Our Water Team currently covers the Murray Darling Basin, coastal waterways and the Great Artesian Basin. Members of the team travel to regional areas to meet water campaigners to better understand their perspectives. We also join actions by other groups held in Sydney.
Water must be given back to the Murray Darling Basin system for it to survive. The perilous state of the rivers has been caused by drought, floodplain harvesting, toxic run-off and over-extraction by irrigators and corporate buyers.
The NSW Government has reached agreement with the Federal Government to deliver the Murray Darling Basin Plan in full.
We believe that implementing the recommendations of the final report of the Expert Panel on Connectivity would improve connectivity across the northern basin for the benefit of the rivers and lakes in the Murray Darling river system.
Gas companies are drilling through the Great Artesian Basin and other aquifers to extract water then gas. Coal seam gas requires vast amounts of salty toxic water called ‘wastewater’ to be brought to the surface before the gas can be tapped. The disposal of this wastewater and the number of wells perforating the Basin are of major concern to the protectors of the Great Artesian Basin, which lies beneath 22 percent of Australia. This massive groundwater reservoir is used by 120 towns and by farmers for drinking water for stock, especially during a drought. The Pilliga Narrabri Gas Project in NSW is situated in an important recharge area of the Great Artesian Basin.