te r A u s tra lia , 9 0

la n d m a n a g e m e n t, 3 3 - 4

la n d m a n a g e m e n t re v ie w , 3 3 - 4

la n d h o ld e rs , 3 3 - 4

la n d use, 7, 8 7 -8

L a k e V ic to ria , 26

L e a d e rs h ip P ro g ra m , 87, 174

L e a rn in g a n d D e v e lo p m e n t

F ra m e w o rk , 10 0

se e a ls o s ta f f tra in in g a n d

d e v e lo p m e n t

1 8 6 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

le g is la tio n , 14-15, 5 0

lib ra ry , 106

L ic e n s e d V o lu m e a llo c a tio n s , 19

L in d s a y -W a llp o lla , 53, 57, 58

L ittle G u n b o w e r C re e k re g u la to r,

5 8

T h e L iv in g M u rray, 4 6 , 5 3 -6 0 ,

163

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry C o m m itte e a c tiv itie s , 170-1,

173, 174

T h e L iv in g M u rra y B usiness Plan,

5 3 -4

The L iv in g M u rra y C o m m u n ity

R e fe re n ce G ro u p , 174 T h e L iv in g M u rra y E n v iro n m e n ta l

W a te rin g Plan, 59 T h e L iv in g M u rra y E n v iro n m e n ta l

W a te rin g G ro u p , 5 9 - 6 0

T h e L iv in g M u rra y F irs t S te p

D e c is io n , 5 3 -5 , 61

lo c k s a n d w e irs , 29, 35, 3 8 -9 ,

4 2 -3

fis h w a y s , 29, 4 0 -1 , 83 n a v ig a b le pass se c tio n s , 4 0 -1 ,

4 3

S e n a to r C e ilin g s T roph y, 3 4

L o w e r D a rlin g V alley, 67

lo w e r lakes, 2 0 , 29, 53

re le a s e to sea, 33

w a te r q u a lity , 3 0

see a lso B a rra g e s ; M u rray

M o u th

L o x to n S a lt In te rc e p tio n

S c h e m e , 7 7 -8

m a c ro in v e rte b ra te s a m p lin g , 8 0

M a lle e C liffs In te rc e p tio n

S c h e m e , 74, 78

M a lle e p la in s , 71

m a p p in g a n d m a p p in g d a ta,

59, 8 0

M a ra n o a -B a lo n n e , 89

M a rs d e n J a c o b & A sso cia te s, 6 6

M e d a ka , 85

m e d ia re la tio n s , 1 0 4 -5 , 106

m e m b e rs h ip , 158-61

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry

C o m m itte e , 159, 169

m e m o ra n d u m s o f

u n d e rs ta n d in g , 171

M e n in d e e Lakes, 18, 23, 24, 89,

173

M e n in g ie , 3 0

MFAT, 5, 6 0

M ila n g , 3 0

M ild u ra , 89 , 173

M ild u ra -M e rb e in S chem e, 74, 78

M ild u ra W eir, 39, 4 3

M in is te r fo r th e M u rra y River, 34

M in is te ria l C o u n cil, see M u rra y -

D a rlin g Basin M in is te ria l

C o u n c il

M itta M itta River, 35

M itta M itta Valley, 37

m o d e ls a n d m o d e llin g , 3 7 -8 , 72

M o o n ie , 67

M o rg a n s a lin ity levels, 3 0 , 7 0 -2

s a lt in te rc e p tio n sch e m e

b e n e fits , 76, 77

M o ree, 174

M o u n t L o fty R anges, 2 0

M o u th o f Murray, see M urray

M outh

M u lw a la B rid g e , 45

M u n d o o B arrage, 4 2

M u rra y co d , 83, 8 4 - 5

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin, 110-13

M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin

A g re e m e n t, 9, 14-15, 76,

9 6 ,110

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin In te rg o v e rn m e n ta l

A g re e m e n t, 3, 59 M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin L e a d e rs h ip

