With funding of AUD 12.9 billion, the “Water for the Future’" programme has targeted improving water use efficiency, securing water supplies and improving river health. A key aim of the programme has been to improve environmental flows in the basin. This is being achieved through a combination of voluntary buybacks of water entitlements (primarily from irrigators) and investment in irrigation efficiency upgrades, with a percentage of the “saved” water being held by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and used for environmental purposes.