It is Australia's primary legislation that concerns the Commonwealth Government's powers over the Murray–Darling Basin, and is administered by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
[6] On 22 February 2007, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that John Howard had "vowed to push with his $10 billion plan to take over the Murray–Darling river system despite the Victorian government putting up an alternative proposal".
Howard had rejected the proposal saying it was "more of the same", and said he believed it was essential that the states "agreed to transfer powers over the Murray–Darling Basin to the Commonwealth".
[7] On 19 June 2007, The Age reported that the Bracks state government of Victoria was the only Basin state yet to sign for the transfer of power to the Commonwealth, and instead went on to propose investment into a desalination plant and a pipeline, which the Howard government had said "Commonwealth funding would not be provided for [the] north-south pipeline".
[8] Some months after Howard announcing this commitment, the Water Bill was introduced into the Australian House of Representatives for a first reading on 8 August 2007.