Murray-Darling Basin report reveals increased refusal to participate in water consultations

Water licence holders across the Murray-Darling Basin are increasingly disengaging from consultations, a new report has found.

An aerial view of a portion in New South Wales of the Murray-Darling Basin.

Water licence holders across the Murray-Darling Basin are increasingly disengaging from consultations, a new report has found.

The Inspector-General of Water Compliance’s annual report, released this week, refers to a community sentiment survey of 1068 people across the Basin community, with an increase in refusal to participate from water licence holders in part due to ‘over consultation’ and ‘consultation-fatigue’.

The top three concerns from water licence holders was the distribution/allocation of water across different states, the perceptions of mismanagement of water, and floods, droughts and climate.

Malcolm Holm. Picture: Dale Webster

National Farmers’ Federation water committee chair Malcolm Holm said while surveys could be conducted in good faith, increasing refusals to participate could stem from people not knowing what the information is going to be used for.

“To me, some of these surveys can be engineered to a specific outcome, and farmers in particular are pretty cynical of them,” he said.

“If you ask the question the right way, you get the answer you’re looking for.”

The survey also indicated perceptions on the Murray Darling Basin Plan had become more polarised, with 43 per cent of respondents supportive of the program (up from 27 per cent in 2023), 40 per cent not supportive (up from 35 per cent), and 18 per cent neutral (down from 38 per cent) towards it.

Mr Holm, who is one of four candidates to take over the NFF presidency later this month, said some people just want the government to get on with buying all the water back.

“(But) at the other end of it, people know what buybacks do and how they decimate and destroy communities, particularly where the water comes from,” he said.

Other key survey findings include 25 per cent of water licence holders surveyed did not know that they live in the Basin, while among general community members, the number was 72 per cent.