South Australia now has an official Murray River commissioner. 

Prominent barrister and author, Richard Beasley SC, has been appointed South Australia’s inaugural Commissioner for the River Murray.

Mr Beasley was lead counsel for the 2019 South Australian Royal Commission into the Murray–Darling Basin. His appointment comes in the wake of a federal government-commissioned report that shows 450GL of environmental water promised to SA under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan will not be delivered on time. 

He is also the author of five books including Dead in the Water; a scathing critique of how the Murray-Darling Basin has been mismanaged.

The Commissioner’s responsibilities will include advocating for the health of the River Murray, Lower Lakes and Coorong including engaging with media, key stakeholders, politicians, and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority Board.

He has been brought in to help the state to secure the delivery of the final 450 gigalitres of water required to deliver 94 per cent of environmental flow indicators, as proposed by the Water Act 2007 and the Basin Plan.

The Commissioner will also assist the State Government to improve the transparency of information and communication provided about the management of the River Murray, and prepare an annual report that is tabled in Parliament.

The chair of SA Murray Irrigators, Caren Martin, says she hopes Mr Beasley will reopen discussions around the 2019 SA Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission.

She says the probe exposed “legal black holes” that need to be resolved to ensure a clear path moving forward.

“It's a solid, strong voice from the top that government can use to advocate their position and justify their actions, which is needed,” Ms Martin said.

“I hope this role looks to heal some of the wounds of the past, but also starts that conversation. Let's have it and let’s justify why SA holds the position it does.”