Swan Hill Rural City Council
There are many competing interests for the water resources of the Murray Darling Basin. As in all complex matters where trade-offs occur, it’s all a matter of balance.
The Murray Darling Basin Plan was developed through significant political negotiation between the states, the Commonwealth and various interest groups, including agricultural and environmental. The plan was seen as the basin communities’ best attempt at striking a balance between the competing demands on the basin’s water resources.
At Swan Hill Rural City Council, we want to see a system that is operated at its optimum level to maximise benefits to our communities, to the agricultural sector, to those whom consume our food both locally and across the globe, and to the ecosystems of our region and the basin in general.
This position paper has been developed to help us advocate on behalf of our community for improved Murray Darling Basin management. This paper explains Council’s position, based on three key areas.