The Australian Government represented by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the department) is inviting expressions of interest (EOIs) from owners of large portfolios (around 20 GL or more) of eligible surface water rights in the Southern Connected Basin, who are interested in selling some or all of those water rights to the Australian Government in 2025.

This EOI is focused on surface water rights in the Southern Connected Basin, including the following catchments:

• New South Wales – Murrumbidgee, New South Wales Murray and Lower Darling

• South Australia – South Australian Murray

• Victoria –Campaspe, Goulburn-Broken, Kiewa, Victorian Murray, Loddon, Ovens, King, and Mitta Mitta

This EOI is the first stage of a multi-stage procurement process.

Responses received under this EOI will help guide subsequent approaches to market in 2025 aimed towards delivering the Murray-Darling Basin Plan 2012 (Basin Plan) in full, in accordance with the Restoring our Rivers Framework.