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News |

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.

News |

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. ​

News |

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.

Events |

Save the Date
Thursday 24th July 2025, we will be celebrating 30 years of the GVIA. 
More details to follow shortly. 

Submissions |

The link is to the submission by the GVIA to the NSW Parliament’s Legislative Assembly Committee on Investment, Industry and Regional Development
To the inquiry into the Impacts of the Water Amendment Act 2023 on NSW regional communities.

Within the GVIA submission we raise issues associated with 
* Government Performance
* Impacts of Rules-based changes
* The Risk Assignment Framework
* Floodplain Harvesting regulations and
Other Water related matters such as 
* Over-recovered water
* Water Resources Plans
* Wetlands
* NRAR and
* the NRC. 

Member Updates |

The NSW Irrigators Council April newsletter is now available. The Top issues discussed include.

  1. Parliamentary Inquiry: Restoring Our Rivers
  2. Revised wetland mapping in water sharing plans
  3. IPART draft report on rural bulk water pricing
  4. Sustainable Diversion Limits Adjustment Mechanism update
  5. Non- Urban Metering


News |

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:
  • All water users should check their licence and approvals to ensure the details are correct, and ensure they are following their conditions.
  • Water users subject to the mandatory metering condition but eligible for exemption should use the online metering guidance tool and take a record of what exemption they believe they can claim.
  • Metering requirements apply to Unregulated users as well as Regulated.

Floodplain Harvesting |

To take FPH entitlement in the Gwydir you must have Primary storage meters installed and validated by a DQP on all the storages in your works approval. 

Users looking to find out the storage levels on the DAS before starting an FPH event, and then at the end of an FPH event may find this video useful.

The primary storage meters record on approximately 15 minute intervals, but only upload onto the DAS once a day, so ensure you monitor your FPH take using a secondary storage meter or gauge boards. 

To log onto the DAS you will need a username and password.
You should have received an email with this information on it. To find this email search WaterNSW+DAS, it may have landed in the junk folder. 

This link provides useful tools for water users

Member Updates |

NSW Irrigators Council newsletter March 2025. Topics include

  1. Federal election and Budget
  2. NSWIC March General Meeting
  3. Expanding NRAR's enforcement powers
  4. Water sharing plans and wetland mapping saga
  5. Murray-Darling Basin Plan updates

Floodplain Harvesting |

As we have seen rain in the recent week, it is possible that there may be opportunity for FPH where you have all the storages in your works approval fitted with a primary storage meter certified by your DQP.
Entitlement holders with a point of intake meter completed and approved by your DQP will also be able to access FPH entitlement. 
This is the link to the WaterNSW Gwydir FPH fact sheet. 
This is the link to the department Gwydir FPH and licensing page. 

News |

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

Member Updates |

Following the review of the Non-Urban metering framework there are some changes that are of importance for smaller users. 
A summary of the changes to the rules around non-urban metering are available here. There is also information to step you through how to ensure you are compliant. 
Some points to note:
* Smaller water users across NSW with works nominated by total entitlements of >15 ML and <100 ML, (unless otherwise exempt) have until 1 December 2027 to comply or by the work approval renewal, whichever is later.
* Water users with entitlements of 15 ML or less are not required to install a meter unless trading water allocations. However, recording and reporting water usage remains mandatory.

The government have updated the metering guidance tool, so you can check if you need a meter or telemetry.

News |

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.

Submissions |

The GVIA have completed a thrid submission on the update Gwydir unregulated WSP in this submission we make the following recommendations. 

1. We request that any wetland identification not be included as a component of any Water Sharing Plan (WSP) regulated or unregulated now or at any time into the future as it adds no benefit to the public given that any changes to water access in WSP is already accounted for.

2. We request clarity on the financial, legal and production implications of gazetting wetland sites as members have major concerns as to how rules may be interpreted or adjusted in the future.

3. Although we do not support the creation of wetlands on private land, we request that the Department consult with all landholders directly and that ground truthing of any wetland include all sites gazetted in all earlier versions of the Gwydir Unregulated and Regulated Water Sharing Plans.

4. Although we do not support the creation of wetlands on private land, if the Department wishes to identify any new wetlands as a standalone process, unrelated to any Water Sharing Plan, the process must include individual consultation will all landholders likely to be impacted by the identification of a wetland, this includes all neighbouring landholders.

5. We request that following ground truthing and consultation with landholders, to confirm the existence of a wetland, if the Department continues to include them unnecessarily in Water Sharing Plans, then they should be included as a detailed list as in Schedule 4 and Schedule 5 of the Water Sharing Plan for the Gwydir Unregulated River Water Sources 2012 and be supported by the interactive map. We cannot accept a map alone as we have no confidence it will be tamper proof.

