The Upper Murrumbidgee Drought Operating Framework and the Independent Review of the Snowy Water Inquiry Outcomes Implementation Deed (SWIOID) have at their core a difficult policy question: how should scarce stored water be allocated?

Water released from Tantangara Reservoir can create value in many ways, including supporting river health, generating electricity, supplying towns and irrigators, sustaining recreation, and supporting other downstream users. The challenge is that these values change over time, meaning decisions about water releases must respond to changing conditions.

The consequences of getting this wrong are significant. The Upper Murrumbidgee has experienced severe low-flow events, most recently in December 2025 and 2019, which caused substantial ecological damage and highlighted the limitations of current management arrangements. At times like these, the value of maintaining river flows can be extraordinarily high, raising important questions about how water is managed and who decides where it goes.

Associate Professor Gordon Leslie brings a unique economic perspective to one of the Upper Murrumbidgee's most pressing questions: how can scarce water be managed to deliver the greatest public benefit?

In this webinar, Gordon will:

Explore what an efficient allocation of stored water looks like from a whole-of-society perspective and what institutional settings are needed to achieve it.
Explain why fixed environmental releases can fail to prevent cease-to-flow events.
Unpack the concept of “opportunity cost” and why it is central to valuing water stored in reservoirs.
Discuss policy pathways to ensuring minimum flows are maintained on the upper Murrumbidgee, and evaluate the economic merits behind existing proposals.

As the Independent Review Panel develops recommendations that could determine how water is managed in the Upper Murrumbidgee for years to come, these discussions have never been more important.

Register Here

The presentation will be followed by a live Q&A session.

Please note: registration is essential to attend and/or receive a link to the recording

Webinar: The Value of Water — Rethinking Flows in the Upper Murrumbidgee

Listen in: ACT Independent Senator David Pocock speaks about The Forgotten River campaign

This campaign is coordinated by the Australian River Restoration Centre on behalf of a consortium of partners who care deeply about the Upper Murrumbidgee River.

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and recognise their continuing connection with, and knowledge about, land, waters and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.

Webinar: The Value of Water — Rethinking Flows in the Upper Murrumbidgee

Eight truths emerging from 136 community submissions: The future of the Snowy Scheme and the Forgotten River

Join us and stay up-to-date

Listen in: ACT Independent Senator David Pocock speaks about The Forgotten River campaign

This campaign is coordinated by the Australian River Restoration Centre on behalf of a consortium of partners who care deeply about the Upper Murrumbidgee River.

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and recognise their continuing connection with, and knowledge about, land, waters and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.