Partnering with Aboriginal peoples
Water for Country is environmental water use planned by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Aboriginal people to achieve shared benefits for the environment and cultural places, values and/or interests.
In 2025–26 we will partner with Aboriginal peoples and organisations across the Barwon–Darling catchment. This includes supporting Aboriginal-led programs and groups, promoting participation in environmental water planning and developing projects. For example:
- attending Toorale Joint Management Committee meetings and providing details of environmental watering, water infrastructure operations and monitoring
- supporting the Culliwatta Environmental Watering Strategy
- continuing to deliver our brolga monitoring project at Toorale with members of the Toorale Joint Management Committee
- ensuring Aboriginal values and interests are incorporated into water policy and projects
- ensuring Water for Country content is included in the long-term water plan review.
Key planned actions
Native fish
Fish populations are still recovering from significant fish kills in the northern basin, at Menindee in early 2023, and Brewarrina in late 2024. A key priority is to support remaining stocks of native fish and provide opportunities for them to breed and disperse along the system. This will be done by maintaining baseflows and supporting small fresh events to help supply food to native fish and other aquatic wildlife, including frogs.
Connectivity
Despite good flows heading into the water year, cease-to-flow conditions may return in 2025–26. A key priority will be maintaining low or baseflows and providing small freshes. Under more moderate rainfall conditions and small freshes, consistent baseflows are more likely.
Another priority is to maintain connecting flows between the Barwon–Darling rivers and the Baaka – Lower Darling to support the recovery of native fish populations.
River connectivity is impeded by lower flows and instream barriers, which can hinder fish passage downstream of Menindee main weir. Maintaining connection along the length of the river will require moderate or wet conditions across the northern Basin.
Proposed annual priority targets in the Barwon–Darling water resource plan area
For more information, go to our Annual environmental watering priorities 2025–26 webpage, which includes each catchment’s resource availability scenario and expected volumes of environmental water available.
