Currently, there are very few options for salinity management in low rainfall environments (less than <350mm annual rainfall). The challenge for salinity management in traditional farming systems, is to balance the profitability of annual crop based systems with sustainable high water using options and engineering solutions. This paper reviews literature on the potential profitability and water use of two developing perennial plant based systems (oil mallees and saltland pastures) and deep drainage, and the trade-off between water use and profitability objectives within these options as potential salinity management techniques.