THE Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) is copping flak from both sides of the water debate - from farmers anxious about their livelihoods and environmentalists concerned about the health of Australia's biggest river system - as it attempts to undo decades of policy failure.
But MDBA chairman Mike Taylor says the authority has a clear road map to guide it through this fraught terrain: the Commonwealth Water Act, passed under the Howard government in 2007 and amended by the Rudd government in 2008, The Australian Financial Review reports.
Taylor says this legislation spells out that the environment must be the primary focus of the authority as it devises a plan for future water use in the basin.
So only after the environmental health of the rivers has been assured can the MDBA take into account the interests of irrigators.
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