INFLOWS into the River Murray system have almost halved in the past two decades, which is likely due to climate rather than mismanagement, a new report has revealed.
Interim-Inspector General for the Murray-Darling Basin, Mick Keelty, investigated the water sharing arrangements within the southern basin in response to the hundreds of angry irrigators who protested out the front of Parliament House last year.
The irrigators hoped the investigation would unearth new water for communities impacted by both the drought and the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
However, the report found there was less water to go around, with median annual inflows into the River Murray system dropping by approximately half that of the previous century and "more significantly" the frequency of drier years have increased greatly.
READ ALSO
"While there may be many factors contributing to the extent of observed inflow reductions, the lack of rainfall and runoff has been the primary driver for the conditions being experienced by many across the basin in recent times," the report stated.
"Implications for future trends - particularly arising from the impacts of climate change - remain uncertain."
The report also highlighted the different water allocation strategies of each state government, due to the crops they favoured.
South Australia and Victoria take a conservation approach, handing out a more high-security licences and holding back larger proportions of water in dams each year to use during droughts.
On the other hand, NSW has a larger percentage of general-security licences and annually makes much more water available to its irrigators.
"Victoria and South Australia's more conservative allocation policies therefore mean they have more water to allocate to irrigators in dry times," the report stated.
A key theme of the report was the community's lack of trust, and its desire for greater transparency and access information.
National Irrigators Council chief executive Steve Whan said although the report would disappoint some people, it revealed a hard reality.
"The report tells us there is no new water - no miracle cure for a tortuous, and hard to understand, interstate water sharing process," Mr Whan said.
"It makes it clear that misunderstanding, and mistrust, are rife when it comes to basin water management. We all need to make a much bigger effort to dispel myths and conduct legitimate debate on common facts.
"Building a better understanding and shared knowledge will not take away difficult debate and different views, but it might help to make those discussions more productive."
The report made five recommendations centred around further research, transparency and better communication.
Murray Darling Basin Authority chief executive Philip Glyde supported the recommendations, noting some of them were already underway, and vowed to fast-track their implementation with the support of the state governments.
"We know some irrigators will feel disappointed that the report has not unearthed any new water for communities doing it tough because of the drought," Mr Glyde said.
"However, it does show that every drop is accounted for and is made available to the state governments to manage and allocate according to their rules."