Neighbouring Mayors call for Basin Plan Review fairness

Published on 25 May 2026

The mayors of two neighbouring Victorian municipalities are calling on the Murray Darling Basin Authority to recognise the efforts of improved irrigation systems across the region when conducting its 2026 Basin Plan review.

Gannawarra Shire Council Mayor, Cr Garner Smith and Campaspe Shire Council Mayor, Cr Daniel Mackrell both stressed this importance during discussions with authority management as part of meetings conducted during the 2026 Basin Plan submission process.

Both municipal leaders highlighted that the region’s irrigation area, classified by the MDBA as 7A, had already delivered significant efficiency and environmental outcomes, and should not be unfairly targeted as implementation of the Basin Plan continues.

“The viability of our irrigation district is under threat if changes to the Basin Plan are not made,” Mayor Smith said.

“Half of the water within the Torrumbarry Irrigation District available for irrigating purposes was removed between 1995 and 2019 due to efforts to implement the targets listed in the Basin Plan, and the MDBA has a moral responsibility to ensure its actions do not jeopardise the viability of communities reliant on irrigation industries.

“Irrigators in the MDBA’s Reach 7A, which covers the area between Torrumbarry and Swan Hill, have invested heavily in modern infrastructure, water efficiency and sustainable practices. These communities should not be treated as collateral damage in an ongoing process that continues to shift the burden onto the Southern Basin.”

Both mayors are concerned that the MDBA has been unable to clearly explain or quantify over‑allocation or over‑extraction across the entire Basin, despite this being central to the rationale for major recovery targets.

“The MDBA has yet to provide a transparent, basin‑wide explanation of where over‑allocation or over‑extraction is actually occurring, and by how much,” Mayor Mackrell said.

“Without that clarity, it is impossible to justify why Southern Basin systems, which are already highly regulated and efficient, continue to bear a disproportionate share of water recovery and socioeconomic impact.”

Both mayors have stressed that this lack of explanation undermines confidence in the Basin Plan’s implementation and raises serious questions about equity between regions.

“If the Authority cannot clearly demonstrate the problem across the whole Basin, then the justification for the actions taken so far, particularly in the South, is fundamentally weakened,” Mayor Smith said.

“Communities like ours deserve evidence‑based policy, transparency, and fairness, not assumptions that place further pressure on towns, farmers and local economies that have already done their part,” Mayor Mackrell said.

Both councils will continue to advocate strongly for its communities as part of the 2026 Basin Plan Review, calling for a balanced approach that genuinely reflects regional realities, protects local livelihoods, and delivers shared responsibility across the entire Murray–Darling Basin.