On 7 September 2023, the Senate referred the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023 to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 8 November 2023.

The closing date for submissions was 29 September 2023 and has been extended to 11 October 2023.

On 8 November 2023, the committee was granted an extension of time for the report until  10 November 2023.

About this inquiry:
The Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023 seeks to amend the Water Act 2007 and the Basin Plan to implement the Basin Plan in full, including recovering 450 gigalitres of additional environmental water. The Bill would also implement recommendations from the Water Market Reform: Final Roadmap that aim to restore transparency, integrity and confidence in water markets and water management in the Murray-Darling Basin.