P ro g ra m , 87, 174

M u rra y -D a rlin g B a sin M in is te ria l

C o u n c il, 9, 9 6 , 158

a m e n d m e n ts to A g re e m e n t

a p p ro v e d by, 14-15

C ap a u d it, 65, 6 6

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry

C o m m itte e a n d , 169, 172,

1 7 3 -8 T h e L iv in g M u rra y in itia tiv e ,

5 4 , 55, 59 L o c k 10 W e n tw o r th c o n tra c t,

41

N a tiv e Fish S tra te g y , 81

R ive r M u rra y W a te r,

e s ta b lis h m e n t of, 14

s a lin ity m a n a g e m e n t, 68

w a te r tra d in g e x p a n s io n , 6 4

M u rra y -D a rlin g F re s h w a te r

R e se a rch C e n tre , 89

M u rra y F lo ra Fauna E n title m e n t,

29

M u rra y F lo w A ssessm e nt Tool,

5, 6 0

M u rra y Irr ig a tio n L im ite d , 19, 28

M u rra y L o w e r D a rlin g R ivers

In d ig e n o u s N a tio n s , 86, 171

M u rra y M o u th , 29, 53 d r e d g in g , 3 2 -3

see a ls o B a rra g e s

M u rra y M o u th A d v is o ry

C o m m itte e , 32

M u rra y 1 P o w e r S ta tio n , 27

M u rra y R iv e r F ish w a ys

A s s e s s m e n t P ro g ra m , 83

M u rra y V alley, 21

M u rru m b id g e e C a tc h m e n t

M a n a g e m e n t A u th o rity , 89

M u rru m b id g e e V alley, 21, 27

M u se u m o f th e R ive rin a , 89

N a rra b ri, 120

N a rra n Lakes, 9 0

N a tio n a l D ry la n d S a lin ity

P ro g ra m , 9 2 -3

N a tio n a l E n g in e e rin g

L a n d m a rk s , 35

N a tio n a l M useum o f A u stra lia , 89

N a tio n a l R iver C o n ta m in a n ts P ro g ra m , 9 0

N a tio n a l W a te r C o m m is s io n , 10

N a tio n a l W a te r In itia tive , 3, 64, 117

n a tiv e fis h , see fis h

N a tiv e Fish S tra te g y , 81 -6 , 89

N a tu ra l R esou rce M a n a g e m e n t

D iv is io n , 52, 97, 112, 162-3

n a tu ra l re so u rce s m a n a g e m e n t,

26, 5 2 -9 3 , 115-20

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry

C o m m itte e a d v ic e , 170-2

N a v ig a b le Passes a n d F ish w a ys

P ro je c t, 4 0 -1 , 43

see a ls o fish w a ys

ANNUAL REPORT 200 4-2 0 0 5 187

N e b in e , 67

N e w S o u th W a le s, 9, 86 , 8 9 , 114

C a p a u d it fin d in g s , 6 6 , 67

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry

C o m m itte e , 159, 178

e n v iro n m e n ta l e n title m e n ts ,

2 8 -9

flo o d e a s e m e n t o ffe rs , 3 3 - 4

irrig a tio n , 19, 2 0 , 27

M D B C m e m b e rs h ip , 160

M in is te ria l C o u n c il

m e m b e rs h ip , 158

M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin

A g re e m e n t a m e n d m e n ts ,

14-15 M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin IG A, 3

R ive r M u rra y W a te r in c o m e

a n d e x p e n d itu re , 4 8 , 5 0

s a lin ity , 6 8 , 7 8 -9 , 8 9 : s a lt

in te rc e p tio n sch e m e s, 74, 78

S u s ta in a b le R ivers A u d it, 8 0

w a te r re c o v e ry p ro p o s a ls , 55,

56

w a te r s to ra g e , 18, 2 2 -5

w a te r tra d in g , 19, 21, 6 4

y o u th c o n fe re n c e , 120

see also La ke V ic to ria ;

