Queensland Murray-Darling Basin

The Murray–Darling Basin (the basin) is home to Australia’s most significant river system as recognised by the Commonwealth Water Act 2007 . The Queensland Murray–Darling Basin (QMDB) comprises the Border Rivers, Moonie, Condamine and Balonne, Nebine, Warrego, and Paroo catchments. The QMDB is characterised by significant diversity from the fertile Darling Downs in the east through to the mulga lands in the west. The economic base of the QMDB is founded on agriculture, though in recent times the region has seen the emergence of a significant energy industry, based on coal and gas, in the eastern part of the region.

Map showing the catchments in the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin (PDF, 417K)*

Water planning in the Queensland Murray–Darling Basin

Water is allocated and sustainably managed in the QMDB under five water resource plans made in accordance with the Queensland Water Act 2000.

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority (the authority) is also developing its Basin Plan for the whole basin under the Commonwealth Water Act 2007. This overarching plan will ensure that all water resources of the basin can be managed in an integrated and sustainable way.

The Basin Plan will set out sustainable diversion limits (SDLs) for the water resources of the basin, including in the QMDB catchments. SDLs represent the long-term average volumes of water that can be taken from regions for consumptive use while still maintaining the required water for the environment. QMDB water resource plans will need to comply with the relevant SDLs, among other requirements, to qualify for accreditation under the Commonwealth Water Act 2007. Read more about the Basin Plan.

To bridge any gap between the level of current water diversions and the SDLs in the Basin Plan, the Australian Government is running water recovery programs under its Water for the Future initiative. These programs include buy-back of water entitlements from willing sellers, on-farm water use efficiency investments and environmental works and measures. The programs may run until 2019 or until the gap has been bridged. Read more about the water recovery program.

The diagram below shows the anticipated water planning activities in the QMDB over the next 10 years.

How much surface water is diverted?

The volume of water diverted (taken) from the watercourses and floodplains in the QMDB varies considerably from year to year as rainfall and consequent streamflows are highly variable. This natural variability directly affects the way that water has been allocated and developed. Competition for the use of these highly variable water resources has increased in recent times, especially during the major drought which preceded 2010.

The graph below shows the annual volume of water diverted from each catchment (1997/98 to 2009/10).

What is the role of the Queensland Government in developing and implementing the Basin Plan?

Queensland, in its role as a Basin State, has been and continues to be actively involved in all aspects of the development of the Basin Plan. This is achieved through its membership of the Murray–Darling Ministerial Forum and various committees and working parties. Again, while the authority has responsibility for setting SDLs for the QMDB, implementation will be through Queensland’s statutory water resource plans, which are the responsibility of the Queensland Government.

The Queensland Government has also recognised that the impact of the water reforms embodied in the Basin Plan will be felt beyond water users and into the wider community. The government has adopted a whole-of-government approach so that it can respond effectively to the wider socio-economic issues that the reforms will bring. To this end the Department is being assisted with its consultation on, and responses to, the Basin Plan by other government agencies and key stakeholders.

Queensland, as a Basin State, worked with the authority on the Proposed (or draft) Basin Plan (released in November 2011). Public submissions on the draft Basin Plan closed on 16 April 2012. The Queensland Government has made a submission (PDF, 670K)* to the authority on the draft Basin Plan and also released a community summary (PDF, 106K)* of the submission.

The Queensland Government is also partnering with the Australian Government through the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities to recover water under the water use efficiency component of the Healthy HeadWaters program. This water use efficiency program will see water savings recovered for the environment credited against the total amount of water required to meet SDLs.

The Queensland Government will ensure that recovered water is managed for the benefit of dependent ecosystems through its established rules-based approach to flow management.

The average annual surface water diversions from each catchment as a proportion of the total surface water diversions in the QMDB (1997/98 to 2009/10) is illustrated below. How this diversion compares to that of the other basin states over the same period is also illustrated below.