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 05:34:00 934 405 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/934/Media-Release.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/review-finds-its-time-to-move-beyond-just-adding-water-to-the-basin/ 2026-02-04 18:30:00 933 418
A link on these webinars is not yet available on their website but is available by clicking here. ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/933/News.png url https://assets-oce.mkt.dynamics.com/18c6513d-1927-4d09-8c8e-8974068ea7ab/digitalassets/standaloneforms/b9386aa7-c9de-f011-8544-6045bdc26750?readableEventId=MDBA_Webinar_1_Discussion_Paper243542520 2026-02-04 03:13:00 924 405 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/924/Media-Release.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/analysis-finds-governments-additional-water-buyback-spree-is-flawed/ 2025-12-11 18:20:00 923 417
This Report by NIC, provides a preliminary assessment of the Federal Government purchases of additional water under “the 450 GL” program of the Plan. [...] ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/923/450-Report-ICON.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/policy/murray-darling-basin-plan/review-of-additional-hew/ 2025-12-11 18:11:00 912 416
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 13:00:00 908 416 Triple Crown of Water Reform Framework” to highlight possible next steps for the Basin Plan.  We hope to help forge a future pathway that embraces the paradigm shift needed for the Basin that is more about a 'plan of management' than the current ‘water recovery plan’ focus.  The review addresses; regulatory design, sustainable water limits, climate change, environment, agriculture and community and contemporary issues.   
We encourage stakeholders to reach out to discuss these papers, the evidence, our findings and recommendations. ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/908/Picture2.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/policy/murray-darling-basin-plan/2026-basin-plan-review/moving-forward-our-review-of-the-murray-darling-basin-plan/ 2025-09-25 14:00:00 905 405 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 14:00:00 892 415
Our key recommendation: "The Independent Panel take a broad view to examine the policy settings and decision-making on the use of WESA funds to achieve enhanced environmental outcomes with consideration of socio-economic impact - to ensure WESA can be used transparently to target priority environmental investments. We encourage you to explore the option to amend the WESA to ensure it can be used transparently to target priority environmental investments such as community-supported constraints measures and investment in non-flow complementary measures as evidence within the 2025 Basin Plan Evaluation and Sustainable Rivers Audit."

Thank you to our members who have contributed to this piece of work, and taking the time to provide feedback. 
]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/892/Submission.png file https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/892/20250808_NIC-Submission_WESA-3rd-Review-FINAL.pdf 2025-08-08 05:45:00 890 415 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 14:00:00 887 405 water for the environment is essential, but on its own is likely not sufficient” [MDBA Overview]...  The National Irrigators’ Council has described many parts of the Evaluation as refreshing and a wakeup call needed to shape thinking in the Basin going forward and is calling for more quick thinking on how to determine and prioritise a package of strategic environmental investments in these complementary (non-flow) measures to inform next steps on the Basin Plan, given the Evaluation found this as a missing piece of the current Plan puzzle.  [...] ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/887/Media-Release.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/mdba-declares-game-changing-positive-results-for-the-basin-but-sends-the-clear-message-its-time-to-shift-from-just-adding-water/ 2025-07-23 14:00:00 886 405 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/886/Media-Release.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/basin-commuities-fear-being-overlooked-in-upcmoing-evaluation/ 2025-07-22 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 14:00:00 862 405 https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/862/Media-Release.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/new-government-new-leaders-new-opportunities/ 2025-05-14 01:08:00 850 416 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 06:22:00 843 405
“The advice before the Minister to inform the decision is flawed,” said Zara Lowien, CEO of National Irrigators’ Council. [...]]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/843/Media-Release.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/irrigators-question-recent-efforts-to-consider-socio-economic-impacts-of-buybacks/ 2025-02-24 21:07:00 840 405
“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 [...]

]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/840/Media-Release.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/auditor-general-report-of-buybacks-shows-a-well-paved-road-but-to-where/ 2025-02-18 22:39:00 838 416
The report identified steps were taken to address earlier deficiencies and that processes stacked up.  What was interesting to read in the detail were questions and recommendations about the purpose of these purchases towards the overall policy outcomes, which you will hear more from NIC about this area ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/838/Audit-Office.png url https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/strategic-water-purchasing-bridging-the-gap-2023 2025-02-12 05:43:00 820 406 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 00:36:00 816 405 "Sir Angus Houston's dedication to listening to Basin communities and his focus on repairing relationships and trust have been crucial during a period of significant uncertainty and challenge," said Zara Lowien, CEO of NIC.[...] ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/816/Media-Release.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/nic-thanks-former-mdba-chair-for-his-leadership/ 2024-12-13 01:04:00 818 416 2022-2023 Murray Darling Basin Compliance Report.  The report states that "this compliance performance report provides a sample of common compliance activities metrics for each Basin State which will be incorporated into progressively broader reporting under a Basin-wide compliance performance reporting scheme. It is also anticipated that future reporting on compliance activities will be at the water resource plan level."  
The report provides an overview of the different approaches and outcomes to compliance in each of the Basin States. NSW reported licence holder numbers not metered percentage  (with a target of 95% underway), SA reported 98.2% of take was metered, Queensland report 74% of take was metered, in Victoria 98% was metered (and 76% telemetered), no details for ACT.  Victoria has the largest number of statutory officers, despite have the highest percentage of telemetered meters.  Victoria also had the highest number of investigations open and closed and warnings, whereas SA had the highest number and greatest value of fines.]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/818/IGWC.png url https://www.igwc.gov.au/publications/reviews-reports 2024-12-11 05:00:00 813 405 The announcement of $160 million for Southern NSW communities targeted by Government water buybacks for an additional 450 GL, is welcomed by the National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) but they warn, it will not make up for the damage.  “Removing water from agriculture has enormous flow-on impacts throughout communities, which cannot simply be patched up with one-off handouts,” said NIC CEO, Zara Lowien. [...]]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/813/Media-Release.png page https://www.irrigators.org.au/news/media-releases/economic-boost-welcomed-but-will-fall-short-of-damage-done/ 2024-12-08 23:14:00 809 406
The Toolkit was a multi-pronged solution developed through the Northern Basin Review to recommit government to existing requirements (Bridging the Gap requirements), fund a series of investments over-and-above the Murray Darling Basin Plan assumptions and existing levers of just adding water, enhance environmental outcomes and minimise socio-economic impacts.  The Toolkit was the Government's initial investment into complementary measures. 

As with many of the Murray Darling Basin Plan elements, it has lacked transparency and accountability, which should be improved in future program development.  The Toolkit highlights a number of great outcomes when investment is provided to optimising environmental water delivery and environmental outcomes. ]]> https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/809/Submission.png file https://www.irrigators.org.au/media/website_posts/809/NIC-Submission-IGWC-Nothern-Toolkit-Inquiry-Nov-2024.pdf 2024-11-29 04:55:00