Events |

Please find included information on a film being screened at the Town and Country Club, 5 Frome St Moree on Friday the 4th of April. 
The film writer Leila McDougall will be a special guest at the event. 
This screening is proudly sponsored by mcGregor Gourlay Agricultural Services, AFF, NSW Farmers and CWA Moree
The event beguins at 6pm and there is no charge. 

News |

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. 

News |

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.

News |

The Basin Plan 2012 was made under Part 2 of the Water Act 2007 (Cth) (the Water Act) to guide the management and sharing of water in the Basin in a more sustainable way. There have been hugh changes to water management as a result. 
Summary of findings:
Four NSW Water resource plans remain to be accredited - the Gwydir is one of them. 
All 54 SDL resource units within non-accredited WRP did not exceed compliance triggers in 2022-23
As of June 2024 there had been 2,131.7GL/yr Surface water recovered, only 22GL remained at that stage. 35.25GL/yr of groundwater had been recovered with only 3.2GL remaining.
This year we expect to see the Sustainable Rivers Audit and the Basin Plan evaluation, these together with the Outlook for the Basin, Sustainable Yields and Discussion Paper will be utilised as an evidence base for the 2026 Basin Plan Review.

Member Updates |

Key topics of Interest
 - Presentation of successes of Basin Plan to Legal-wise water symposium
 - National Water Agreement NSW Workshops
 - NSW telemetry review
 - Inquiry to Water amendment bill 2023 impacts on regional communities
 - NSW minimum inflow project

News |

Irrigators question recent efforts by Minister Plibersek to consider socio-economic impacts of buybacks

25 February 2025, Canberra, ACT – 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 additional 170 GL of water (from a 2024 round and this new one), will cause a significant increase in water allocation price of around 7.2% in the southern Murray Darling, and impact some industries particularly hard, such as rice, with an estimated 6.48% drop in water use.”

“The narrow assessment only looked at buying back 170 GL/y of water and apportioned $84 million annual production losses, ignoring that more than 2,100 GL/y is now recovered with an estimated annual farm-gate production loss between $602 million - $914 million.”

“Can the Minister really say she has considered socio-economic impacts, if the impact assessment is designed to not capture the full impacts?” said Ms Lowien.

“Worse still, the evidence highlighted the range of government programs aimed at mitigating the known socio-economic impacts but failed to mention the minimal progress of these other strategies”.

“Updates show there are no ‘new’ efficiency alternatives contracted, no land and water partnerships, and only NSW has signed up to their flagship program: Sustaining Basin Communities.”

News |

In a clearly political move to win city votes at the expense of regional Australia, the Commonwealth has today kicked off a second buyback tender in the southern Murray-Darling Basin in 2024-25. NSW Irrigators’ Council CEO Claire Miller said with an election due any moment, “today’s announcement is clearly intended to try to win city votes while throwing regional communities, farmers and even the environment under the bus. “Today we learn the Government is full steam ahead to buy up to another 100 billion litres in 2025, on top of the 70 billion litres from its first tender opened last year. “The minister claims she considers social and economic impacts before approving buybacks. Considers maybe, but clearly ignores when ABARES says past and planned water recovery wipes $602 million – $914 million every year from what the farmgate value of irrigated agriculture would otherwise be.
“The one-off $300 million assistance package will not even touch the sides of what irrigation-dependent communities need when the Government is stripping hundreds of millions of dollars in income from their economies every year.
“We also know that while more than 3000 GL recovered to date is delivering important, localised environmental benefits, more water will not deliver the Basin-wide step change needed to reverse declining native fish and static waterbird populations, and improve water quality.

News |

19 February 2025, Canberra, ACT – 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.

“It found that the buyback program, designed to bridge the gap between current diversions and the Basin Plan’s Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDLs), was a well-paved road but questions, to where?”, said Ms Lowien.

“Achieving Sustainable Diversion Limits in the Basin was the centrepiece of the Basin Plan, but achieving the broader environmental objectives requires going beyond just adding water,”

“Government reporting indicates that SDLs are enforced and being achieved– so it’s fair to ask the question, as the Auditor General infers, why is the Government buying more water and not investing in other solutions?” said Ms Lowien.

