Water is a precious natural resource in the Murray–Darling Basin, with a wide variety of communities, towns, farmers and industries all depending on it.
The Australian Government has a strong commitment to improving the transparency, consistency, and accessibility of water information to make sure every drop of water counts.
Hydrometric Networks and Remote Sensing Program
In December 2020, the Australian Government announced 4 projects which will improve how the northern Murray–Darling Basin’s water is measured and monitored, and give communities access to more water information.
This $35 million initiative is being delivered in collaboration with the New South Wales and Queensland Governments, as well as the Bureau of Meteorology, Geoscience Australia and the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA).
The initiative will provide water licence holders, compliance officers and the public with better access to more accurate information and allow for more robust and consistent assessment of water use and compliance.
This will help give communities assurance that all water users are doing the right thing and help governments to make informed decisions. It will also support delivery of the world-leading Murray–Darling Basin Plan which aims to improve the health of the Basin, while continuing to support communities, farming and other industries for the benefit of the Australian community.
The program has clear benefits including improving transparency and accountability around water management, and improving access to:
- water information for the public – including near real-time information on water flows, extractions and water entitlement and trade information
- water information for water entitlement holders – including near real-time information on flows, extractions, and information on entitlement rules
- measurement, metering and monitoring tools for water managers, regulators, and compliance officers – including remote sensing tools, automated water take reporting, and specifications for floodplain harvesting measurement
- tools for compliance officers, which will better enable compliance with water laws – including near real-time water use information, remote sensing and water balance tools and analytics pinpointing high risk non-compliance areas
- reduced data costs for water management partners – including agreements for sharing data to be used as a template for future data programs.
The program is being delivered over 3 years from 2020 to 2023 and is part of the Enhanced Water Monitoring and Information Initiative.
The pathway includes scoping, data collection and analytics in the early years, alongside initial releases of new tools. This will be followed by more comprehensive and fully operational tools and models launched throughout 2023.
While there is an initial focus on the northern Murray–Darling Basin, approaches developed in this program will be used in other parts of the Basin.
Agencies involved in managing and delivering projects include the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment and Queensland Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water. Australian Government agencies involved include the Bureau of Meteorology, Geoscience Australia and the MDBA – who administers and manages the Program.
The program is overseen by an independently chaired Steering Committee, supported by a panel of experts and independent assessors.
