Getting the Murray–Darling Basin Plan back on track according to the Productivity Commission

Improved accountability would boost progress on the Murray–Darling Basin Plan, according to the Productivity Commission. The interim report of the 2023 Murray–Darling Basin Plan implementation review finds the Australian Government’s recently proposed extension of the Basin Plan timeframes is necessary but won’t be enough. “In the five years since the last Commission review, very little progress has […]

ACCC set to restore trust and confidence in Murray-Darling Basin water markets

The ACCC says it welcomes the Australian Government’s plan to legislate new functions for the ACCC as the water market conduct regulator in the Murray-Darling Basin. This week, the Government released the Water market reform: final roadmap report and announced its intention to implement all of the recommendations. The ‘roadmap’ built on the findings and […]

Farmers welcome certainty on the future of paradise dam

The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) has welcomed an announcement by the state government that it will reinstate Paradise Dam to its original height and capacity providing water security for irrigators in the Bundaberg region. The announcement follows a commitment to inform local irrigators of the government’s position prior to end of the year. QFF CEO […]

Irrigators turned to water allocation markets to cope with 2019-20 drought

Irrigators in the Murray–Darling Basin faced a challenging year in 2019-20 due to water scarcity and low allocations following persistent drought up until late 2019, the ACCC’s eleventh annual Water Monitoring Report shows. The ACCC monitors regulated charges and compliance with the water rules by infrastructure operators and Basin state governments. The report relies on information being […]

Water Research will open up the Top End for more farm production

A project to bolster water sustainability in northern Australia is about to start, gathering the insights Northern Territory producers need for greater crop yields while reducing water usage.  The three-year Water Productivity Trial will be led by the NT Farmers Association, with a $250,000 contribution from the Australian Government-funded Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA). It will use […]

Critical funding is expected to strengthen Burdekin water surety

Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia and Federal Member for Dawson have inspected the site of the Warrens Gully System, where $4.76 million in federal funding is supporting $9.5 million in crucial water infrastructure upgrades. Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud said the Warrens Gully System is among 40 water infrastructure projects nationwide […]