M e n in d e e Lakes

N ew S o u th W ales A d a p tiv e

E n v iro n m e n ta l W ater, 28

N e w S o u th W a le s D e p a rtm e n t

o f In fra s tru c tu re , P la n n in g

a n d N a tu ra l R esou rces, 26,

34 , 89

N e w S o u th W a le s P arks a n d

W ild life S e rvice , 26

N e w S o u th W a le s S ta te W a te r,

29, 34 , 37, 4 0 N e w S o u th W a le s W e tla n d s

W o rk in g G ro u p , 28

N e w sca n , 106

N o rth e rn R ivers In d ig e n o u s

N a tio n s , 171

o c c u p a tio n a l he alth a n d safe ty, 99

R ive r M u rra y W a te r, 4 2 -3 , 45

o ffic e a c c o m m o d a tio n , 39

o n -g ro u n d w o rk s , 31

o rg a n is a tio n a n d s tru c tu re , 8-11,

14-15, 97, 112

O u ts ta n d in g S e rv ic e a w a rd s , 101

O ve n s R iv e r/c a tc h m e n t, 25 , 28

P a cke r's C ro s s in g , 59

p a rlia m e n ta r y s u b m is s io n , 8 8

P a rlo u r c re e k , 31 P a ro o /W a rr e g o /N e b in e , 6 7

p a rtn e r g o v e rn m e n ts , 8-11

Passive In te g ra te d T ra n s p o n d e r

(P IT ) ta g g in g , 83

p a y a n d re m u n e ra tio n , 9 8

p e o p le m a n a g e m e n t, se e s ta f f

m a n a g e m e n t

P e rfo rm a n c e M a n a g e m e n t a n d

D e v e lo p m e n t S y s te m , 9 8

p e rfo r m a n c e re p o rt, C o m m u n ity

A d v is o ry C o m m itte e , 1 7 6 -9

p e rm a n e n t w a te r tr a d in g , see

w a te r tr a d in g

p e rs o n a l d ig ita l a s s is ta n t (P D A )

d e v ic e s , 103

Pest A n im a l C o n tro l C o o p e ra tiv e

R esearch C e n tre , 85

p h y s ic a l w o rk s , 3 0 -1 P ip e c la y W e ir, 35

PIT ta g g in g , 8 3

p la n n in g

c o m m u n ic a tio n a c tiv itie s , 70, 81

C o m m u n ity A d v is o r y

C o m m itte e , 169

e m e rg e n c y m a n a g e m e n t, 35

e n v iro n m e n ta l, 4

p r o g ra m e v a lu a tio n , 81 riv e r m a n a g e m e n t, 3 0

s a lin ity m a n a g e m e n t, 72

s tra te g ic , 4 4 , 102, 115 w o rk fo rc e , 9 7 -8

p la n ta tio n fo r e s try , 6 2 -3

p o lic y d e v e lo p m e n t, 1 7 4 -5 , 177 p o w e r s ta tio n s , 27, 47, 4 8 , 4 9

