There is a mishmash of water theft laws and penalties across the Murray Darling Basin

Publicly released:
Australia; NSW; VIC; QLD; SA
Photo by Zac Edmonds on Unsplash
Photo by Zac Edmonds on Unsplash

Australian researchers have explored the mishmash of water theft laws and penalties that exist across the Murray Darling Basin states and territories and have found that there is a lack of consistency which is driving poor regulatory outcomes and exacerbating both commercial and environmental harm. The authors say progress towards consistent water theft laws and deterrence needs to be hastened, especially as the threat of theft will dramatically increase as water supply is negatively affected by climate change. The researchers found that NSW has a higher certainty of detection and prosecution via satellite technology, potentially making NSW the example for others to follow. 

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Nature Water
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Organisation/s: The University of Adelaide
Funder: The authors declare no competing interests.
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