The Basin Salinity Management 2030 (BSM2030) strategy was agreed by the Murray–Darling Basin Ministerial Council (MDBMC) in 2015 and commits the partner governments to accept shared responsibility for continuing action to manage salinity in the shared water resources of the Basin. The strategy provides a framework to deliver a strategic, cost‐effective and efficient program of coordinated salinity management from 2016 to 2030. The mandatory elements of BSM2030 have been incorporated into Schedule B to the Murray–Darling Basin Agreement (Schedule 1 to the Water Act 2007 (Commonwealth)). Clause 34 of Schedule B (Annexure A) specifies that the Authority must appoint independent auditors to carry out an audit.
Under the BSM2030 strategy, audit and reporting has been streamlined now that the program has matured. Commencing in 2017, auditing now occurs biennially to align with the comprehensive reporting by jurisdictions and the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA). This process ensures a fair and accurate assessment of the Contracting Governments’ and Authority’s performance against Schedule B. The auditors are called the Independent Audit Group for Salinity (IAG‐Salinity).
