Fair Water Use (Australia) is an independent lobby group formed in early 2008 by Australians who share the vision of a revived Murray-Darling basin and the sustainable environmental, community and economic benefits that would flow from its recovery. 

Our support base is representative of a broad spread of the Australian population with members having backgrounds in most trades and professions, including farmers (dry-land and irrigating) and water experts working in both the public and private sector. The organisation has no political affiliations.

Fair Water Use is currently self-funded, and does not accept donations from groups or individuals with financial investment in the Murray-Darling basin. 

We provide access to regularly updated information on the current water crisis. Supporters are encouraged to contribute to moderated forum discussions covering a range of topics of relevance to the issue.

Agenda: October 2008: 

• Immediate declaration of a State of Emergency with respect to the environmental and societal impacts of the Murray-Darling Basin crisis: the Federal Government to assume total responsibility for interim management

• Establishment of a Royal Commission of Enquiry into the management and governance of the Murray-Darling Basin

• Application of immediate measures to prevent the ecological collapse of the Coorong, including the acquisition and release of sufficient water, as per CSIRO recommendations
  

Related recommendations:

• Review of water allocations and associated pricing policy

• Instigation of commercial tendering process with the following precondition:

             Available commercial water allocation =

             Total flows minus Environmental flow requirements minus Critical public needs

• Removal of all tax-breaks on agricultural Managed Investment Schemes for water-intensive activities
  

• Government purchase of strategic irrigating agribusiness enterprises and associated water allocations, as and when opportunities arise

• Moratorium on establishment of new irrigated agribusiness and forestry projects 

• Promotion of low water-demand cropping (dry-land wheat, industrial hemp etc) 

• Proscription of cultivation of selected water-intensive crops