Apparently Australia had laws that rivers and streamed should be cleared of obstacles, so the water could flow freely. This guy intentionally and repeatedly broke the law, proving that when water slows down, soil and plants can use it, improving everything. He argued that otherwise the rain flowed unhindered into the ocean. One thing he did was dam up streams and put in plants to make use of the water. Presumably, the water eventually flowed, so there did not seem to be any drawbacks.
Politicians and alleged experts insisted that his property was unique and the techniques would not work anywhere else.
This documentary shows clips of Peter Andres, but he had recently passed away.