1. The Environment Institute Where ideas grow Environmental Water Mike Young Executive Director, The Environment Institute Email: Mike.Young@adelaide.edu.au

2. The Environment Institute Life Impact The University of Adelaide Basin Plan trade-offs 1.Conveyance to and through Mouth only 9 in 10 yrs 2.Prepared to lose 25% of red gum forests 3.Most benefits from 3,000 GL to 4,000 GL are local and occur within region where purchases are to occur 4.States must comply with SDLs even if Commonwealth fails to buy enough water

3. The Environment Institute Life Impact The University of Adelaide Water needed to ensure conveyance EntitlementsEnvironment Flood water Shared Water Entitlements Volume of water available Environment with a fully-specified share

4. The Environment Institute Life Impact The University of Adelaide Key Ecosystem Functions & conveyance How conveyance is defined matters

5. The Environment Institute Life Impact The University of Adelaide Institutional design tasks Structural arrangements – How environmental water needs are defined – How environmental water entitlements are held Strategic arrangements – Who manages – What options are available to managers – Who is accountable for performance Tactics – How much flexibility can we give environmental managers? Could set up Regional Environmental Trusts to take prime responsibility and be accountable for environmental water

6. The Environment Institute Life Impact The University of Adelaide Structural arrangements How should the environment’s entitlement be specified? – Same as all other entitlements Who should own the environment’s entitlement? – How much held centrally – How much held regionally or leased on long term basis to a region – What would a regional trust look like? Unrestricted carry forward? – Current carry forward rules designed for irrigation industry (efficiency and equity) – Continuous accounting would mean less entitlements have to be purchased for the environment Should the environment have to pay its way? – Much greater independence if trusts have to pay their way – Could be done by forcing them to sell allocations every year

7. The Environment Institute Life Impact The University of Adelaide How much water Remember floodwater and conveyance water contributes to environmental outcomes What type of outcomes do communities want? – A Heritage River – A Conservation River – A Healthy Working River It may be possible to downsize (reconfigure) some parts of the system The MDBA could use the SDL algebra to define a target portfolio of water entitlements to be secured for each region => an approach that works with the people in each region The more innovative the institutional arrangements, the less the amount of water needed for the same environmental outcome

8. The Environment Institute Life Impact The University of Adelaide “Take” environmentally sustainable level of take for a water resource means the level at which water can be taken from that water resource which, if exceeded, would compromise: (a)key environmental assets of the water resource; or (b)key ecosystem functions of the water resource; or (c)the productive base of the water resource; or (d)key environmental outcomes for the water resource. Water allocated to the environment by definition is not part of the “take”

9. The Environment Institute Life Impact The University of Adelaide Section 23 Water Act (1) A long ‑ term average sustainable diversion limit for the Basin water resources, for the water resources of a particular water resource plan area...... must reflect an environmentally sustainable level of take. (2) A long ‑ term average sustainable diversion limit for the Basin water resources, for the water resources of a particular water resource plan area... may be specified: (a)as a particular quantity of water per year; or (b)as a formula or other method that may be used to calculate a quantity of water per year; or (c)in any other way that the Authority determines to be appropriate.

10. The Environment Institute Life Impact The University of Adelaide text Summary Institutional arrangements matter A regional approach may offer a way forward In preference to volumes, the focus should be on the portfolio of entitlements that need to be secured Need to always allow the purchase of water entitlements for the environment after all plans are in place!

11. The Environment Institute Where ideas grow www.adelaide.edu.au/environment www.myoung.net.au