We’re excited to see our work featured as part of the evidence base for the 2025 Basin Plan Evaluation released on 24 July 2025 by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA).
Our economist David Appels was engaged by the MDBA to assess the economic benefits of salinity management, alongside a review of salinity cost functions. These insights help to quantify the enduring value of collaborative efforts under the Basin Salinity Management 2030 strategy.
- After updating the patterns of water use to reflect the current situation, we found that Basin salinity management provides an economic benefit to water users in the order of $126m annually, due to significant reductions in river salinity levels (as measured by electrical conductivity) attributable to these management actions.
- This estimate comprises benefits attributable to the collective actions of the Joint Program ($90.2m/yr) and significant additional benefits from the Basin Plan ($35.9m/yr).
- Looking forward, the expected net present value (NPV) over 30 years of salinity intervention is in the order of $1.6b for all actions Basin salinity management.Our analysis supports a better understanding of how salinity interventions benefit agriculture, communities and ecosystems – and provides an important economic foundation for future policy and investment decisions across the Basin.Read the full 2025 Basin Plan Evaluation Report here.Explore our expert reports on the MDBA website:1. Salinity Benefit Assessment
