New report illustrates the scale of water injustice in the Murray Darling Basin As part of NAIDOC Week, MLDRIN has launched an illuminating report that illustrates the current state of water injustice in the Murray Darling Basin, including compelling infographics by Tati Tati artist Brendan Kennedy. View the report here. “Returning water to First Nations...Read More

The Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN) applauds the appointment of Nari Nari man Rene Woods as the first Indigenous member of the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) Board. ‘Rene Woods has been an incredibly effective and committed advocate for First Nations water justice, as Chair of MLDRIN since 2016,’ said MLDRIN Acting Chair...Read More

First Nations organisations MLDRIN and NBAN will kick off a thorough and independent assessment of all NSW Water Resource Plans (WRPs) today, fulfilling a key regulatory role spelt out in the Basin Plan. In June, the NSW Government submitted the last of 22 WRPs that it is required to prepare under the Murray Darling Basin...Read More

Media Release: Friday 6th December 2019 Scrapping the Basin Plan could damage cultural values along Australia’s greatest river system and marginalise vulnerable communities, a peak body representing First Nations from the Southern Basin has warned. ‘Campaigns led by irrigators and the NSW National Party to derail the Basin Plan do not represent the interests of...Read More

MLDRIN has welcomed the establishment of a legislated, permanent First Nations position on the Board of the Murray Darling Basin Authority, following the passage of the Water Amendment (Indigenous Authority Member) Bill 2019 in Federal Parliament last Thursday. MLDRIN worked alongside the Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations and other First Nations organisations to lobby successive Federal...Read More

MLDRIN has called on all governments to heed world-first research, which demonstrates strong support for reallocation of water to First Nations. The research conducted by Griffith University and released this week indicates that 70% of Murray Darling Basin residents surveyed would back the reallocation of water to Aboriginal communities. The study also found that around...Read More

MLDRIN is a representative forum for First Nations in the Southern Murray Darling Basin, established in 1998 to create a united voice for water justice. Today, all our members stand in unity with communities rallying in six heavily impacted river towns, to call for urgent action to address the water crisis across New South Wales....Read More

As hundreds of water activists gather in Canberra to demand action on rivers and climate change today, three peak Aboriginal organisations have issued a united call for a full federal Royal Commission to uncover the truth about the declining health of rivers in the Murray Darling Basin. ‘First Nations are the original custodians of our...Read More

The Water Act is ‘substantially inconsistent’ with Australia’s commitments to international conventions, a Traditional Owner group will today tell the South Australian Royal Commission into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. The Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN), which represents Traditional Owner organisations across the Murray-Darling Basin, will today give evidence to the Royal Commission. MLDRIN’s...Read More

Basin Plan deal means progress for First Nations, but a backward step for the environment The peak body of Traditional Owners in the Southern Murray Darling Basin has described an agreement struck yesterday between the Federal Government and the Australia Labor Party as a positive step towards recognition of Aboriginal water rights, but a backward...Read More