Statement Of Principles

The National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) objectives are to:

To protect or enhance water as a property right and to champion a vibrant sustainable irrigation industry.

The NIC is the voice of irrigators and believes in the following principles to guide future policy decisions:

• A healthy environment is paramount.
  • Sustainable communities and industries depend on it.
• Protect or enhance water property rights.
  • Characteristics of water entitlements should not be altered by ownership.
• No Negative third party impacts on reliability or availability.
  • Potential negative impacts must be compensated or mitigated through negotiation with affected parties.
• Irrigators must be fully and effectively engaged in the development of relevant policy.
• Irrigators expect an efficient, open, fair and transparent water market.
• Irrigators require a consistent national approach to water management subject to relevant geographical and hydrological characteristics.
• Irrigators expect Government policy to deliver triple bottom line outcomes.
• Regulatory and cost burdens of reform be minimised and apportioned equitably.