The Murray Darling Association is the peak body for local government in the Murray-Darling Basin. We have been informing policy and contributing local knowledge and regional solutions since 1944. There are 167 councils over four states that sit within the Murray-Darling Basin and whose communities rely on water from within it. The management of water and other Basin resources is a matter of significant interest to local government. Councils need certainty and reliability to support the communities we lead and serve. The allocation, sustainability, availability and affordability of water resources is a critical factor in the environmental, social, cultural, and economic health and stability of the Muray-Darling Basin and of our nation, as a whole. Our purpose is to provide effective representation of local government and communities at state and federal level in the management of Basin resources by providing information, facilitating discussion and seeking to inform government policy.