The Murray–Darling Basin is the largest and most complex river system in Australia. It covers 1 million square kilometres of south-eastern Australia, across New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. At its heart, the Basin Plan sets the amount of water that can be taken from the Basin each year, while leaving enough for our rivers, lakes and wetlands and the plants and animals that depend on them.

Every 5 years the Murray–Darling Basin Authority takes stock of the Basin Plan and how it is being implemented to determine what’s working, what’s not and where improvement is needed. 

This evaluation is a legislated check point, 8 years after the introduction of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan. It provides an opportunity to assess: 

• how implementation is tracking
• if outcomes are being achieved
• areas for improvement. 

The report includes a program logic which shows what we would expect to see from a social, economic and cultural lens as a result of the Basin Plan implementation. It details the activities, immediate outcomes, intermediate outcomes, and how these would contribute to achieving the long-term outcomes under the Basin Plan.

This evaluation has been divided into four sub-themes: 

• Agriculture and economy: considers the trends in agriculture and the Basin economy, and evidence on the role of the Basin Plan.
• Water trade rules and markets: considers evidence about how the Basin Plan water trade rules positively and negatively impact irrigators, agriculture, First Nations, and communities within wider water market trends.
• First Nations groups and communities: reviews how First Nations people have been involved in water management and water planning, and how these activities contributed to improving the capacity for these communities to be heard and contribute to water management.
• Communities: considers available evidence on the drivers of change for Basin communities and the contribution of the Basin Plan to the social and economic trajectory of Basin communities.

This evaluation demonstrates that the Basin Plan is having a significant and positive impact on the environment and communities, but it is not enough on its own, and governments will need to implement a range of additional, practical measures to achieve a healthy and resilient Basin.