News |

Media snippets (not endorsements):

  • Water allocations face potential shake-up with climate review under way [HERE]
  • Minister Plibersek concedes that the accreditation of water resource plan is unlawful [HERE]
  • These Traditional Owners are demanding that First Nations voices are heard on water [HERE]
  • Buybacks inquiry launched [HERE]
  • Landholders want to see changes to water basin plan [HERE]
  • Farmers fear forced flood easements [HERE]
  • MDBA plans for year ahead [HERE]
  • Research confirms environmental water supports “nerve system” of Narran Lakes (Dharriwaa) [HERE]

News |

Proposals by Water NSW and WAMC would result in water prices to increase by 170% within five years. “Here in the Gwydir valley, we grow pecans, oranges for fruit juice, as well as cotton, all of which is at risk due to these exorbitant proposed price hikes,” Mr Cush said.

“But this is not just about farmers – households in Moree and other towns will also be hit through council water utilities, as well as other water licence holders like local golf clubs, rugby and cricket grounds and children’s parks.”

News |

The Telemetry Uplift Program aims to assist eligible water users in the Murray-Darling Basin with compliance to the metering rules, to ensure water taken from inland regional water sources is extracted fairly, equitably and according to the rules. 
By opting in to the program, eligible water users will be offered free telemetry devices, including a local intelligence device (LID) and data logger. 
The $10.5 million Australian Government funded program will benefit over 2,500 eligible water users.

Register your interest by 31 March 2025 to receive further information and make sure you don’t miss out.

Submissions |

The GVIA recently lodged our submission into wetlands being prescribed into WSP. We made five recommendations: 


1. We request that any wetland identification not be included as a component of any Water Sharing Plan regulated or unregulated now or at any time into the future.

2. We request clarity on the financial, legal and production implications of gazetting new or existing wetlands.

3. Although we do not support the creation of wetlands on private land, if the government wishes to identify any new wetlands as a standalone process, unrelated to any Water Sharing Plan, the process must include individual consultation will all landholders likely to be impacted by the identification of a wetland, this includes all neighbouring landholders.

4. We request that the Department consult with all landholders directly and that ground truthing of wetlands include all sites gazetted in all earlier versions of the Gwydir Unregulated Water Sharing Plan.

5. We request that following ground truthing and consultation with landholders, the confirmed wetlands, if the Department continues to include them in Water Sharing Plans, then they should be included as a detailed list as in Schedule 4 and Schedule 5 of the Water Sharing Plan for the Gwydir Unregulated River Water Sources 2012 and be supported by the interactive map.

News |

The NSW Government is calling for expressions of interest to participate in the Australian Government’s next round of National Water Grid funding applications, likely in June 2025.
The National Water Grid initiative makes funding available for priority water infrastructure projects to improve the reliability and security of water for Australia’s regional and remote towns, agriculture and primary industry sectors.
Expressions of interest for the next funding round must be submitted no later than 11:00 pm (AEDT) on Thursday 27 February 2025, to allow sufficient time to prepare proposals and for the Water Group to have further discussions with proponents.

News |

The pricing proposals put to IPART for review by Water NSW and Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (WAMC) in November 2024 are we believe excessive. The GVIA have made submissions on both proposals and have had a one on one meeting with the IPART WAMC and WaterNSW regional and rural water price review teams to discuss our concerns. The team at NSWIC have also prepared a submission and held a meeting with IPART. 
Submissions to the IPART Issues paper are available here 

News |

Please find included a link to the January newsletter from the NSWIC. 

  1. Federal election 
  2. Basin Plan is working
  3. Proposed wetlands in inland WSPs
  4. National Water Agreement
  5. Review of rural water pricing 

News |

Meeting with Qld Water Minister Ann Leahy



Cotton Australia, National Irrigators' Council and Border Rivers Food and Fibre, met with the Hon Ann Leahy, QLD Minister for Local Government and Water, to discuss the proposed National Water Agreement (NWA) and provide insights into matters of concern.

Cotton Australia General Manager Michael Murray acknowledged that the current public draft of the agreement was much improved on previous versions released throughout last year, but there were still matters of significant concern and an overriding question as to what benefit signing the agreement would bring to a state like Queensland.

“Given the states are being asked to sign this agreement, but no money has been put on the table, it is hard to see why a state would voluntarily limit some of its decision-making capacity and commit significant resources to developing implementation plans, even if the proposed NWA was a good document that could be supported by stakeholders,” Mr Murray said.

