Controversy has raged around Murray Darling Basin water issues since Four Corners aired allegations of large-scale water theft and the ability for irrigators to legally extract water purchased for the environment from the Barwon-Darling River.

South Australia announced a Royal Commission in response to findings from multiple independent reviews, which highlighted serious issues with the implementation of the $13bn Murray-Darling Basin Plan. 

The Australia Institute welcomed the opportunity to make a submission on the Terms of Reference (ToR) of South Australian Government’s Royal Commission into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. To restore public confidence, the Terms of Reference for that investigation should be broad enough to identify all issues that are compromising the delivery of the Basin Plan.