Links to Documents, Applicications and other Downloads

(Documents can be accessed by clicking on the links)

Legislation and Plans

Centeral to irrigation management in the Gwydir Valley is the Water Act 1912 (for unregulated licences) and the Water Management Act 2000 for regulated and ground water licences. After clicking on link, you will then have to search the legislation under W for these two acts.

The two water sharing plans in operation are the Water Sharing Plan for the Lower Gwydir Groundwater Source 2003, and the Water Sharing Plan for the Gwydir Regulated River Water Source.

There is currently a draft water sharing plan for the NSW Great Artesian Basin.

With the creation of the National Plan for Water Security the Water Act 2007 was passed by Federal Parliament. It is expected that it will be subject to significant ammendment during 2008.

Reports

In late 2007 the Federal Government released the CSIRO study Water Availability in the Gwydir. This is one of a series of reports on 18 sub-catchments within the Murray-Darling Basin. This report will be considered by the Murray-Darling Basin as akey document when formulating its Basin Plan, as part of the National Plan for Water Security. GVIA has raised some serious concerns with the report, and does not endorse it.

A final summary report containing results from all 18 catchments was released in November 2008. Water Availability in the Murray Darling Basin - A Report from CSIRO to the Australian Government .

Financial Assistance

In 2007 the Federal government announced the availability of grants of up to $20,000 to assist irrigators within the Murray-Darling Basin. These Irrigation Managment Grants can be used to offset a whole range of irrigation expenses including fixed water charges. The criteria is relativley geneourous, and all irrigators large or small should consider applying. The major limitation is that the applicant cannot have off-farm assets with a net value in excess of $750,000 (however a number of assets including the family home, and superannuation are excluded from this calculation.

Irrigators may be eligble to receive drought assistance under the Exceptional Circumstances programme. The main form of assistance is an interest subsidy which can be considerable. People interested in seeking EC assistance are advised not to self-assess, but to lodge an application. It could be a good idea to consult with a rural counsellor or accountant prior to making the application. People whose applicantion was rejected one year should consider re-applying in subsequent years as circumsatnces and rules often change.