Key areas of concern include:
  • The inclusion of the statement giving Indigenous Australians a concept of “Free, Prior and Informed Consent,” but no clarity on what this actually means within the context of water management, despite the glossary section assuring that it does not mean a right of veto.
  • The retention of the Risk Assignment framework (currently in the National Water Initiative) that allows, under some circumstances, the recovery of water from entitlement holders without compensation, where industry holds that if water recovery is required, it should be through market-based mechanisms.
  • A lack of recognition of the importance of irrigated agriculture in the draft.
  • Inclusion of a clause encouraging jurisdictions to move towards “Upper Bound” pricing, fortunately something Queensland rejects.


Cotton Australia will continue to work with the National Irrigators' Council, National Farmers Federation, Queensland Farmers Federation, and NSW Irrigators' Council to provide feedback to the federal and state governments on how this draft agreement can be improved.

Events |

NSW online workshop invitation
The NSW Government invites NSW stakeholders who have participated in the Australian Government’s consultations on a new national water agreement to join one of three online workshops to discuss the updated draft agreement.
The NSW-hosted workshops are an opportunity to:
  • discuss how feedback from NSW stakeholders has been incorporated into the updated draft agreement published by the Australian Government in December 2024
  • share any outstanding concerns ahead of the National Water Committee meeting in early February 2025.
To register for a workshop, please select one of the links below:

Monday 3 February, 10:00am to 12:00pm
Monday 3 February, 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Tuesday 4 February, 10:00am to 12:00pm

Submissions |

Public exhibition of the draft water sharing plan for the Gwydir Unregulated River Water Sources 2025 commenced on 4 November 2024, with submissions due 10th January 2025. 

Issues identified in the GVIA submission included.

  •         procedural process and appropriateness of proposals from both the Department and the NRC. 
  •         NRC recommended protection of “significant wetlands” 37 were already listed in existing plan. Lack of quality control in mapping exercise, poor data utilised to inform mapping, remote sensing not ground truthed. Lack of consultation or notification. 
  •         Requested data used to inform changes to BLR
  •         Support in principle numeric LTAAEEL but question ability to confidently develop it by 31st Dec 2026 given data gaps and ongoing failure of NSW Water Register.
  •         Reject NRC recommendation for limitations for carry over and conservative AWD’s and support the Department response.
  •         Asked for clarity on unregulated FPH subdivision in zone A or D
  •         Noted changes to Access 
  •         Rejected references to the Connectivity Panel Report.
  •         Highlighted property rights and for the need to purchase additional water if required or for any reduction to be fully compensated, including for any Specific purpose access licences.

Submissions |

At the end of 2024 IPART initiated their review of prices for WAMC and Water NSW. IPART sets the maximum prices that the Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (WAMC) and WaterNSW can charge their customers for water services. The maximum prices being set in these reviews apply from 1 July 2025. 
There are multiple demands for water in rural areas, including from agriculture, towns, industrial, and environmental licence holders. In NSW there is a complex system which delivers water to these diverse users.
• All customers (holding around 40,000 water access licences) pay charges to WAMC to cover costs of water planning, licencing and compliance activities across regulated rivers, unregulated rivers and groundwater systems.
• Around one-third of customers (holding around 13,000 water access licences) also pay charges to WaterNSW to cover costs of storing and delivering water in regulated rivers.
• WAMC’s and WaterNSW’s prices include components covering NSW’s contributions to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) and the Dumaresq-Barwon Border Rivers Commission (BRC).
IPART has released an Issues Paper covering both the WAMC and WaterNSW pricing proposals and presenting how the proposed price increases would impact customer bills. The information paper provides pricing information.
Here are the links to the GVIA Submissions for WAMC and WaterNSW

Member Updates |

The deadline for submissions on the 327 newly prescribed wetlands or possibly other sites listed as wetlands is Sunday 2nd February 2025.
We encourage anyone who does not agree with the identification of these wetlands located either on their property or downstream of their property, to put in a submission.
We have developed a template to guide you submission.
To get the Object ID and the Lot/DP for the sites enlarge the interactive map and click on the site in question. 
Submissions can be Emailed to: wspconsultation@dpie.nsw.gov.au
Could you please send a copy of your submission to us at gvia@gvia.org.au and we will include this in the GVIA submission.
If you would like to discuss this in person please give Lou a call on 02 6752 1399 or email her to arrange a time. The more submissions we have questioning the process and identification of these sites, the greater the chance we have of getting them removed. 
There is background information available on the department website if you would like more information. 

News |

Please find included the link to the NSWIC December newsletter. 
The GVIA work closely with the NSWIC to ensure we are able to advocate as strongly as possible for our members. This partnership will continue into 2025, and we thank our members for supporting the NSWIC through their levees. 
Issues covered in the newsletter include: Water pricing, the National Water Agreement, WSP and MDBA Constraints roadmap. 

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