The issue

Hypoxic blackwater conditions developed throughout the Murray River system from extensive flooding after the wettest October on record, resulting in extensive fish kills. In an effort to save fish in the Edward/Kolety-Wakool River system, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (CEWO), in collaboration with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Murray Irrigation Limited (MIL), and the Edward/Kolety Wakool Environmental Water Reference Group, delivered small amounts of environmental water through MIL irrigation escapes to the Wakool, Edward/Kolety, and Niemur rivers, and Thule, Murrain-Yarrein, and Cockrans/Jimaringle creeks.

The CEWO, and other Federal and State Government agencies, faced a communications ban during the event, which impacted their ability to communicate with the broader public. Agencies responsible for communication, such as the State Emergency Service (SES) and Bureau of Meteorology, had different priorities, such as protecting lives and property, rather than communicating issues related to environmental water delivery used to mitigate hypoxic blackwater impacts.