D13/34645 Food, land and water Lessons from the Murray Darling Basin Rhondda Dickson, MDBA Chief Executive 11 October 2013
2 Murray-Darling Basin wetlands and floodplains
3 The Murray-Darling Basin Indigenous Nations
4 The Murray-Darling Basin land use Reserve/park/forest Irrigation area
Flood 5
Drought 6
River Murray Waters Agreement 7
The Living Murray River regulation 8 Torrumbary Weir 1919 Yarrawonga Weir 1939 Hume Dam, opened in 1936
Salinity 9
Murray Mouth Closing 10
Algal bloom 11
Growth in water extraction 12
Cap on diversions 13
Addressing over-allocation: the first step 14
Setting a sustainable level 15
Innovation and the power of the market 16 Water security Sustainable limit Certainty to invest and innovate
Productivity and water use 17
Early years – watering during drought Major government investment 18 $10 billion
Seasonally adjusted allocations in a wet year 19 10% 50% 100%
Seasonally adjusted allocations in a dry year 20 10% 20% 25%
21
22 A sustainable limit to water use A strong industry, harnessing market capacity and innovation of Australian farmers Flexible and adaptable frameworks
Questions? 23
24 BaseAutomated wateringSplit calvingChange feed Source: Farms, Rivers, Markets Overview Report (Ramilin, Farquahrson et al, 2012; Melbourne University) Case study: dairy in northern Victoria