MDBC Annual Report 2005–06 Home | Contents | User guide | Downloads

Community Advisory Committee Annual Report 2005–06

Strategic advice to Council on NRM issues

The Living Murray

The Living Murray remained a focus for CAC advice to Council, particularly relating to communication of The Living Murray Business Plan and progress of the initiative to communities. Key advice included:

  • suggested amendments to The Living Murray Environmental Watering Plan 2006–07
  • the establishment of a reference panel to provide independent advice on economic, social and cultural aspects of mplementing The Living Murray Business Plan
  • the need for ongoing communication in the development of environmental watering and asset management plans, proposed actions, responsibilities, timing and progress reports that outline the benefits that have been achieved
  • the need for further development and commitment to cultural flows and the rights and responsibilities of Indigenous people
  • the need for transparent processes and a decision-making framework for determining priorities between asset plans
  • the need to further investigate opportunities for fair and transparent market-based measures for water recovery, including how to address communities’ concerns about the impact on the market, irrigators and communities
  • that the Indigenous Partnerships Project be progressed.

The Community Advisory Committee’s The Living Murray Community Reference Group held the first of three meetings for the year in July 2005. The focus of the Group’s activity has been review of, and input to, The Living Murray Environmental Watering Plan and the River Murray Channel Asset Environmental Management Plan. Initial meetings were focused on gaining a level of familiarity with the Murray-Darling Basin Initiative, The Living Murray initiative and the detail of the plans, to enable the Group to provide considered advice. A line of reporting through the Community Advisory Committee, then The Living Murray Committee and down to working groups overseen by that Committee has been problematic and is currently under review.

The Darling Initiative

Following support from the CAC in 2004–05, a community-led Darling Initiative Working Group was established to develop a framework for ‘the integrated management of the rivers of the Darling Basin’. The CAC maintained a watching brief on the progress of the group and brought their proposals to Ministerial Council for consideration in September 2005.

Indigenous engagement

The CAC has maintained strong linkages with the Indigenous people of the Basin through representatives on the Committee and through wider networks. It supported the development of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Murray Lower Darling Indigenous Nations, which was signed at a ceremony in Albury in March 2006. The CAC has promoted the formation of a similar relationship with the Northern Rivers Indigenous Nations.

The recent endorsement of the Murray-Darling Basin Indigenous Action Plan by Commission in March 2006 was met with regret by the CAC, who had supported a stronger principles-based approach to engaging Indigenous peoples in natural resource management (NRM) issues. The development of protocols for the conduct of CAC business in a manner respectful of Indigenous people will continue to be facilitated once new Indigenous representatives have been appointed to the Committee.

Continuity of support for regional NRM bodies

The CAC advised that there is increasing concern amongst the community that the roll-over from National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality/Natural Heritage Trust II will not be seamless. There is potential for this to impact on the current and ongoing activities of regional NRM bodies in implementing their accredited strategies.