The Australian government has given the green light to Australian $10-billion (about us $8-billion) plan to revive the Murray-Darling basin, which provides 40 per cent of the country's food. The step, taken to protect the basin that is facing a water shortage, was part of the Water Bill, 2007, passed by the parliament earlier in August 2007. The plan will modernise irrigation infrastructure, check over-use of water and save up to 30 per cent of the water currently being lost through leakage.

Earlier, the basin was managed by four states