NATIONAL IRRIGATORS’ COUNCIL
Advocating for the Australian irrigated agriculture industry
The NIC General Meeting is rescheduled to be on 23 April 2026, replacing the planned trip to the SA Riverland. This regional visit will be scheduled next year.
A working draft of our proposed submission to the Independent Review of the Inspector General of Water Compliance, is available here. During
this weeks Policy Discussion, feedback was received but not yet fully incorporated. This is at the end of the submission and will be
incorporated next week.
Please review the working draft and provide any feedback to Christine by the end of next week, a further draft will then be circulated prior
to finalising for submission on 25 February 2026.
NIC team have prepared an updated briefing note for Members on the MDBA Discussion Paper and provided some guidance on key areas to question
from the MDBA during consultation roundtables next week.
Consideration of additional messages is underway, pending feedback following the consultation sessions.
The powerpoint slides from the 11 February NIC Member Policy Discussion on the Review of the Inspector General of Water Compliance role and the initial analysis of the Basin Plan Review Discussion paper are available here.
As part of Basin Plan Review communication and information sharing, our first of our weekly Q&A sessions were held today. These
session are held every Tuesday at 1pm. See attached the slides.
Question and themes asked, will be generated into the live issues list and discussed in Policy Sessions, as scheduled every second
Wednesday.
The MDBA has been working with River Murray governments to collate and prepare background information on the historical and current operation and management arrangements for Menindee Lakes and the associated challenges and opportunities in operating and managing the Menindee Lakes into the future. A technical review and issues paper have been released for information to inform the Basin Plan Review.
Legalwise is again holding their annual Water Law Symposium in Sydney.
As water law continues to evolve in response to environmental challenges, policy reform and heightened regulatory scrutiny, secure expert
guidance on key legal and strategic issues shaping Australia’s water governance framework. You will gain insights into the lessons of
the past decade in water reform, the intersection of Indigenous rights and governance, and the design of the Basin Plan Review.
A brief snapshot of the MDBA's Basin Plan Review discussion paper is available on the Members webpage.
A more detailed brief will be prepared for your information.
A first look at the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s Basin Plan Review discussion paper, reveals again that more is needed than “just adding water” to improve the environments of the Basin. “The discussion paper should serve as an important wake up call to the Federal Government who continue to use old tools, for today’s challenges”, said NIC CEO, Zara Lowien.[...]
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agriculture industry.