p r im a ry s c h o o l e d u c a tio n

p ro je c ts , 7, 120

P rio rity R each P ro g ra m , 3 0

p riv a te life - w o r k b a la n c e , 9 9

P r o d u c tiv ity C o m m is s io n , 6 4 p ro to c o ls , 172, 178

P sych e B e n d , 78

p u b lic a tio n s , 9 2 -3 , 105, 106, 1 6 4 -5

E n v iro n m e n ta l D e liv e ry te a m ,

6 0

E n v iro n m e n ta l W o rk s a n d

M e asure s P ro g ra m , 59

N a tiv e Fish S tra te g y , 82, 8 6

R iv e r M u rra y W a te r Q u a lity

M o n ito rin g P ro g ra m re v ie w ,

9 0

R iv e r M u rra y W e e k ly R e p o rt,

4 6

s a lin ity m a n a g e m e n t, 72

S u s ta in a b le R iv e rs A u d it, 79

P y ra m id C re e k S a lt In te rc e p tio n

S ch e m e , 76

Q u e e n s la n d , 9, 8 6 , 8 9 , 114

C ap a u d it fin d in g s , 67

C o m m u n ity A d v is o r y

C o m m itte e , 159, 178

M D B C m e m b e rs h ip , 161

M in is te ria l C o u n c il

m e m b e rs h ip , 158

n a tiv e fis h w o rk s h o p , 8 6

s a lin ity , 68 , 7 8 - 9

S u s ta in a b le R iv e rs A u d it, 8 0

y o u th c o n fe re n c e , 120

Q u e e n s la n d D e p a rtm e n t o f

N a tu ra l R e s o u rc e s a n d

M ines, 8 9

Q u e e n s la n d M u rra y -D a rlin g

C o m m itte e , 8 9

ra d io b ro a d c a s tin g , 105

ra d io ta g g in g , 8 3

ra in fa ll, 17, 21, 23 , 25

re a c h e s , 3 0 -1 , 3 3 - 4 , 35 re c o rd s m a n a g e m e n t, 103

re c ru itm e n t, 97

re d g u m s , see R iv e r re d g u m s

re fo re s ta tio n , 6 2 -3

re fu g e h a b ita t tria l, 5 8

re m o te s e n sin g , 7

re m u n e ra tio n o f s ta ff, 98

re s e a rc h , 8 9 - 9 0 , 9 2 -3

risks to s h a re d w a te r

re s o u rc e s , 6 2 -3

re v e g e ta tio n , 31

R e v ie w o f th e R iv e r M u rra y

W a te r Q u a lity M o n ito rin g

P ro g ra m , 9 0

1 8 8 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

re w a rd s a n d re c o g n itio n

s ch e m e , 99

ris k a sse ssm e n ts, 3 7 -8

ris k s to sh a re d w a te r re s o u rc e s ,

61-3

riv e r flo w s , see flo w s

riv e r h e a lth , 79-81

riv e r m a n a g e m e n t, 3 0 - 4 , 4 6 - 7

R iv e r M u rra y C han nel, 53, 57, 59

E n v iro n m e n ta l M a n a g e m e n t

Plan, 6 0

R iv e r M u rra y W a te r (R M W ),

1 4 -5 0 , 97, 112, 162

R ive r M u rra y W a te r A d v is o ry

B o a rd , 32, 3 4 R ive r M u rra y W a te r P ro d u c tio n ,

4, 15, 10 0

R iver M u rray W a te r Q u a lity

M o n ito rin g P ro g ra m , 90 -1 R ive r M u rra y W e e k ly R e p o rt, 4 6

R iv e r re d g u m s , 3, 58

d o w n s tre a m o f B a rm a h -

M ille w a F o re st, 29 sn a g s, 31

riv e r s a lin ity , see s a lin ity

R iv e rin a p la in s, 71

R u fu s R ive r S a lt In te rc e p tio n

S c h e m e , 76

R u ra l In d u s trie s R esearch an d

D e v e lo p m e n t C o rp o ra tio n , 88

SA W a te r, 3 4 , 4 0

s a fe ty , see o c c u p a tio n a l h e a lth a n d s a fe ty

s a la rie s a n d re m u n e ra tio n , 9 8 s a lin ity , 4 8 , 4 9 , 6 8 -7 9

