‘Tax returns for water': satellite-audited statements can save the Murray-Darling

Abstract

<p>If the allegations of water theft reported last week by the ABC's Four Corners are accurate, they reveal a fundamental failing in the integrity of the system that records water use in the Murray-Darling Basin.</p> <p>We have a suggestion that could help to restore trust that water users are not abusing the rights granted by their water entitlements and jeopardising the Murray-Darling Basin Plan by taking more than their fair share.</p> <p>Instead of the current system in which state governments monitor consumption via water meters, we suggest that water users should instead have to fill in an annual "water return" – akin to tax returns – to account for their water use, which could be efficiently verified using technology such as satellite imagery.</p>