NEWS & EVENTS

Advocating for the Australian irrigated agriculture industries.


14th May 2025, Canberra, ACT: The National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) congratulates Murray Watt on his appointment as the Minister for the Environment and Water, saying this is an opportunity for new leadership to put policy above politics and partnerships over partisanship. “Until recently, water management in Australia has had a long history of bipartisanship across politics.  We hope under new leadership... we can see a return to respectful and constructive water policy solutions, that can once again rise above politics,” said NIC CEO, Zara Lowien. [...]


National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) calls on all parties and independents to re-dress this week’s budget fails during the Federal Election campaign and commit to safeguarding Australia’s food and fibre future for the benefit of all Australian’s.  NIC CEO, Zara Lowien said, “During this week’s budgets both sides of government claimed they want to strengthen our economy and build Australia’s economic resilience, but neither provided any real plan to harness Australia’s world-leading water management systems and technologies to secure our nation’s future”. [...]


Irrigators have joined the chorus of farming and small business groups calling out the mixed messaging and missed opportunities for agriculture, regional businesses and communities in this year’s budget. “This week’s budget is confusing to anyone wanting to buy locally grown, green, food and fibre”, said Zara Lowien, CEO of National Irrigators’ Council (NIC). [...]


The National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) today launched its Federal Election platform, urging all parties and independents to commit to securing Australia’s water future and investing in actions to restore our rivers whilst supporting agricultural productivity and rural communities. NIC CEO, Zara Lowien said, “Two-decades of water reform means Australian water management system is world-leading but to secure our nation’s future, we must look to new ways of ensuring sustainability and secure water for agriculture”. [..]


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. [...]

News & Media from Member Organisations


The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) has recently opened applications for their Not-for-Profit Scholarship programme for 2025-2026.  This program will allow up to 375 NFP leaders the opportunity to deepen their understanding of governance principles. Scholarship recipients will be invited to enrol in scheduled Governance Foundations for Not-for-Profit Directors courses available in capital cities across Australia or courses taking place in these seven regional locations.  For more information, see their website with applications due 15 June 2025.


Women with leadership ambitions are urged to apply to the popular Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program (DiALP).  The initiative is run by the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and is now entering its eighth year. Twelve women will be selected for the 2025 program.  Applications open Monday, 24 February and will remain open for one month. 

For more information visit https://nff.org.au/programs/diversity-in-agriculture-leadership/ 


Registrations are now open for a free online information session being hosted by former head of ABC Rural Leigh Radford on Tuesday, February 25 2025, specifically for people involved in any aspect of agriculture, horticulture and food production. Starting at 6 pm (AEDT), the session will run for about an hour, with the opportunity to ask questions, gain helpful advice and be inspired by Churchill Fellows sharing their experiences and insights. The speakers include Tim Roache who travelled overseas in 2017 to investigate milk pricing models and ways to manage price risk in the Australian market.

A series of regional information sessions is also currently being rolled out at select locations across Australia, including Newcastle and Launceston (Feb 20), Toowoomba (Feb 27), Geelong (March 4), Bendigo (March 5), Cairns (March 6), and Broome and Bunbury (March 15). 

Upcoming Events

NIC Networking Dinner

NIC General Meeting - July

Australian Rice Conference

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Cotton Collective

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Murray Darling Association 81st Conference

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Past Member Events 

NIC General Meeting

Sydney, NSW

Member Networking Dinner

Sydney, NSW

IIO Committee Meeting - March

Cotton Australia Board room

Member Drop - in - National Water Agreement

Online

Member Drop in - Basin Plan Insights and Northern Toolkit

Online meeting

Member Drop In - Water Markets

Online meeting


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