South Australia has appointed leading environmental and water lawyer Dr Emma Carmody as its new Commissioner for the River Murray, positioning the state with a highly experienced advocate as major national water reforms approach a critical juncture.
Dr Carmody takes on the role as governments prepare for the statutory review of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan and the Commonwealth Water Act 2007, processes that will shape water management, environmental outcomes and community impacts across the Basin well beyond 2026.
The Malinauskas Government established the Commissioner role as an election commitment and as a central mechanism to restore the health of the River Murray, Lower Lakes and Coorong, while ensuring South Australia’s interests are strongly represented at the national level.
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Dr Carmody replaces inaugural commissioner Richard Beasley SC, whose tenure was marked by sustained advocacy for the full delivery of the Basin Plan. His work was instrumental in securing the passage of the Water Amendment (Restoring Our River) Bill 2023, which delivered additional time and recovery pathways for the final 450 gigalitres of environmental water negotiated by South Australia.
Her appointment comes as the Commonwealth works toward recovering more than 400 gigalitres of the 450-gigalitre target by the end of 2026, mainly through efficiency measures and an expanded voluntary water purchase program. Under the previous Liberal National Government, only 2 gigalitres of that target were delivered over a decade.
Dr Carmody is widely regarded as one of Australia’s foremost experts on Basin governance, environmental water law and regulatory frameworks governing water use. She has advised international organisations, First Nations groups, farmers, conservation organisations and community stakeholders in Australia and globally.
Between 2017 and 2022, she served as the sole legal advisor to the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. This role required her to advise on complex multilateral negotiations among member states. She previously spent more than a decade with the Environmental Defenders Office, is a fellow of the Peter Cullen Water and Environment Trust, and a former member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists.
A former Adelaide resident who worked as a consultant across two South Australian Government agencies, Dr Carmody is now based in Sydney. Her location is expected to strengthen South Australia’s advocacy in New South Wales, where many of the Basin’s most contested water management decisions continue to be debated.
Speaking about the appointment, Lucy Hood said Dr Carmody’s expertise would be critical as Basin reform enters its next phase.
“Dr Carmody’s work is renowned on the national stage, and she will be a powerful advocate in our ongoing efforts to restore the health of the Basin,” Hood said.
“Her extensive background in water law and governance, environmental expertise and location will help ensure upstream states take notice that we are serious about securing the full delivery of the Basin Plan.
“I acknowledge and thank Mr Beasley for his tireless efforts as inaugural Commissioner and for what he has achieved for our state. A healthy, flowing Murray is critical to our environment, economy, culture and community.”
Dr Carmody said her personal and professional connection to the river system made the appointment particularly meaningful.
“Having grown up in the southern Murray–Darling Basin, lived in Adelaide during the Millennium Drought, and spent much of my career advocating for the sustainable management of our largest river system, I am particularly honoured to have been appointed to the role of Commissioner of the River Murray,” she said.
“I look forward to working with the many people and communities who care deeply about the river’s health, particularly in the lead up to the statutory review of the Basin Plan.”
Former commissioner Richard Beasley SC said Dr Carmody brings unmatched expertise to the role.
“As the former managing lawyer of the Environmental Defenders Office Freshwater program, the legal advisor to the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and a long-time advisor on water issues to farmers, First Nations Peoples and conservation groups, Dr Carmody has no peer in Australia as a water law and Basin Plan expert,” Beasley said.
Dr Carmody’s appointment builds directly on the progress achieved during Mr Beasley’s tenure. It comes at a time when Basin governance faces increasing pressure from climate change, water quality challenges and the need to balance environmental recovery with the lived experience of Basin communities.