Kate McBride on the future of the Baaka/Darling River

Photo: Tony Hill

Kate McBride was born and brought up in far-west NSW and now lives on her partner’s property along the Baaka-Darling river after 12 months in Canberra working for the Australia Institute. Kate has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Adelaide University and has commenced further study. In 2019 she was featured in the Sydney Morning Herald’s ‘Who Mattered’ Environment category after becoming “one of the key figures in the public debate about the dying Darling [Baaka] River”.

Kate has appeared on numerous radio, podcast and TV shows, including being featured on Australian Story ‘Cry me a river’ and ‘Call of the river’ and three appearances on the ABC’s Q&A panel.

Where’s your favourite place on the river?

I love the Darling-Baaka but my favourite spot is actually at the Menindee Lakes, just down the road from mine. I have a few hidden camping spots and there’s nothing better than swagging it under the stars and waking up to a morning swim.

What is your earliest river memory?

From a really early age we learnt about the importance of the river but also the dangers when it comes to drowning. I think that instilled a real sense of respect for the river.

Growing up though some of my favourite memories were of floating down the river with inner tubes alongside friends.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever learned about the Baaka/Darling River?

I think the research by Martin Mallen-Cooper that showed from 1885-1950 (prior to flow regulation) that the Barwon Darling flowed 92% of the time, and even during the most severe droughts there was near perennial flows 85% of the time.

This carefully constructed disinformation spread that the Darling-Baaka was an ephemeral river has been totally debunked.

Water policy and politics in the Murray/Baaka Darling can be incredibly contentious and sometimes divisive. Why do you think we’ve arrived at the point we’re at, as we head towards the end of 2023?

I think the importance and value of water is not lost on anyone and because of that unfortunately water policy can easily divide. The old saying of ‘Whisky is for drinking, water is for fighting over’ stands true today and it’s quite a contentious issue.

I’ve found that no matter what you say when it comes to water, someone’s going to get their back up. If we listened to science and the river more, I don’t think we’d be in this place but years of overextraction and a culture of entitlement have got us to this point. 

Water policy is often as murky as the river itself and I don’t think that lack of transparency helps anyone.

Who have been your biggest mentors in learning more about the river you grew up living with?

I have been really fortunate to have a great deal of mentors in this space that have helped my understanding of everything from First Nations culture to how the Parliament works. Uncle Badger Bates and other elders along the Darling-Baaka have not only taught me culture but instilled in me an even deeper love and connection to our part of the river.

So many people from across the Basin have inspired me to keep working, after watching their decades of dedication to the cause. The fellas from the Darling River Action Group and Greame McCrabb from Menindee have been tireless advocates. For the past year I’ve been working in Canberra and the generosity of people here to mentor and upskill this country girl have been unbelievable too.

Do you think the division that occurs is actually more a case of misunderstanding than any kind of animosity between different groups along the river?

I think its less misunderstanding and maybe more a lack of willingness to understand where one another are coming from. Across the basin I’ve noticed an ‘us vs them’ mentality and I think this constant division has been stoked by certain groups.

Rather than the common misconception that the Basin Plan is anti-irrigation, I raise the point it’s simply anti-overextraction. Whether it be the $15 billion in tourism, 10,000 people employed because of recreational fishing, sustainable irrigators, dryland farmers or First Nations people – all of these things rely on a healthy river system.

Reading Margaret Simons’ 2020 essay Cry Me A River was one of the hardest things we’ve done all year. Are we approaching a tipping point for the Murray-Baaka river system; a place from which there’ll be no ability to return?

I think years of fish kills and dry river have pushed the Darling-Baaka to the edge and multiple reports and fish surveys have highlighted just how sick the system is. The river I grew up alongside is not the one previous generations knew and the river my future children will know is not the river we know today. I hope its better, but we have a long way to go.

Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll ever get to a point where the river isn’t over extracted but I have hope the balance between extraction and river health will improve.

Why are rivers so vitally important?

It’s cliché but rivers are genuinely the lifeblood of not just towns but whole ecosystems. Whether its nature’s reliance on them or farmers using them to grow our food and fibre they’re so important.

Are you hopeful about the future?

For the first time in a long time I am hopeful about the future of our rivers. The Federal Parliament just passed some important legislation regarding delivering the basin plan and returning water to our rivers. I worked really closely with a lot of people involved in this and the policy ended up being better than I could’ve imagined. We’ve got a long way to go, but I have hope.