End non-strategic water buybacks – immediately and permanently
Buybacks damage irrigation districts, increase costs for remaining users, and undermine community confidence
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is being reviewed in 2026. What is decided will affect water availability, irrigation costs, local rivers, and the economic future of Northern Victoria for the next decade.
Goulburn-Murray Water is committed to supporting our customers, working with industry partners, and engaging with stakeholders across northern Victoria to ensure the voices of our region are heard in this review. We have made a submission but now we need our community’s voice too.
Submissions close 1 May 2026.
What is the Basin Plan Review?
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is the national framework that governs how water is managed, shared, and allocated across the Murray-Darling Basin, one of Australia's most important river systems and agricultural regions.
The 2026 review is being conducted by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA). As part of this process, the MDBA is calling for public submissions from individuals, organisations, communities, and businesses.
This review will set the rules for how water is allocated, managed, and recovered across the Basin for the next decade, directly affecting farm viability, regional economies, and community life for all residents in Northern Victoria.
GMW's water irrigates farms across the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District, supplies bulk water to urban communities across more than 100 towns, and underpins recreational access to GMW's storages and rivers. The outcomes of this review flow through to every one of these uses and the people who depend on them.
There is also a regional story that is not yet being fully told. The Basin Plan has consistently undervalued the contribution of irrigated agriculture to regional communities and the broader economy. This review is the opportunity to change that.
Your submission becomes part of the formal record. It informs the Authority's recommendations. The number of submissions matter.
It takes less than 15 minutes. Everything you need to have your say is on this page.
Why does this matter to me?
Whether you manage a large-scale dairy, a family mixed farm or rely on GMW for stock water, the Basin Plan directly affects how much water you can access, what it costs, and how secure your allocation will be.
The Federal Government has been buying water licences from farmers and moving that water to environmental use, known as water buybacks. This is happening without proper assessment of what it is costing our communities, our farms, and our food supply. When water is removed from the irrigation system this way, the cost of running that network is shared between fewer users, which means bills go up for everyone who remains, even if your own usage has not changed. Analysis projects irrigation costs could rise by 10–15% without safeguards in place.
Our local rivers are part of this picture. They matter deeply to our communities and environment, and this review is the opportunity to make sure they are recognised and protected.
The good news is there is a better way. Experience demonstrates that the remaining water recovery target can be met through investment in smarter water infrastructure, without taking any more water from farmers. The Connections Project already proved this is possible: more than 280 GL was returned to the environment without a single litre taken from irrigators. Experience demonstrates a further 605 GL of recovery is achievable through existing infrastructure projects such as the Victorian Murray Floodplain Restoration Project that will deliver equivalent environmental outcomes without further reducing the consumptive pool.
GMW has made a submission - now the region needs your voice. The more people from Northern Victoria who submit, the harder it is for our region's interests to be overlooked.
You do not need to be a water expert. Your experience of living and working here is exactly the kind of voice this review needs to hear.
Water reliability in Northern Victoria is the foundation of your workforce, and your supply chain.
Water policy instability creates direct supply chain risk. The rules set in this review will govern water availability, allocation costs, and the productive capacity of northern Victoria's irrigation sector for the next decade. If non-strategic buybacks continue without strategic safeguards, the agricultural output and cost structure that underpins your supply chain could be materially affected.
Irrigated agriculture in northern Victoria generates $3.2 billion annually and underpins the workforce and supply chains that businesses like yours depend on. Northern Victoria's food and fibre sector feeds the nation and supports a significant share of Australia's agricultural export value. This review is the formal mechanism to put that on the record.
Your organisation's submission puts that contribution in the formal record.
The communities you represent will live with the consequences of this review for a decade.
Water security underpins population stability, regional investment, and the long-term viability of local services. Many of your residents and member businesses will never engage with the formal consultation process directly.
A submission from your organisation gives their interests a collective voice at a level that individuals cannot match. We are also asking regional leadership organisations to share the call to action with their own networks, amplifying the number of voices from across our region.
What is GMW calling for?
Goulburn-Murray Water has made a formal submission to the 2026 Basin Plan Review. Our key recommendations are:
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Focus on smarter use of existing environmental water
Complementary measures and infrastructure projects are needed to make best use of existing environmental water
Environmental outcomes depend on how water is delivered, not just how much is acquired
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Complete remaining recovery through infrastructure projects
605 GL of recovery is achievable through existing projects – without reducing the consumptive pool
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Protect our local rivers
Your local rivers deserve strategies that recognise their own value
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Acknowledgement of agriculture
The Basin Plan must formally recognise agriculture and its role in providing food security for the nation and supporting thriving communities
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Fund the prospectus
Victoria's Planning Our Basin Future Together prospectus provides a practical, community-supported pathway to transition
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Increase Sustainable Communities Program funding
To support regional adjustment and long-term adaptation where change is unavoidable
Goulburn-Murray Water is committed to supporting our customers, working with industry partners, and engaging with stakeholders across Northern Victoria to ensure the voices of our region are heard in this review. We have made our position clear. Now we are standing alongside our community to make sure theirs are heard too.
How to make your submission
Submission takes just 15 minutes. Here is how to do it:
Step 1: Download your submission template
We have prepared templates for your individual situation. Choose the one that fits you best and personalise with your own experience.
Step 2: Email your submission before 1 May 2026
Email your downloaded letter to BPRsubmissions@mdba.gov.au with the subject heading 'BPR Submission'. That's it, your voice is on the record.Other ways to submit
Online: Visit the MDBA's official submission portal. Once there, you can either type your submission directly into the online form, or upload a pre-prepared document.
By post: Download and print the official MDBA submission template, use the GMW submission template to guide your responses, then post your completed submission to:
Basin Plan Review Submissions
Murray–Darling Basin Authority
GPO Box 1801
Canberra City ACT 2601
Not sure what to say? We recommend using the GMW submission template as your starting point, they provide helpful prompts to guide you through the process.
Need help? Call us on 1800 013 357 and our team can walk you through the process.
