This report documents the final review of the National Partnership Agreement on Implementing Water Reform in the Murray-Darling Basin (the NPA). Clause 34 of the NPA requires that it be reviewed with regard to progress made by the parties in achieving the agreed outcomes 12...

In August 2019, the ACCC was directed to conduct an inquiry into markets for tradeable water rights in the Murray–Darling Basin. This report makes recommendations to enhance markets for tradeable water rights, including their operation, transparency, regulation, competitiveness and efficiency.

In discussions about the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, one key reform has been consistently underestimated - separation of water title from land, and its subsequent tradability. This discussion paper notes that governments across the Murray-Darling Basin need to work out what they are aiming for from...

The Australian Government established the Register of Foreign Ownership of Water Entitlements (the Register) in 2017. The primary aim of the Register is to increase transparency about foreign ownership of Australian water assets and, more broadly, maintain community confidence in Australia’s foreign investment policy. This...

This draft report assesses the progress of the Australian, State and Territory governments towards achieving the objectives and outcomes of the National Water Initiative (NWI), and provides practical advice on future directions for national water reform.

This working paper presents the array of different policy instruments available for managing freshwater quality and quantity. In doing so, the paper provides insights into how the various instruments have been used to incentivise behaviour change in the New Zealand context, and outlines the barriers...

This publication provides an overview of the economic effects of water recovery on water prices and the irrigation sector in the southern Murray–Darling Basin. The analysis uses economic modelling to separate the effects of water recovery from seasonal variations in rainfall and water supply, along...

In 2017, the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water Resources paid almost $80 million for water rights in the Condamine-Balonne valley. This research is based on unredacted valuation documents about the ‘Watergate’ scandal.

This interim report draws upon analysis of comprehensive water market data from 2012 onwards, and the views of a broad range of people with interests in the use and trade of water in the Murray-Darling Basin. The report considers options to enhance markets for tradable...

Water management in the Murray-Darling Basin has radically changed over the past 30 years, including Aboriginal people’s share of water rights in New South Wales.