NATIONAL IRRIGATORS’ COUNCIL
Advocating for the Australian irrigated agriculture industry
The Murray Darling Basin Plan became Commonwealth legislation in 2012. It was enabled under the Water Act 2007. The plan outlines the management of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin, including water allocation, environmental water management, and water quality standards.
The Murray Darling Basin Plan has been amended twice since becoming law:
The National Irrigators Council is committed to finalising the Murray Darling Basin Plan without unnecessarily burdening our industries and communities. The remaining elements of the Murray Darling Basin Plan are shared responsibility of the Australian Government with Basin jurisdictions. We endeavour to monitor their progress to keep them accountable to their promises to achieve the Murray Darling Basin Plan and its outcomes while not leaving any community behind.
Water recovery towards the Murray Darling Basin Plan Sustainable Diversion Limits and compliance with those limits, is monitored by the Murray Darling Basin Authority.
As reported in the August Sustainable Diversion Limit Water Take Report the Basin Plan Sustainable Diversion Limits are being achieved
with all water resource plan units compliant.
The progress to-date means that 1 in 3 litres of water for agriculture is now held by environmental water holders. This is a total reduction in water availability meaning 72% of average river flows are for the environment and 28% to water users.
KEY MESSAGES
DCCEEW today released the Exposure Draft of the Water Markets Intermediaries Code (the Code) and an Overview of the draft are now available for consultation. On this page you will be able to submit your feedback on the Exposure Draft. The consultation will be open until 11.59pm on Sunday 6 April 2025. The Exposure Draft incorporates feedback from the Policy Position Paper consultation in November-December 2024.
DCCEEW today released their Final policy position paper on the water market intermediaries trust accounting and code exemptions, the final
position to inform the future exposure regulations.
We will review this with interest given the concerns raised regarding the likely impacts and expectations on some intermediaries.
Irrigators call out Minister Plibersek’s decision to sign off on purchasing another 100 GL of water in the southern Basin with questionable
procurement processes and deliberately narrow evidence to support the decision.
“The advice before the Minister to inform the decision is flawed,” said Zara Lowien, CEO of National Irrigators’ Council. [...]
The release of the Auditor General’s report of the Federal Government’s water buybacks finds the Government implemented a well-paved road
of effective process but struggled to find the link between the buyback program and the intended policy objectives for the Murray Darling
Basin Plan.
“Many will glance at the key findings of effective process and give the Government a pat on the back, but the devil is in the detail when
the report goes on to question the link between the buyback program and the intended policy objectives for the environment” said National
Irrigators’ Council CEO, Ms Lowien [...]
Minister Plibersek tabled the Australia Audit Office's review of the 2023 Strategic Purchases for Bridging the Gap, which you may recall the Inspector General recently found flaws in governance and managing conflicts.
The report identified steps were taken to address earlier deficiencies and that processes stacked up. What was interesting to read in
the detail were questions and recommendations about the purpose of these purchases towards the overall policy outcomes, which you will hear
more from NIC about this area
NIC today lodged their submission to DCCEEW on the Water Market reform - Intermediaries Code and Statutory Trust Account Policy Position paper with an overarching concern that the regulatory burden of this reform, particularly given its scale and pace. We are also concerned that the reform is going too far, and is becoming disproportionate to the problem at hand, and the size and extent of water markets. While market integrity, transparency and good governance are important – there is enormous risk of not striking the right balance for a proportionate policy response […]
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agriculture industry.