AGY-5304 | Lower Murray Darling Catchment Management Authority

Full description

Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) were established across the state in January 2004 under the Catchment Management Authorities Act 2003 as part of broad Natural Resources Management reforms. (1)

Each Catchment Management Authority board consisted of a chairperson and up to six board members, who together provided a range of experience, skills and knowledge in areas such as primary production, cultural heritage, biodiversity conservation, business administration and governance. Each Catchment Management Authority also had a general manager and a small team of professional staff. (2)

The functions of each Catchment Management Authority were:

to develop catchment action plans and to give effect to any such approved plans through annual implementation programs
to provide loans, grants, subsidies or other financial assistance for the purposes of the catchment activities it is authortised to fund
to enter contracts or do any work for the purposes of the catchment activities it is authorised to carry out
to assist landholders to further the objectives of its catchment action plan (including providing information about native vegetation)
to provide educational and training courses and materials in connection with Natural Resource Management, and
to exercise any other function relating to Natural Resource Management as it is prescribed by the regulations. (2)

Lower Murray Darling Catchment Management Authority
The Lower Murray Darling Catchment covered an area of approximately 6.3 million hectares, of which approximately 5% had been cleared for cropping or horticultural purposes. The catchment extends from Broken Hill in the north to the Murray River in the south and from the Murray / Murrumbidgee junction to the South Australian border in the west. The catchment incorporated the entire local government areas of Wentworth and Broken Hill City, the majority of the Balranald Shire Council area, and a small area administered by the Department of Climate Change, Environment. The catchment included the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area, Lake Victoria and Menindee Lakes. (4)

In 2007 the Head Office of the Lower Murray Darling CMA was located at Buronga. It also had an office at Broken Hill. (5)

The Lower Murray Darling Catchment Management Authority was abolished on 1 January 2014 by the Local Land Services Act 2013 which replaced it with Western Local Land Services. (6)

Endnotes
1. Combined Catchment Management Authorities Annual Report, 2003-2004, p.1; Catchment Management Authorities Act 2003 (Act No.104, 2003), s.6.
2. Catchment Management Authorites website http://www.cma.nsw.gov.au/index.html (cited 25 May 2007).
3. Ibid., p.3; Catchment Management Authorities Act 2003, s.15.
4. Lower Murray Darling Catchment Management Authority website http://www.lmd.cma.nsw.gov.au/catchment/index.shtml (cited 25 May 2007).
5. Catchment Management Authorities website http://www.cma.nsw.gov.au/contact_cma.html (cited 25 May 2007).
6. Local Land Service Act 2013 (Act No.51, 2013) Schedule 6, cl. 4 (1) (a).