Peter Cullen Trust – 2026 Basin Plan Review

The 2026 PCT Basin Plan Review Process is another Nationally Significant Conversation with Fellows and Friends of the Peter Cullen Trust.

This is a once in a decade opportunity to directly influence major water and environmental challenges in the Murray-Darling Basin. It calls for the Trust’s courageous leaders and collective power to engage for the benefit of our precious resources.

Over the next 12 weeks (February-May 2026), our role is to facilitate and curate diverse input from the PCT Fellows and Friends network, through meetings and Workshops which we will convene, culminating in a PCT Submission.  Along the way, we will encourage and facilitate individual submissions, collaborative submissions, critical friends and dynamic discussions within the trusted space of the PCT.

The MDBA Basin Plan Review Discussion Paper is the first step in this process.  We invite you to:

1. Read it;
2. Evaluate it;
3. Identify aspects with which you both strongly agree and disagree; and
4. Bring your ideas and expertise into the PCT engagement process, as follows:

PCT Roundtable

• 16 February – PCT Yarn – unstructured, first collaboration, looking at the key issues and aspects of the Discussion Paper
• 26 February – PCT and MDBA Roundtable

Workshops (key issues and themes to be identified with the PCT network, attend any or all)

• 24 March, 1 April and 8 April

Submission

• 27 April – follow up meeting with MDBA
• 30 April – Submission lodgement with MDBA

What Can You Do Next?

1. Review the Discussion Paper – HERE
2. Complete our survey – tell us how you want to be involved – link shared via email
3. Attend any of the advertised MDBA webinars to learn more about the Discussion Paper – HERE
4. Attend our PCT Yarn on 16 February – link shared via email
5. Save the dates for our Workshops – invitations will follow closer to the dates
6. Consider your own Submission/s to the Basin Plan Review
7. Access the background resources on the MDBA website HERE .

We welcome your questions and feedback any time to lesley@petercullentrust.com.au  and look forward to rich collaboration with many Fellows and Friends over the next 12 weeks.