GWYDIR VALLEY IRRIGATORS ASSOCIATION

Events

The NSW Department have acknowledged that the current clause 57 currently doe While the intent of the rule hasn’t changed since 2004, we acknowledge that the rule as written hasn’t been implemented by WaterNSW since the 2022 amendment, and further it appears that the current clause wouldn’t operate as intended. They have amended the Access Licence Dealing Principles Order such that it effectively puts the restrictions to temporary trade under clause 57 (1) on hold until the end of May 2026. This is intended to provide further time to examine and address this problem. The intention is to revisit the rule in the plan to find a longer term resolution in 2026.

 The amendment order is available here:

https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/pdf/asmade/sl-2025-703

The NSW Government has announced two  funding opportunities
1. Agriculture Industries Innovation and Growth Program
This program supports projects that enhance productivity, sustainability, and innovation across agricultural industries.
Learn more and apply here: Agriculture Industries Innovation and Growth Program | NSW Government
2. Aquaculture Industry Development Program
Designed to accelerate growth and innovation in aquaculture, this program provides funding for initiatives that strengthen industry capability and sustainability.
Full details and guidelines: Aquaculture Industry Development Program Guidelines | NSW Government

There is no allocation increment to general security (GS) licences in the Gwydir Regulated River Water Source this time. The GS account balance is about 619 gigalitres (GL), or an average 121% of entitlement.
The environmental water allowance (EWA) balance is about 88 GL, or an average of 195% of entitlement.
As of 30 November 2025, Copeton Dam received an estimated 9 GL of inflow, with downstream tributaries contributing a further 4 GL. 
During November, total essential supply demand was about 3.4 GL, and GS usage was approximately 5 GL. Around 1 GL of EWA delivered during this period.

MOREE Plains Shire Council is seeking community feedback on a proposal to adjust the Moree to Sydney flight schedule.
The proposal is to remove the Saturday service, and put on an evening service on Tuesday. There is no proposal to change the existing time of the Tuesday morning flights which get to Sydney between 11:30 and 12:00. 
The proposed schedule is available here 

Temporarty Trade of General Security Entitlements

We have recently determined that there are some components of the Gwydir WSP that are restricting temporary trade of General Security entitlements. Specific advice can only be determined via an application to WaterNSW. In general the assessments will entail the following: 

The rule 57 (1) of the Water Sharing Plan for the Gwydir Regulated River Water Source 2016 states that a temporary trade is prohibited if it increases total allocation in the segments specified in table A of rule 55.  Increase in allocation means buying water into those segments in Table A. 
That means, for temporary trade rule 57 (1) 

  • WaterNSW first look at where are the linked works of the buyer's access licence. If at least one linked work is in those segments specified in Table A, then rule 57 (1) is applied. 
  • If none of the buyer's linked works are in any of those segments (table A), then WaterNSW proceed with the rest of the assessment, because there is no risk of total allocation increase in any of the segments from Table A. 
  • If WaterNSW needs to apply 57(1) rule, they also look at the seller's licence linked works to see where the water could come from (other segments, same segment, mix), unfortunately there is no mechanism for WaterNSW to check where the seller is transferring the water from, if the seller licence has multiple works in different segments.


Applying the rule 57(1) means calculating the total allocations of the buyer's segment from Table A and adding the proposed trade amount. If the calculated amount is below the permitted allocation amount in Column 2 of the Table A, they move on to the rest of the 
assessment, however if the calculated amount is higher, then the transfer will be refused. 

Farmers in the Basin are calling on the Federal Government to escalate water security for agriculture as a priority, following the findings of the Basin Outlook, published today which echoed findings from the National Climate Risk Assessment. 
“All climate change scenarios will have significant risks on water security for Australian agriculture,” said NIC CEO, Zara Lowien “farmers are adapting every day to changing climate, but can only adapt so far, water security is critical”. 
“The Outlook modelling scenarios found the Basin will be both wetter and drier, with more extreme conditions with varying impacts and level of uncertainty around the Basin.” 
“It is absolutely important that we consider climate change as part of the Basin Plan Review, but this needs to be fit for purpose, recognising the uncertainty, and extremes to both wet and dry.” 
“We are concerned the document has over-generalised headlines, but when you look at the detail, there are a lot of unknowns and uncertainty,” said Ms Lowien. “That’s not to dismiss the work, rather that when Government responds to it, they need to consider its limitations which are very evident in the report.”
NIC Media release available here

The Member for Cootamundra/ Shadow Minister for Water Steph Cooke and local member Brendan Moylan spent many months putting together approximately 40 amendments to the Bill to make it fairer for irrigators and water users across NSW. 
Together they ran and argued 39 amendments in the Lower House where they were voted down by the Minns Labor Government and the Greens.

Our local representative worked very hard on this and are very disappointed by this result. The Link to the Hansard is below; 
 Water Management Legislation Amendment (Stronger Enforcement and Penalties) Bill 2025 
Legislative Assembly Hansard - 12 November 2025 - Proof 
Legislative Assembly Hansard - 12 November 2025 - Proof

Steph Cooke 
Legislative Assembly Hansard - 12 November 2025 - Proof 
Legislative Assembly Hansard - 12 November 2025 - Proof

Please see dropbox link which will take you to the videos of the contributions: 

NSW DCCEEW are hosting a series of metering webinars:   Register Here
9.30–10.30 am, Wednesday 26 November
Focus topic: Metering exemptions and works classifications
1.30–2.30 pm, Thursday 27 November
Focus topic: Duly qualified person (DQP) installations for 100 ML+ entitlements
5.30–6.30 pm, Thursday 4 December
Focus topic: Self installations for 15 ML – under 100 ML entitlements

  • All works with total entitlement of more than 15 ML and less than 100 ML must have a pattern-approved meter installed by 1 December 2027 or their next works approval renewal date (whichever is the later) 
  • Works with total entitlement of less than 15 ML do not require a meter unless they are utilized for trading entitlement.
  • Surface water pumps of 500 mm diameter or more, and works in inland water sources with total entitlement of 100 ML or more must already have an AS4747 meter, LID, and telemetry, installed and validated by a duly qualified person (DQP) 

"More water rights in the Murray-Darling Basin will be purchased from farmers and irrigators in a renewed push by the federal government to return 450 gigalitres of water to the environment.".....
"He also flagged that the government is closely considering purchasing water from the northern part of the basin for the first time.
"Recent advice from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority highlights the potential benefits of pursuing water recovery in the northern basin to contribute towards the 450 gigalitre target.
"While this is not an adopted policy of our government right now, I will work closely with my department in considering this advice.""

There is no allocation increment to general security (GS) licences in the Gwydir Regulated River Water Source at the end of October 2025.
The GS account balance is about 623 gigalitres (GL), or an average 122% of entitlement.
Environmental water allowance (EWA) remains the same as it has reached its maximum limit by 200%.
As of 31 October 2025, Copeton Dam received an estimated 8 GL of inflow, with downstream tributaries contributing a further 2 GL. These inflows were insufficient to support an increase in GS water allocations. The current resource assessment is based on system conditions observed up to 31 October 2025.

The New England North West AI Forum, in association with Telstra, and supported by Moree Business Chamber, is a must-attend event for regional businesses ready to harness the power of artificial intelligence. Hear from leading voices from across the region and beyond as they share their expertise and answer your questions. 
Unlocking AI: Tools, Tactics and Transformation 
Date: Wednesday, 19 November 2025 
Time: 10:45 AM to 2:00 PM (includes networking lunch) 
Venue: Social Co House, 157 Balo Street, Moree NSW 
Tickets: Register Here 

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