Audit highlights need for long-term, connected water plans
The independent Inspector-General of Water Compliance (IGWC), the Hon. Troy Grant, has released his audit of Environmental Water Planning in the New South Wales Intersecting Streams and the Victorian Murray. This audit assesses if state government agencies are implementing rules and commitments to protect environmental water under accredited water resource plans (WRP). In summary, the audit found that Victoria is meeting its commitments while NSW has met many, but not all, of their commitments.
“This audit emerged from the Australian Government’s Restoring Our Rivers Bill amendment in late 2023,” said Mr Grant. “During this process, I heard a range of concerns related to environmental outcomes throughout the Murray-Darling Basin. These concerns greatly informed my decision to make environmental outcomes a priority of the IGWC 2024-25 workplan allowing me to exercise my powers of audit to assess the extent of compliance with WRPs.”
A key instrument for implementing the Basin Plan, WRPs set out how much water can be taken from the system at a local scale and ensure that state water management rules meet the Basin Plan objectives.
These WRP areas were selected after conducting a risk assessment that considered factors such as location of priority environmental assets, previous assessments, and the history of environmental watering activity. Due to the differences between jurisdictions and responsible state agencies, the audit has been split into two separate reports to allow for greater detail. The NSW Intersecting Streams WRP area is in northern NSW and extends south from the Queensland border and includes 6 surface water catchments. The Victorian Murray WRP area extends from Omeo in the far east of Victoria to the South Australian border in the northwest of the state.
The Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and the Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) have implemented the commitments made in the Murray Water WRP. During the audit it was noted that DEECA and VEHW coordinated watering across connected systems and delivered held environmental water to priority assets. It highlights how coordination through connected-basin forums enables multi-site benefits, not isolated outcomes.
The audit found that the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (NSW DCCEEW) met important commitments including identifying and committing Planned Environmental Water and implementing access restrictions during periods of very low flow. However, they did not conduct annual Long-Term Average Annual Extraction Limit (LTAAEL) compliance assessments during the audit period. LTAAELs prevent over-extraction, protect environmental water, and maintain the integrity of tradeable water entitlements, protect ecosystems, manage water entitlements, and are monitored annually against modelled usage to trigger compliance actions if exceeded.
“The audit shows two jurisdictions with two different results,” said Mr Grant. “Victoria met its commitments. NSW met many commitments, but not all — and the gap matters. You cannot manage what you do not measure. Without reliable measurement, limits cannot be enforced, planning becomes guesswork, and trust erodes.”
Under the IGWC’s 2026-2023 Strategic Plan, a key priority and focus of the independent Commonwealth integrity agency is to ensure water measurement is trustworthy.
