Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council

The Council develops and coordinates policy for effective planning and sustainable use of the water, land and other environmental resources of the Murray-Darling Basin. The Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council comprises Ministers from each of the Basin States and the ACT. The Ministerial Council has policy and decision-making roles for matters such as state water shares, and the funding and delivery of natural resource management programmes, as set out in the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement. The Authority is required to prepare an annual corporate plan for approval by the Ministerial Council in relation to these matters. The Ministerial Council also has a policy and decision-making role in regard to issues relating to critical human needs as provided for in the Act. The Ministerial Council may give directions to the Basin Officials Committee concerning its functions and powers under the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement, and can also seek the advice of the Basin Community Committee on these functions. Council established under Murray-Darling Basin Agreement, clause 8 - originally contained in the Schedule to the Murray-Darling Basin Act 1993 and now in the Schedule to the Water Act 2007