By Kate Saunders, Dr Bruce McGregor AM and Esther Abram

We were very privileged to join a learning tour to country Victoria, expertly convened by the Murray-Darling Conservation Alliance (MDCA) and Environment Victoria last week. Amongst the tour group were six members of AEGN who support MDCA.

The Murray–Darling Basin is often discussed through the language of policy, gigalitres and water recovery targets. But spending time on Country, walking the floodplains, listening to Traditional Owners, and hearing directly from river communities brought to life what can otherwise feel like an abstract policy debate.

The Murray–Darling Basin covers more than one million square kilometres, supports 2.3 million people, contains over 30,000 wetlands and produces around 40% of Australia’s agricultural output. Large areas have been cleared for intensive agriculture supported by an extensive system of irrigation channels supplied by huge dams. Yet many of the people we met shared a common concern: despite decades of water policy reform and a $13 billion Basin Plan, the basins ecology remains under severe pressure and a major opportunity for water allocation reform is now before us. Insufficient environmental water has been supplied and the issue is politically divisive.

One of the clearest lessons from the tour was that river health cannot be separated from floodplain health. At the River Peoples’ Forum convened in Swan Hill with local environment groups, we heard repeatedly from experts that wetlands, floodplain forests, fish and waterbirds rely on regular flooding that reconnects rivers with the surrounding landscape. Despite the Basin containing around 6.3 million hectares of floodplain, only a small proportion (3%!) currently receives the inundation needed to sustain ecological health.

Standing at Nyah–Vinifera

One of the most confronting stops on the tour was Nyah–Vinifera Park, a significant floodplain forest on the Murray River containing approximately 1,000 hectares of remnant red gum forest, wetlands and habitat for threatened species including the Regent Parrot.

Years of reduced overbank flooding have left large parts of the floodplain disconnected from the river. The Victorian Government is now installing engineered regulators to control natural water movement and pumps and associated infrastructure to artificially deliver environmental water to selected wetlands and creek systems. It is beyond logic that watering only a small portion of the forest will achieve a good environmental outcome. It is perverse that providing less environmental water in total will achieve a better environmental outcome.

Government policy makers argue that these projects will improve the efficiency of environmental watering. However, local campaigners, Wadi Wadi Elders and the Friends of Nyah–Vinifera Park believe the works will further industrialise the floodplain forests and that restoring natural river flows would provide better ecological outcomes.They are fighting the projects through the courts and, have established a protest camp at the park entrance to prevent machinery from entering the site. Seeing this firsthand brought home the depth of community concern. The strength of feeling was palpable. Many spoke about the distress at the prospect of losing old-growth red gums, culturally significant landscapes, and critical habitat through engineering works they believe could be avoided.

A community united by persistence

What stood out at the River Peoples’ Forum was not disagreement but persistence.

Scientists, Traditional Owners, environmental organisations, farmers and community advocates did not always agree on the details of reform. Yet there was remarkable alignment around a broader vision: healthy rivers, healthy wetlands, healthy floodplains and thriving communities. What also stood out was the myriad of government agencies with overlapping responsibilities.

Many speakers reflected on fish kills, declining native fish populations, deteriorating floodplain forests and the growing risks posed by climate change. At the same time, there was a strong sense of determination. Many of those in the room had spent decades advocating for healthier rivers and more effective water management. The forum was not defined by pessimism, but by the conviction that meaningful change is still possible.

South Australia’s Commissioner for the River Murray, Dr Emma Carmody, reminded participants that science alone cannot protect rivers. Effective laws, compliance systems and accountability mechanisms ultimately determine whether environmental commitments translate into outcomes on the ground. She also stressed the need for the next phase of Basin reform to better recognise First Nations rights and interests and ensure environmental protections are strong enough to withstand political cycles and competing pressures.

First Nations water justice remains unfinished business

Perhaps the most powerful discussions centred on First Nations rights and water justice.

Traditional Owners reminded participants that they have cared for these river systems for millennia, yet First Nations people currently hold less than 0.2% of surface water entitlements and approximately 0.02% of groundwater entitlements across the Basin. At the same time, more than 40 First Nations maintain enduring cultural, spiritual and economic connections to Basin waterways.Engineering works have already desecrated many final resting places of ancestors, and new engineering will continue this unnecessary practice.

MLDRIN (Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations), who attended the River Peoples’ Forum, is a leading advocate for cultural flows and Aboriginal water rights. MLDRIN argues that genuine water justice requires more than consultation. It requires ownership of water, decision-making authority and recognition of cultural flows—water entitlements legally owned and managed by First Nations peoples to achieve cultural, environmental, social, spiritual and economic outcomes determined by Traditional Owners themselves.

Throughout the Forum, we heard that future Basin reforms cannot be considered successful unless they deliver meaningful progress on First Nations’ rights, governance and self-determination.

What MDCA is calling for

The Murray Darling Conservation Alliance has emerged as a significant voice in current Basin reform discussions and is actively mobilising communities during the 2026 Basin Plan Review. MDCA’s work has already delivered more environmental water to the basin.

Three MDCA priorities featured consistently throughout the tour and Forum:

• A Basin Plan that properly accounts for climate change and the reality of a hotter, drier future.
• Restoration of healthy rivers, wetlands and floodplains through improved connectivity and environmental flows.
• Water justice for Traditional Owners, including stronger recognition of cultural flows and greater First Nations participation in decision-making.

These priorities reflect a broader understanding that ecological health, community wellbeing and cultural outcomes are inseparable.

Why this matters now

The strongest takeaway from the learning tour was not a new understanding of water policy, but a deeper appreciation of the people working tirelessly to protect these rivers.

Across the Basin, there is no shortage of expertise, passion or commitment. Whether scientists, Traditional Owners, community advocates or local residents, there was a shared belief that healthy rivers, healthy communities and healthy Country are inseparable.

The 2026 Basin Plan Review and forthcoming Water Act Review represent a rare opportunity to shape the future of Australia’s largest river system. Decisions made over the next months will influence river health, cultural outcomes, community resilience and water security for decades to come.

For philanthropy, this is precisely the type of moment where strategic funding can have an outsized impact. The people we met consistently highlighted the importance of independent science, community advocacy, legal accountability and First Nations leadership in driving lasting reform. These are all areas where philanthropy can help build capacity, amplify voices and sustain momentum that would otherwise be difficult to maintain.

What left the deepest impression was the sense of urgency. Across the Basin, communities are already witnessing the impacts of declining river health, while climate change is expected to place even greater pressure on rivers, wetlands and floodplains. The challenge now is not simply knowing what needs to be done but ensuring that the next generation of reforms matches the ambition, persistence and commitment of the people fighting for a healthier Basin.