d r y la n d , 9 2 -3

g r o u n d w a te r , 71, 76

L o w e r M u rra y, 3 0

Pass th e S a lt o n lin e

c o m m u n ity e x h ib itio n , 8 9 p la n ta tio n fo r e s try im p a c ts

re se a rch p ro je c t, 62

se e a lso M o rg a n s a lin ity le ve ls

S a lin ity R e g iste rs, 7 8 -9

s a lt in te rc e p tio n sch e m e s, 7 3 -9 sa n d p u m p in g , 3 2 -3

s c h o o l s tu d e n t p ro je c ts , 7, 120

S e c re ta ria t, 96

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry

C o m m itte e , 179

s e c u rity o f ICT syste m s, 103

S e n a to r C o llin g s T ro p h y, 34

S e n io r E xe cu tive s, 97, 98

S h illin g la w s re g u la to r, 58

S ilv e r p e rc h , 83 S ir R ich a rd P eninsula, 33

S laneys W eir, 35

sna gs, 31 S n o w y H y d ro L im ite d , 27

S n o w y M o u n ta in s S chem e, 19, 27

S n o w y -M u rra y D e v e lo p m e n t, 27

S n o w y -T u m u t D e v e lo p m e n t, 27 S o u th A u s tra lia , 9, 56, 114

C ap a u d it fin d in g s , 6 6

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry

C o m m itte e , 159, 178

e n v iro n m e n ta l e n title m e n ts , 29 flo w to , 21, 2 2 -3

irrig a tio n , 19 -20

lo c k s a n d w e irs, 38

M D B C m e m b e rs h ip , 161

M in is te ria l C o u n cil

m e m b e rs h ip , 158

M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin

A g re e m e n t a m e n d m e n ts , 14-15

M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin IG A, 3

R ive r M u rra y W a te r in c o m e

a n d e x p e n d itu re , 4 8 , 5 0

s a lin ity , 30 , 68 , 7 8 -9 : salt

in te rc e p tio n s c h e m e s , 7 5 -6 ,

7 7 -8

S u sta in a b le R ivers A u d it, 8 0

w a te r tra d in g , 21, 6 4

see a lso C h o w illa F lo o d Plain; M o rg a n s a lin ity levels;

M u rra y M o u th

S o u th A u s tra lia n D e p a rtm e n t

o f W a te r, L a n d a n d

B io d iv e rs ity , 28 , 4 0

S o u th A u s tra lia n W a te r

C o rp o ra tio n (S A W a te r),

34 , 4 0

'S p e c ia l F o re v e r', 7

s ta f f m a n a g e m e n t, 4 4 - 5 , 97-102,

103

s ta ff tra in in g a n d d e v e lo p m e n t,

9 9 , 9 9 , 103

m e d ia a n d p re s e n ta tio n skills, 1 0 4

S ta n th o rp e , 8 6

S ta te W a te r C o rp o ra tio n , 29, 3 4 ,

37, 4 0

S te ve n s W e ir P ool, 29

s to ra g e a n d s to ra g e s , 17-18, 21-5

in c o m e an d e x p e n d itu re , 48, 4 9

S n o w y M o u n ta in s S chem e, 27 o u tlo o k , 3

s tra te g ic a d v ic e , 170-2, 176

s tra te g ic d ire c tio n s , 14-15

s tra te g ic plan s, 4 4 ,1 0 2 ,1 1 5

S tu rt, C a p ta in C harles, 107 S u n ra y s ia re g io n , 78

s u s ta in a b ility re p o rts , 4 3 -5 0 ,

115-19

s u s ta in a b ility s tra te g y , 4 4 - 6

S u s ta in a b le R ivers A u d it, 79-81

S u s ta in a b le R ivers A u d it

Im p le m e n ta tio n W o rk in g

G ro u p , 8 0

ta g g in g o f fis h , 83

T a u w itc h e re B arrage, 6, 29, 39, 83

T e c h n ic a l R eview C o m m itte e , 37 T e rra in m a p p in g o f th e L o w e r

