Northern Basin Advisory Committee wraps up

The Northern Basin Advisory Committee (NBAC) met for the last time today after providing independent advice to the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) for more than four years.

MDBA Chief Executive Phillip Glyde thanked the Committee for its ongoing support in engaging with northern basin communities on the implementation of the Basin Plan.

"NBAC has played a critical role in helping us to understand how communities are adjusting to changes in water policy and how the Basin Plan settings could be altered to better suit the northern basin," Mr Glyde said.

"The Committee met regularly during the Northern Basin Review's three years of information gathering and provided valuable advice during the subsequent collation of information and consultations."

NBAC was specifically formed under the Water Act 2007 to provide advice on the adaptive implementation of the Basin Plan. Now that the Northern Basin Review is completed and a proposed amendment has been released by the MDBA for consultation, the Committee will wrap up.

NBAC's Chairman Mal Peters said the Committee members felt they had advised the MDBA with integrity and honesty over the past four years.

"We've helped the MDBA to realise that it's not just about water," Mr Peters said.

"The Northern Basin Review recommendations acknowledge that we need a toolkit of measures to get environmental outcomes in the northern basin."

Mr Glyde was sure former NBAC members would remain an integral link between northern basin communities and the MDBA.

"I look forward to staying in close contact with Committee members, as they are integral members of their communities and have a wealth of local knowledge that has been extremely valuable to us," Mr Glyde said.

"Again, I'd like to thank Mr Peters and his committee for their service to the MDBA over the past four years."

ENDS

For more information, contact the MDBA Media office at media@mdba.gov.au or 02 6279 0141

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