NATIONAL IRRIGATORS’ COUNCIL
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
Advocating for the Australian irrigated agriculture industry
NATIONAL IRRIGATORS’ COUNCIL
Advocating for the Australian irrigated agriculture industry
Water is the lifeblood of many rural communities. It underpins the irrigated agriculture sector, providing food and fibre for domestic consumption and significant export income for the nation. Water provides direct employment on farms in irrigated agriculture and horticulture industries and underpins the prosperity of communities. It enables communities to be self-sustaining, with flourishing processing industries and significant flow on effects into local businesses, delivering broader community and regional benefits.
The National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) has long argued the case for a balance between social, environmental and economic outcomes to ensure the Basin Plan and National Water Reform is fair and workable. Without this objective, communities will continue to bear the burden of not only an unsatisfactory Basin Plan, but an unsatisfactory outcome on national water reform more broadly.
NIC continues to advocate for a viable and productive irrigated agriculture sector in Australia, stronger local communities and a healthy environment.
NIC works with politicians, the public service and a multitude of stakeholders to ensure the voice of irrigation farmers and businesses, and their local communities are heard on water and climate policies.
Broadly, NIC provides advocacy on national policy that impinges on our Policy Principles, these generally mean NIC engages on:
• National Water Reform
• Murray-Darling Basin Plan
• Water Infrastructure and Water Grid Investments
• National Water Policy
• National Climate Change Policy and Programs
In 2023, the Australian Government initiated the Restoring our Rivers Bill (2023) to updated elements of the Murray Darling Basin Plan and Water Act to extend the timeline for reconciliation. NIC with our partners, articulated a clear set of requirements to seek protection for communities from further impacts on implementation of the Murray Darling Basin Plan. Whilst not all our considerations were granted, pressure maintained, secured $300M for the Sustaining Communities Fund. For more information see our page Implementation of the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
NIC helped to secure a second round of community consultation on the National Water Agreement, citing
further detail and engagement was needed on this crucial reform.
NIC established a list of principles to be considered in the agreement's modernisation and is engaging with agencies on the updated
discussion paper regarding this reform.
For more information see our page National Water Reform.
NIC has participated and encouraged the establishment of the inaugural 'Taste of the Basin' event hosted by Basin Members of Parliament, at Parliament House in XX 2023.
The event showcased the diversity of produce grown in the Murray Darling Basin which provides up to $8B to the Australian economy. The event provided an opportunity for Members of Parliament and staffers to experience first hand the amazing products and people, that grow our food and fibre in Australia's food bowl.
NIC advocated in 2015 to Federal and State Government Basin Water Ministers to secure the 1,500 GL cap on water buybacks.
Unfortunately, in negotiations to extend the timelines for the Murray Darling Basin Plan's reconciliation within the Restoring our Rivers Bill (2023), the Australian Parliament voted to remove the cap enabling further buybacks.
For more information see our page Implementation of the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
NIC has attended and participated in key national and Basin conferences, providing an opportunity for the organisation to continue to raise the voice of irrigators and the value of the irrigation industry to Australian's.
This has included, Irrigation Australia Limited XXXX, Almonds Board of Australia's Conference, Australian Cotton Conference, Australian Water Association's NSW Conference, Murray Darling Basin Authorities River Reflections and Murray Darling Associations conferences.
NIC supports environmental improvement through complementary, or non-flow, waterways management to ensure we maximise the opportunity for outcomes from environmental water.
This approach was also recommended by: The Productivity Commission, The Sefton Review on the Social and Economic conditions in the Murray Darling Basin, The Murray Darling Basin Authority's insights paper.
For examples of ways to maximise environmental water see our page Our Stories.
In 2016, NIC argued that there should be no further high impact ‘’acquisition” of surface water entitlement across the Northern Basin by the Australian Government to meet the water recovery targets set by the Basin Plan.
The Murray Darling Basin Plan was amended to reduced water recovery in the Northern Basin by 70GL.
For more information see our page Implementation of the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
In September 2014, a group of Australia’s peak agriculture organisations met to work in partnership to advocate for action to reform Australia’s energy sector, with a key focus on electricity prices and the unsustainable high cost of the network charges passed on to consumers, imposing a highly distorting effect on the energy market in regional Australia. The Ag Energy Taskforce was formed and continues today.
NIC highlighted to the Federal Water Minister the importance of irrigation industry representatives to be included on the Government advisory panel appointed to oversee the 2021 ACCC report on water markets.
NIC continues to engaged with the agencies responsible for implementing water market reforms.
For more information see our page Water Market Reform.
The National Irrigators’ Council is the voice of irrigated agriculture across Australia.
Billion dollar industry
Council members
Policy and position statements
Megalitres of water entitlement within our membership
Find out more about our community, and join our mission advocating for the Australian irrigated
agriculture industry.