Opening Water Allocations Webinar
Please find included the DCCEEW webinar held on 16 July 2025. Dr Shahadat Chowdhury, manager of Water Allocations, discussed the opening water allocations for the 2025/26 year.
GWYDIR VALLEY IRRIGATORS ASSOCIATION
GWYDIR VALLEY IRRIGATORS ASSOCIATION
Please find included the DCCEEW webinar held on 16 July 2025. Dr Shahadat Chowdhury, manager of Water Allocations, discussed the opening water allocations for the 2025/26 year.
Last week the MDBA released the 2025
Basin Plan Evaluation and the 2025 Sustainable
Rivers Audit.
These are encouraging as it shows progress has been made, but there are still concerns which we are reviewing in partnership with National
Irrigators Council.
The findings and key insights from this Evaluation will be considered alongside other key lines of evidence as part of the 2026 Basin Plan
Review. The Review is an opportunity for the MDBA to consider the evidence, listen to Basin communities and recommend changes to the Basin
Plan.
NSWIC latest media release states that "IPART has added to the cost squeeze on NSW farmers with its final determination today to
increase rural water bills by up to 8.3% in most valleys for 2025-26."
"NSW Irrigators’ Council CEO Claire Miller said it was disappointing that IPART had shifted from the affordable 1.9% plus CPI price rise proposed in its information paper last month."
“The determination underlines the need for the NSW Government to urgently reform the flawed pricing model and corporate structure driving unaffordable hikes in rural water bills over the last 10 years.”
For the full story follow the link.
IPART has decided to issue a 1-year determination commencing on 1 July 2025 and ending 30 June 2026, or when replaced
From 1 July, prices will increase by 5.8% plus inflation of 2.4% for bulk water customers. MDBA charges will increase by 0.6% plus
inflation of 2.4% and BRC charges will increase by 1.1% plus inflation of 2.4%. All other prices will increase by inflation only.
At this stage, the Tribunal is not convinced that all the increased costs proposed by WaterNSW are sufficiently justified as necessary or
efficient, or that they should all be passed on the customers. The short determination will allow more work to be done on the broader
challenges identified through this price review.
The GVIA requested a full performance review and analysis of the business structure.
The AgriEmpower Scholarship Program is an investment in the future of our next generation of changemarkers,
dedicated to helping young people enhance their capabilities and unlock new opportunities for growth.
The program offers financial support, resources, and access to National Farmers’ Federation and Woolworths networks, and a community of
like-minded individuals, all with the goal of driving long-term success in the agriculture sector.
As part of the $400,000 program, 20 scholarships of $20,000 each will be awarded.
The AgriEmpower Scholarship Program runs for 18 months allowing individuals an opportunity to deep dive into developing themselves and with
the support of NFF & Woolworths.
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This month's NSW-DQ webinar focused on "Are You Measurement Ready". A recording is available
here
and responses to questions taken on notice will be available
here in the next fortnight. Some key take aways:
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As we will now have a federal election on the 3rd of May 2025, I encourage you to have conversations with people from all different parts of the community to ensure they understand what is important to safegard the Australian irrigation industry. The following links will show you
what the peak industry organisations have as their election policy positions. There are also a number of useful facts about irrigation which
you may be able to utilise in your discussions.
National
Irrigators Council
NSW
Irrigation Council
National
Farmers Federation
The department sought public feedback in late 2023 on proposed changes to distance restrictions for new or amended bores from other bores or
property boundaries in the Water Sharing Plan for the NSW Great Artesian Basin Groundwater Sources 2020 (the plan).
At this time, feedback from stakeholders indicated that the community needed further information on the proposed changes. To address the
community's questions, we released a Status
Update Document
on 17 February 2025, outlining what’s changing and why. Public feedback on this document and the proposed changes is welcome until 6 April 2025.
The NSW legislative assembly are conducting an inquiry into the Impacts of the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Act 2023 on NSW regional communities. The chair is Roy Butler and has been designed to consider the following:
a) the social, economic and environmental impact of repealing limits to the cap on Commonwealth water purchases
b) the risks to the effective implementation of the Federal Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Act 2023 including unlicensed take of
water and options to address these risks such as rules for floodplain harvesting
c) the impact of Planned Environmental Water rules on the reliability of water allocations in NSW and the Commonwealth's environmental water
holdings
d) the impact of rules-based changes on the reliability of water allocations in NSW, including their impact on different water license
categories
e) the effectiveness and impacts of past water reforms, including community-based water reduction adjustment programs such as the
Strengthening Basin Communities program and Murray-Darling Basin Economic Development Program
f) options to improve future community-based reduction adjustment programs including next rounds of the Sustainable Communities Program
g) any other related matter.
Submissions are Due 14th April 2025.
Today the NSW Government released media
associated with wetlands in the NSW unregulated WSP. There has been significant changes to the proposals, a direct result of the feedback
from each of you. We thank the NSW water Minister and her department for responding to the feedback they received.
There are still however newly prescribed wetlands in the Gwydir. Landholders who still have sites on their land, which they do not support as wetlands have until the 23rd March to provide feedback to the department, as the plan is still subject to change through
the public consultation period.
In addition we will be reinforcing the need for any landholder impacted by these new and all existing wetlands to be directly consulted by
the department. Gazetting a wetland without appropriate consultation is not acceptable.
The updates on the
department website
include mapped wetland areas limited to internationally significant Ramsar listed wetlands, those registered in the Directory of Important
Wetlands of Australia, any wetlands already receiving protection in the current water sharing plans and wetlands identified as ecologically
and/or culturally significant in previously exhibited floodplain management plans.
People can also attend a webinar
from 12.30-1.30pm on Wednesday 12 March 2025 to learn more.