Approximately 200 representatives of a very diverse range of stakeholders met in Brisbane last week for the third Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) Leaders’ Summit. Cotton Australia General Manager Michael Murray attended along with Macquarie Valley irrigated cotton grower Matt Whittaker.

The Summit is part of the statutory 10-year Review of the Basin Plan, a process that started approximately 18 months ago, and will conclude sometime in 2027.

In attending the Summit, the MDBA made it clear that the discussions at the Summit would not formally be recognised as a submission on the Discussion Paper, and participants would have to ensure that they provided a formal submission if they wanted the Authority to take account of their views.

With those ground rules, the Summit did not focus on any of the specifics raised in the discussion paper, but it did stimulate wide-ranging discussions on the Basin Plan, and how it could be improved.

“Obviously for the cotton industry, access to water and irrigation is absolutely critical,” Cotton Australia General Manager Michael Murray said.

“Our cotton growers are members of Basin communities; this is just about our lifeblood and the communities that we live in.

“These events are always very broad ranging, and you hear a lot of things that you agree with, and you hear a lot of things that you disagree with and there’s plenty of things that you probably violently disagree with. But look, it’s always good to hear, and it does remind me that when you get down to things, there’s probably more things that we can agree on than we can disagree on.”

Mr Murray said while there were some participants that stridently felt that Sustainable Diversion Limits required further reduction (despite the MDBA’s report concluding the overwhelming number of SDLs were delivering the required environmental outcomes), encouragingly most participants saw the opportunity for a much more holistic approach to managing the Basin.

“It was encouraging to see recognition of the SDLs working and recognition that more water will not achieve more results in a lot of cases,” Matt Whittaker added.

“It was also good to see recognition of the fatigue that constant reform is causing.

“There are however concerns for the future with connectivity reforms in the northern basin and constraints relaxation in the south having the potential to cause negative impacts on irrigated agriculture.”

Cotton Australia is in the process of drafting its submission for the Basin Plan Review and Mr Murray encourages growers to make their own submissions to ensure the cotton industry is represented when it comes to shaping water management for future generations.

The Review Discussion Paper can be found online, along with additional information and resources. Submissions close 1 May. Please contact Michael Murray on 0427 707 868 or email [email protected] to provide input into Cotton Australia’s submission.