Caught in the Current is an essential and timely read for the farm sector, policymakers, water authorities and students of environmental and agricultural science. It explores growing concerns around Australia’s declining food security and the real impact on the cost of living.
Blending sharp analysis with a compelling historical narrative, the book traces a century of federal and state decisions in water policy, Caught in the Current examines how Australia once led the world in large-scale basin management, and why that success has since been undone.
Patrick J Byrne BA co-authored the 2006 book, High and Dry, with Neil Eagle, John O’Brien and Daryl McDonald. He is a former president of the National Civic Council. He writes for their magazine News Weekly on economics, agriculture, foreign affairs, defence, family and cultural issues. He has spent over two decades actively working with farmers on water issues in the Murray-Darling Basin, drawing on the experience of water managers, farmers, economists, scientists and those with other technical knowledge and expertise.
Caught in the Current is a highly topical book that is published alongisde the 2026 review of the highly controversial Murray-Darling Basin Plan, which is based on the Water Act 2007 and of very contested science.
Explores how Australia maintained food production during the Millennium Drought, one of the worst in history, and how it was once heralded as a global benchmark in water management.
Examines the management shift from the collaborative Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) to a centralised, top-down Murrary Darling Basin Authority.
Highlights how the huge buybacks of irrigation water for added environmental flows have resulted in an area almost twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory being lost to irrigation farming.
This book proposes alternative policies to achieve environmental outcomes without requiring huge irrigation water buybacks, policies that have been called for by federal and state government inquiries.
The book warns of declining Australian agricultural output per head of population and the narrowing gap between agricultural exports and imports. The nation is set to become a net importer of food and fibre by the late 2030s.
Publicity:
Endorsements include Peter Millington OAM, former Director General of NSW Water Resources, and Richard Ham, an agricultural economist who formerly held senior corporate positions with ANZ and NAB. Targeted media outreach across print, radio, podcasts and digital will position this as a standout insider memoir. Author interviews, events and bookseller support will drive visibility, with broad appeal across memoir, music and cultural history readers
‘[This book is an enlightenment] and hope for a better, more objective understanding, of water’s fundamental importance for the national economy and its sustenance.’ – RICHARD HAM, Agricultural economist and adviser in the establishment of the Primary Industry Bank of Australia.
