Historical evidence suggests that many of the native freshwater fish species of the Murray-Darling Basin have suffered substantial losses of geographic range or abundance in the period since European settlement. However, other native species appear to have avoided dramatic population declines. I compared life history traits of more-impacted and less-impacted species with the aim of obtaining insights into possible reasons for differences in their fates. More-impacted species tended to mature at a significantly greater age than less-impacted species, and to spawn for shorter periods and at lower threshold temperatures. However, there was no significant overall difference between two groups in maximum body size, fecundity, egg type (adhesive/non-adhesive and buoyant/non-buoyant) or degree of parental care. Later maturation and a short spawning season at lower temperatures may render native species more vulnerable to both introduced coldwater piscivorous fishes and loss of winter-spring flooding as a result of river regulation.