Overview
On 22 January 2019, the Australian Government established an independent expert panel to respond to fish deaths. The fish deaths occurred in December 2018 to January 2019 in the lower Darling River. Professor Robert Vertessy of the University of Melbourne led the panel's response. On 10 April 2019, then Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud released the Independent Assessment of the 2018-19 Fish Deaths in the lower Darling.
The independent expert panel expressed its strong support for the continuation of the Basin Plan. It also recognised that water reform effort must be re-energised and accelerated.
The panel found that the main factor in the fish deaths were local hydrological and climatic conditions. These factors were both at the time of the events and as shaped by broader climatic, hydrological and basin management matters.
The panel made 27 “practical recommendations addressed to Basin policy makers and Basin managers separately that, if adopted, would enhance the ability of State and Australian government agencies to discharge their responsibilities more effectively within the policy settings of the Basin Plan and Murray–Darling Basin Agreement.”
Australian Government response
The Australian Government committed funding to a range of new initiatives to address the findings and recommendations in the report.
- Up to $10 million to establish new hatcheries in St George, Queensland, and Menindee, New South Wales, to kick start fish recovery.
- An additional $5.24 million for the Toorale Water Infrastructure Project to better connect the Warrego and Darling Rivers.
- $15 million for fencing northern Basin riverbanks. This will help to improve water quality and outcomes for native fish.
- $1.1 million to NSW to progress planning for improved fish passage in the Lower Darling.
- $5 million for a Native Fish Management and Recovery Strategy – a Basin-wide strategy to enhance the management of native fish populations.
- An extra $3 for the MDBA and CSIRO to collaborate to better understand Basin ecosystem functions.
- Up to $25 million for metering in the northern basin.
- $20 million to expand research on the Murray-Darling Basin for better water and environmental management and to address knowledge gaps.
- $5 million to enhance real time monitoring (satellite and live-stream river flows to the internet) at key sites in the northern Basin.
- $5 million to improve real- time information on water accounting and water availability in the Murray–Darling Basin.
Progress in implementing recommendations
Information on the progress in implementation of these initiatives and the panel recommendations is included in the below publication.
Publication details
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, 2021