
Murray-Darling Basin Implementation review
10 July 2024
Australian Productivity Commission Review

Committee for Greater Shepparton (C4GS) welcomes the Productivity Commission’s Murray-Darling Basin implementation review 2023 and the opportunity it provides to objectively review the status and next steps at a critical point in the delivery of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
C4GS is a member funded not-for-profit organisation with a membership that includes almost 120 of Greater Shepparton’s businesses, agencies and not for profit organisations. The Committee seeks to provide an informed, constructive, and influential voice for the Greater Shepparton region to all levels of government and decision makers and in doing so to support our region to advance the aspirations and prosperity of our community.
C4GS is a member of the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District (GMID) Water Leadership Forum. In partnership with the Forum, C4GS CEO and Forum co-chairs David McKenzie and Suzanna Sheed presented to the Productivity Commission during the Shepparton consultation sessions. We found the opportunity valuable in outlining our position and to understanding the purpose and scope of the current consultation program.
C4GS’s submission outlines our responses to many but not all matters detailed in the Call for submissions document. Our approach is predicated on four key principles:
No further reduction of the consumptive pool,
Optimising outcomes for the environment, including the many key sites across our region, by enabling delivery at the right time, to the right location and for the right period, in all seasons and conditions,
Leveraging the maturing of water markets and community understanding, and
Building on the advances in science, engineering and technology that have occurred over the life of the Plan, and draw on these to improve delivery and navigate the challenges that are inevitable in the latter stages of a plan of this scale and ambition.
Our submission also recognises that Victoria and in particular Greater Shepparton has been at the centre of pandemic disruptions and in late 2022 experienced some of the largest and prolonged flooding in recent history. Despite these challenges our region has continued to deliver in good faith against the Plan’s targets and as detailed in our submission, Victoria has:
Exceeded water recovery targets,
Is able to deliver 98% of project outcomes by December 2026, and
Has delivered more than two-thirds of all water recovered against the Efficiency Measures target (additional 450GL).
Last week the Federal Government confirmed its intention to extend the timelines for delivery of the Plan which is consistent with recommendations arising from the Productivity Commission review in 2018. This is a prudent response that creates a more appropriate pathway to lock in the positive legacy of the Plan.
It is our view that by prioritising a more agile and practical approach that’s focused on ensuring water can be delivered where and when its needed, the Plan will achieve greater benefits in all years and under all climate scenarios, thereby ensuring the Plan’s legacy reflects genuine, sustained benefits for the environment and the Australian community.
To read our full submission, click on the file link to download.