The corporate control of the Murray-Darling Basin is failing all communities who want sustainable livelihoods along our rivers. This disproportionately impacts our First Nations communities whose cultural rights have been ignored. 

On our recent trip to Menindee, River Country spoke to some residents about their memories of the Darling/Baarka River and what needs to change so the health of this vital ecosystem can be restored. We spoke to Sabrina, a Menindee farmer and Fiula, 12 & Shontaye, 13, of Menindee.  

The corporate control of the Murray-Darling Basin is failing all communities who want sustainable livelihoods along our rivers. This disproportionately impacts our First Nations communities whose cultural rights have been ignored. 

On our recent trip to Menindee, River Country spoke to some residents about their memories of the Darling/Baarka River and what needs to change so the health of this vital ecosystem can be restored. Here we present the stories of Susannah, a Menindee local who has witnessed drastic changes to the river due to poor government policy, and Kirrie, Mia & LaPeta, three young girls from Menindee. 

Last Monday's episode of Four Corners revealed how tens of millions of taxpayer dollars are being used to expand irrigation systems for major agribusiness instead of preserving water for the environment. More than $4 billion intended to protect the Murray-Darling Basin has been handed out, but corporations have been exposed using this money to build new dams to water cotton fields and nut groves. This shocking misuse of public funds for private gain is yet another case of corruption and maladministration by the government. 

Victorian Minister for Water Lisa Neville announced today that she will step up to limit water extraction below the Barmah Choke with a new licence review process. 

The Minister has directed Lower Murray Water and Goulburn Murray Water to refer all licence applications in the lower Murray region to her for assessment for the next 12 months.

The Murray Darling Basin Plan set out to save our rivers from environmental disaster. Since the $13 Billion Plan began in 2012, there has been major concerns raised with implementation, including allegations of corruption, maladministration and mismanagement.

Communities who depend on our rivers fear that if we don’t act now to bring the Plan back on track, our rivers will die and dependent communities will decline.

Here, we present a 7 point strategy to restore integrity to the Plan, so it can deliver on its key objectives – to keep the rivers and dependent communities alive and well.

Email Victorian Water Minister Lisa Neville Here

In light of recent fish kill events and decrease in the health of the Murray-Darling Basin, new funding announcements have surfaced from the office of the Victorian Minister for Water, Lisa Neville. 

From the polls to the punters, the re-election of the Morrison Government came as a shock to all of us. As the Government gets down to business, who is there to look out for the rivers?

Ministerial Portfolios affecting water management and environment have changed. The water ministry is no longer positioned with agriculture; instead its paired with drought, natural disasters and emergency response.

Likewise the pairing with the environment ministry has changed. Prior to the 2019 election, the environment ministry was held with the energy portfolio. It now stands on its own.

The Darling River is in crisis after years of mismanagement.

With the re-election of the Morrison Government, our rivers are at more risk than ever.

The new Environment Minister said she wants to hear from you!

Send Environment Minister Sussan Ley a dead fish NOW

Residents in Far-Western NSW have left out to dry this election cycle as the leader of the country remained absent during one of the worst disasters in the history of Australia’s inland rivers.

If, like him, you've missed it, since December millions of fish washed up on the lower Darling near the township of Menindee in far west NSW. In three mass fish kill events the iconic Murray Cod,  endangered silver perch and the Barkandji totem the bony bream have died in extraordinary numbers.