Dear Supporters, You may have heard that, last night, the Australian Labor Party struck a deal with the Government to pass amendments to the Basin Plan that will cut over 600 billion litres of water for the environment. The vote on the amendment will take place today in the Australian Senate. If the amendment passes, we have some major concerns about the impacts on First Nations cultural values and the environment. However, the deal also includes some significant commitments to improve outcomes for Aboriginal people in the Basin. Your support has been critical to achieving an historic bi-partisan commitment to securing water entitlements for First Nations. Commitments include an allocation of $40 million across the Basin to support acquisition of Aboriginal cultural and economic water entitlements, as well as new positions in Aboriginal organisations and a roll-out of Cultural Flows research. MLDRIN welcomes these commitments, but recognises that cutting 605 billion litres from the water recovery target in the Basin risks undermining some of the very outcomes the package seeks to protect. You can read our media release here: http://www.mldrin.org.au/basin-plan-deal-a-positive-step-for-first-nations-but-bad-for-the-environment/ We will continue to scrutinise the changes and any projects that proceed on the basis of this amendment. We will be following up with the Office of Water Minister David Littleproud today to clarify arrangements for the delivery of these commitments. Once again, your support is crucial and I thank you for staying engaged on this critical issue. The MLDRIN team