M u rra y and D a rlin g Rivers, 59 tim b e r p ile s, 31

T o o w o o m b a , 120

T o rru m b a rry , 34

tra d e , se e w a te r tra d in g

tre e s , 3, 31

see a ls o R ive r re d g u m s

trip le b o tto m lin e re p o rtin g ,

4 3 - 5 0 , 118-19

v e g e ta tio n , 3, 29, 31

see a ls o R iver re d g u m s

V ic to ria , 9, 56, 114

B u s h fire R e c o v e ry P ro g ra m , 62

C ap a u d it fin d in g s , 6 6

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry

C o m m itte e m e m bership, 159

e n v iro n m e n ta l e n title m e n ts , 29

flo o d e a s e m e n t o ffe rs , 3 3 -4 irrig a tio n , 19, 2 0

ANNUAL REPORT 20 0 4-2 0 0 5 1 8 9

M D B C m e m b e rs h ip , 160

M in is te ria l C o u n c il

m e m b e rs h ip , 158

M u rra y -D a rlin g Basin

A g re e m e n t a m e n d m e n ts , 14 M u rra y -D a rlin g B asin IG A, 3

R ive r M u rra y W a te r in c o m e

a n d e x p e n d itu re , 4 8 , 5 0

s a lin ity , 6 8 , 7 8 -9 : s a lt in te rc e p tio n sch e m e s, 74,

76, 78

S u s ta in a b le R ive rs A u d it, 8 0

w a te r s to ra g e , 18,19

w a te r tra d in g , 21, 6 4

v id e o n e w s releases, 104

v o ic e m a il, 103

W a g g a W a g g a , 89

W a ik e rie S a lt In te rc e p tio n

S ch e m e , 75

w a lk w a y s , 3 6

W a rre g o , 67 w a te r a c c o u n ts , 15, 18, 19, 21

w a te r a v a ila b ility , 16-21

w a te r d iv e rs io n s , see d iv e rs io n s

w a te r e n title m e n t, 6 5 -7

w a te r q u a lity , 2 9 -3 0 , 90 -1

see a/so s a lin ity

W a te r Q u a lity M o n ito rin g

P ro g ra m , 9 0 -1

w a te r re c o v e ry , 5 4 - 6

w a te r re s o u rc e s m a n a g e m e n t,

1 5 -3 0

W a te r R ig h t a llo c a tio n s , 19

w a te r s to ra g e , see s to ra g e a n d

s to ra g e s

w a te r tra d in g , 17, 19, 21, 6 4

C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry

C o m m itte e a d v ic e , 172

w a te r use e ffic ie n c y , 6 5 -7

W a te rw a y M a n a g e m e n t P lan, 3 0 W a ttle s re g u la to r, 58

w e b s ite s , 5, 105

W e b s te r’s L a g o o n , 5 8

w e irs , see lo c k s a n d w e irs

W e n tw o rth , 3 4 , 173

w e tla n d s , 2 8 , 29 , 76, 8 9

m o n ito rin g h a n d b o o k , 59

n a tiv e fis h w o rk s h o p , 8 4

W h o le -o f-R e a c h P ro g ra m , 3 0

W illia m s ’ ‘C a rp S e p a ra tio n

C age ', 85

w illo w m a n a g e m e n t, 31

w o m e n e m p lo y e e s , 9 8

W o o lp u n d a S a lt In te rc e p tio n

S ch e m e , 75

W o o ls h e d C re e k, 58

w o r k - p r iv a te life b a la n c e , 9 9

w o rk fo rc e p la n n in g , 9 7 -8

w o rk in g g ro u p s a n d c o m m itte e s ,

16 2-3

W o rk p la c e C o n s u lta tiv e

C o m m itte e , 10 0, 102

w o rk p la c e h e a lth a n d s a fe ty ,

see o c c u p a tio n a l h e a lth a n d

s a fe ty

w o rk s h o p s , c o n fe re n c e s a n d

fo ru m s

a sse t m a n a g e m e n t, 3 6 -7

C o m m u n ity A d v is o r y

C o m m itte e c o m m u n ity

e n g a g e m e n t, 1 7 3 -4 , 177

w ith In d ig e n o u s A u s tra lia n s , 86 n a tiv e fis h , 8 4 , 8 5 - 6

