Australia has spent more than $6 billion to reallocate water to environmental purposes. Most of this money has subsidised infrastructure, despite its lack of cost-effectiveness. This article highlights four key lessons on how to respond to these water governance challenges.

This report presents a series of forward looking scenarios for the southern Murray-Darling Basin water market, examining potential future water prices, trade flows and irrigation sector outcomes, taking into account recent and expected trends for water supply and demand.

Research in this report contradicts claims by federal and state government ministers that new dams are not being built in Australia. The report shows that 20 to 30 large new dams have been recently constructed, funded at least in part by Australian taxpayers.

This report finds that there is clear evidence to indicate that the current water sharing plan rules are resulting in more frequent and longer 'cease to flow' periods. The current cease to flow period of over 11 months Barwon-Darling system is the longest in recorded history and is likely to continue.

This draft report presents the findings and recommendations from New South Wales' Natural Resources Commission’s statutory review of the Water Sharing Plan for the Barwon-Darling Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources 2012.