Sustainable Diversion Limit Statement of Compliance - what is it and why is it important? Why is NSW behind and what are the consequences for not having a Water Resource Plan?
Water’s EdgeShow Notes
In this episode, join the Inspector-General of Water Compliance Troy Grant and Director of Compliance Monitoring Edwina Carter as we dive into the Annual Statement of Compliance for Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDLs). NSW is behind with submitting its Water Resource Plans, so Troy explains why he's worried about the late submissions, and what it means for the communities in the Murray Darling Basin. To read more about the Statement of Compliance, visit www.igwc.gov.au. Intro music by Leigh Robinson from Pixabay. Functions of the Inspector General IGWC function The new statutory role of the Inspector-General of Water Compliance (Inspector-General) brings together the Commonwealth’s responsibilities into a single statutory office. The Inspector-General will also have the compliance and enforcement functions currently held by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. The new Inspector-General of Water Compliance will have regulatory powers under Commonwealth law. The Inspector-General will be able to work across the whole Basin to strengthen compliance, increase transparency and improve trust. The Inspector-General will provide independent oversight and monitoring of Commonwealth and Basin state compliance. A key priority for the Inspector-General will be to encourage greater consistency in the guidelines and standards across the Basin—so all water users are held to the same high bar. To do this, the Inspector-General will have new powers to make guidelines and standards, which will help build greater consistency across the Basin. The Inspector-General’s main areas of compliance responsibility are: monitoring and auditing of water resource plan compliance investigating and enforcing non-compliance with sustainable diversion limits and assurance of Basin state compliance and enforcement frameworks, through audits and investigations supporting the development and implementation of standards and methods to improve the accuracy of water measurement to increase the transparency of water take across the Basin enforcing compliance with the Basin Plan water trading rules monitoring and reporting on the requirements of the Basin Plan and water resource plans related to the protection of planned environmental water
The MDBA will retain its roles in: assessing water resource plans SDL accounting and reporting and the development of remote sensing and emerging technologies and the evaluation of Basin Plan outcomes
More from Water’s Edge
In October 2024, the Inspector-General of Water Compliance, the Hon. Troy Grant, announced an inquiry into the Northern Basin Toolkit. In this episode, hear from Troy and Ken Lonnie, Director of Inquiry for the Inspector-General, as they discuss the findings of the inquiry. The Toolkit is a $166 million package funded by the Australian Government. It includes infrastructure projects and policy reforms aimed at lowering the northern Basin's water recovery target under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. To find out more and read the full report, visit https://inquiry.igwc.gov.au/northern-basin-toolkit
In August 2025, Troy Grant was re-appointed for a second and final term as the Inspector-General of Water Compliance. The position can be held for a total of eight years under the Water Act 2007 (Cth). In this episode, Troy reflects on his first term as Inspector-General from 2021 to 2025. He shares what people can expect in the next four years. Troy also discusses the work being done in water management and his recent visit to southern areas of the Basin. Additionally, he offers insights on leadership, creating a legacy, and building a new team to support the Inspector-General of Water Compliance. If you would like to learn more about the Murray-Darling Basin after listening to this episode of Water’s Edge, visit our educational video series, Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin.
The Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Act 2023 introduced new rules. This could lead to a follow-up IGWC investigation on trade price reporting. Mildura water broker Phil Grahame offers his view on a fair-priced Basin water market. Participants should be able to make informed decisions. Plus: the community asks a complex question. The IGWC answers, about rules and regulations in Murray-Darling Basin jurisdictions.
In this episode of Water’s Edge: the Murray-Darling Basin community has its say on management and compliance of a precious resource – water. A deep dive into the Inspector-General of Water Compliance’s (IGWC) Community Sentiment Survey conducted by ORIMA Research. Join the IGWC at field days across the Basin where community members share what they're concerned about. Plus, the Inspector-General of Water Compliance, the Honourable Troy Grant, steps up to the mic to answer the first Water's Edge listener questions. Got a question you’d like answered in Water’s Edge? Email it to us at [email protected], with the subject line ‘Water’s Edge podcast’. Water’s Edge is produced by the independent Inspector-General of Water Compliance.
In this episode of Water’s Edge: a deep dive into ACT’s water with the Inspector-General of Water Compliance's Regulatory Leaders Forum. Inspector-General of Water Compliance, the Honourable Troy Grant, shares how the forum uniting water leaders is progressing. Icon Water shares how they balance water infrastructure and the environment at Canberra's Cotter Dam, including protecting the endangered Macquarie Perch. Plus how Australia's largest inland sewage plant proves every drop of water is valuable. Canberra is the biggest city in the Murray Darling Basin and the only jurisdiction completely within the Basin.