Stakeholder knowledge in water governance: insights from public submissions in the Murray-Darling Basin

Abstract Stakeholder knowledge plays a critical role in shaping engagement processes and influencing governance outcomes in natural resource management. However, systematic methods to assess such knowledge remain underdeveloped. This study introduces a two-dimensional framework that evaluates stakeholders’ knowledge systems in terms of thematic diversity, or the range of issues raised, and coherence, or the degree of conceptual linkage among those issues, in water governance in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia. Using quantitative and qualitative analysis of 695 public submissions across four major policy initiatives (2015–2019), we found the Irrigation/Water Supplier group demonstrated the most integrated and coherent knowledge system, reflecting deeper engagement with the complexity of water governance. Indigenous and academic stakeholders presented broader thematic diversity but lower coherence, suggesting underutilized yet valuable knowledge potential. The weakest knowledge pattern was associated with the Environmental Watering initiative, highlighting barriers to advancing reforms. This approach offers a replicable tool for governance bodies to identify knowledge gaps at the system level and for stakeholder groups and individual submitters to strengthen the impact of their submissions, collectively contributing to more adaptive governance.