p a p e rs p re s e n te d , 85

s a lin ity m o d e llin g , 72

fo r y o u th , 120

Y a rra w o n g a , 6, 3 8 , 4 7

H u m e to Y a rra w o n g a re a c h , 3 0 , 3 3 -4 , 35

Y e llo w b e lly c re e k , 31

Y o rk C iv il P ty L td , 41

y o u th c o n fe re n c e s , 120

1 9 0 M U R R A Y - D A R L I N G B A S I N C O M M I S S I O N

MUPPAY-DAPUNG BASIN COMMISSION VALUES STATEMENT

W e w ill m a n a g e a n d c o n d u c t o u r bu sin e ss in a h ig h ly p ro fe s s io n a l a n d e th ic a l m a nner, an d

a cco rd in g to th e value s jo in tly a g re e d w ith th e C o m m u n ity A d v is o ry C o m m itte e . These

values re q u ire p a rtic u la r b e h a v io u rs th a t w ill c e m e n t o u r re la tio n s h ip s w ith o u r s ta k e h o ld e rs

and the w id e r c o m m u n ity , a n d w ill u n d e rlie all d e c is io n s , a c tio n s a n d re la tio n s h ip s w e e n te r

into. W e w ill p r o m o te th e va lu e s so th a t all p e o p le a n d o rg a n is a tio n s th a t ha ve d e a lin g s w ith

the MDBC k n o w w h a t to e x p e c t fro m us a n d w h a t w e e x p e c t fro m th e m .

Courage We w ill take a visio n a ry a p p ro a c h , p ro v id e lead ersh ip a n d be p re p a re d to m ake d iffic u lt decisions.

Inclusiveness W e w ill b u ild re la tio n s h ip s b a se d on tr u s t a n d s h a rin g , c o n s id e rin g th e n e e d s o f fu tu re

generations, a n d w o rk in g to g e th e r in a tru e p a rtn e rs h ip . W e w ill e n g a g e all p a rtn e rs , e n s u rin g

th a t p a rtn e rs have th e c a p a c ity to b e fu lly e n g a g e d .

Commitment We w ill a c t w ith passion a n d de cisive n e ss, ta k in g th e lo n g -te r m v ie w a n d a im in g fo r s ta b ility

in o u r de cisio ns. W e w ill ta k e a B asin p e rs p e c tiv e a n d a n o n -p a rtis a n a p p ro a c h to m a n a g in g

the Basin.

Respect W e w ill to le ra te d iffe re n t vie w s ; a c t w ith in te g rity , o p e n n e s s a n d h o n e s ty ; be fa ir a n d c re d ib le ;

use resources e q u ita b ly ; re s p e c t th e e n v iro n m e n t; s h a re k n o w le d g e a n d in fo rm a tio n ; re s p e c t

each o th e r and a c k n o w le d g e th e re a lity o f ea ch o th e r ’s s itu a tio n .

Flexibility We w ill a c c e p t re fo rm w h e re it is n e e d e d , a n d be w illin g to c h a n g e a n d c o n tin u o u s ly im p ro v e

o u r actions.

Practicability W e w ill cho ose p ra ctica l, lo n g -te rm o u tc o m e s , s e le c t v ia b le s o lu tio n s to ach ie ve th e s e

ou tcom e s and ensure th a t all p a rtn e rs have th e c a p a c ity to p la y th e ir a g re e d p a rt.

Mutual obligation W e w ill share re s p o n s ib ility an d a c c o u n ta b ility . W e w ill a c t re s p o n s ib ly , w ith fa irn e s s and

justice. W e w ill s u p p o rt e a c h o th e r th ro u g h ne ce ssa ry cha nge.

THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

PARLIAMENTARY PAPER N o . 3 6 2 o f 2 0 0 5 ORDERED TO BE PRINTED

ISSN 0727 4181