966 406 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/966/Submission.png file https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/966/20260513-NIC-Submission-PC-National-Water-Inquiry-FINAL.pdf 2026-05-11 01:10:00 965 406 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/965/Submission.png file https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/965/20260508-NIC-Submission-Menindee-Review.pdf 2026-05-08 01:05:00 949 416
NIC has requested a direct meeting with the inquiry team and we will let you know when.]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/949/News.png url https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries-and-research/water-reform-2026/ 2026-03-31 00:33:00 946 406 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/946/Submission.png file https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/946/20260225-NIC-Submission-IGWC-Review.pdf 2026-02-25 06:25:00 941 403 As water law continues to evolve in response to environmental challenges, policy reform and heightened regulatory scrutiny, secure expert guidance on key legal and strategic issues shaping Australia’s water governance framework. You will gain insights into the lessons of the past decade in water reform, the intersection of Indigenous rights and governance, and the design of the Basin Plan Review. ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/941/Legalwise.png url https://legalwiseseminars.com.au/seminar-details?event=31691629578 2026-02-09 05:34:00 912 416
DCCEEW are seeking feedback on the Exposure Drafts for the proposed Water Amendment (Water Markets Information) Regulations 2026 (Regulations) and the Water Market Data Standards.  These form the final pieces of the water market reform roadmap and are due for implementation in 2026.

Exposure drafts and a survey for feedback are provided on the webpage.]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/912/dcceew.jpg url https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/water-amendment-regulations2026-wmds 2025-10-14 13:00:00 905 405 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/905/Comment.png url https://issuu.com/irrigationaustralia/docs/spring_journal_2025 2025-09-09 14:00:00 904 417 Christine Freak and Zara Lowien examines the long and often reactive trajectory of water policy reform in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB)...[They] offer offer an original contribution to this challenge in the form of the Triple Crown of Water Reform Framework, which conceptualises reform as a three-pronged effort: water-sharing (Flows), watermanagement (Functions), and integrated resource initiatives (Further)."]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/904/Member-new-resource.png url https://www.farminstitute.org.au/product/vol-22-no-2-2025-breaking-the-hydro-illogical-cycle/ 2025-09-08 14:00:00 890 415 water property rights (watch from 45 minutes into Day 1). 

Let us know your favourite quotes!

One of our favourites (1hr 18mins in) - in response to a question on what a future Basin Plan should look like: "If the subsequent versions of the Basin Plan, can make water more and more like a normal commodity... just as if you own a piece of land... I think that the more you can make water rights look like normal property rights, the more effective the system will be. I come from a country where we can't even get to the starting line of that kind of thing."


]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/890/Member-new-resource.png url https://www.mdba.gov.au/news-and-events/conferences/2025-river-reflections-conference/live-stream-videos 2025-08-07 14:00:00 885 407
NIC Members agreed to a specific Position Statement on the reliability of water access entitlements to provide a clear message to Governments on how decisions impact water property rights, as represented and agreed in the National Water Initiative.

This position statement was prepared in conjunction with our guiding principles.

Approved 17 July 2025. ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/885/Policy-Position-icon.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/policy/position-statement/reliability-of-water-access-entitlements/ 2025-07-20 14:00:00 884 407
This position statement was prepared in conjunction with our Murray-Darling Basin Position Statement and our Positon Statement on reliability of water entitlements and our guiding principles. 

Approved 17 July 2025.]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/884/Policy-Position-icon.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/policy/position-statement/enabling-cultural-objectives-in-water-management/ 2025-07-20 14:00:00 861 406 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/861/Submission.png file https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/861/NIC-submission-letter-on-Draft-Regulations-Intermedaries-Code-April-2025_Redacted.pdf 2025-04-07 00:15:00 850 416 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/850/dcceew.jpg url https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/water-markets-intermediaries-code-exposure-draft-consultation 2025-03-07 06:28:00 849 416
We will review this with interest given the concerns raised regarding the likely impacts and expectations on some intermediaries. ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/849/dcceew.jpg url https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/trust-accounting-code-consultation-paper.pdf 2025-03-07 06:22:00 844 416 Department webpage.  Click the link to see the document. ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/844/dcceew.jpg url https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/water-markets-pre-trade-data-policy-paper.pdf 2025-02-28 07:00:00 820 406 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/820/Submission.png file https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/820/NIC-submission-letter-on-Intermedaries-Code-December-2024_Redacted.pdf 2024-12-16 00:36:00 808 406 Overall, NIC is increasingly concerned by the regulatory burden of this reform, and that it's going too far - disproportionate to the problem at hand, and the size and extent of water markets.

We are developing a strategic plan for how we approach this ongoing issue, which has a number of steps still to be implemented - stay tuned. ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/808/Submission.png file https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/808/NIC-Submission-Water-Market-Reforms-Decisions-and-Pre-trade-Nov-2024.pdf 2024-11-29 04:02:00 799 416 Department’s website.]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/799/dcceew.jpg url https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/implementing-wmr-roadmap-2-years-on.pdf 2024-11-14 01:28:00 795 411 Federal Senate Estimates for the Environment and Communications portfolio held their hearings on matters relating to the Murray Darling Basin Plan, water market reforms and the National Water Agreement renewal. The hearings are available via the Australian Parliament YouTube channel. 

Some key outcomes from today's discussion confirmed that an updated version of the National Water Agreement is due "soon" and that many of the stakeholder concerns, including those from the Productivity Commission were being addressed.  The Department indicated a living entity is not a legal entity and that there is no intention for Free, Informed and Prior Consent, to provide authority over water decisions. 

Questioning regarding buybacks revealed that 26GL out of the 90GL of 'overwhelming offers' last year for Bridging the Gap were contracted with 72% rejected due to value for money concerns. ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/795/APH-Live-icon.png url https://www.youtube.com/@AUSParliamentLive 2024-11-08 05:24:00 790 405
If the NWI is the architecturally designed blueprint, the NWA is the flatpack version with unclear instructions and a few missing pieces"... ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/790/Comment.png url https://www.theland.com.au/story/8804985/australias-water-blueprint-faces-dilution/ 2024-10-31 00:19:00 781 405 detrimental to the conduct of water management in Australia” [...]]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/781/Media-Release.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/albanese-governments-draft-water-agreement-declared-detrimental-to-the-conduct-of-water-management-in-australia-by-the-productivity-commission/ 2024-10-16 20:30:00 787 405 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/787/Comment.png file https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/787/Weekly-times-op-ed-September-2024.jpg 2024-09-24 11:43:00 777 405 [i] but risks major changes to water management frameworks in its current form. Zara Lowien, CEO of the National Irrigators’ Council said, “States cannot sign the current draft NWA" [...]]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/777/Say-No-Way-1.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/states-urged-to-say-no-way-to-nwa/ 2024-09-20 03:55:00 776 406
The original National Water Initiative (NWI) set the blueprint for water reform in Australia over the past two decades and is a fundamental underpinning of Australia’s water management. It is a document that needs to be taken seriously by all stakeholders and jurisdictions, and its content upheld to be a first-class and best-practice approach to water management. [...]]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/776/Submission.png file https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/776/NIC-Submission-NWA-Phase-3-Principles-FINAL.pdf 2024-09-20 03:42:00 399 405 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/399/Media-Release-template-tile.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/national-irrigators-warn-collaboration-is-needed-on-key-reforms/ 2024-06-27 00:00:00