River Murray 2022-23 Flood Review Report Published

The report of the independent review of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s response and management of the 2022–23 flooding has been published, along with the proposed joint government responses to the recommendations.

Multiple flood events in the river and its major tributaries occurred between October 2022 and February 2023, as a result of continued heavy rain.

The 2022–23 Flood Review, undertaken by Alluvium, examined the effectiveness of flood operations by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, specifically flood forecasting, data and communications during the widespread flooding in the River Murray.

The report contains 14 recommendations including: 

R1: The Bureau (of Meteorology) and the MDBA expand their guidelines to include an appropriately flexible collaborative process to support flow forecasting in future events, including collaboration with other agencies were appropriate.

R3: Consideration should also be given to undertaking regular simulated flood operations exercises involving other appropriate agencies to build and maintain communication and collaborative relationships.

R8: The MDBA should give consideration to ongoing and transparent information sharing on the strategies for flood operations and airspace, combined with an elevated level of information in the lead up to (and following) potential flooding periods.

The report and government response are available at: https://www.mdba.gov.au/publications-and-data/publications/river-murray-2022-23-flood-review-report