NEWS & EVENTS

Analysis finds Governments additional water buyback spree is flawed
12 Dec

 NIC report reviewed the Federal Government’s purchases and found most have low environmental utility and cannot directly contribute to today’s environmental priorities in the Basin – despite costing taxpayers billions.“These additional water buybacks go beyond what was required to ‘bridge the gap’ to get Sustainable Diversion Limits in place for the Basin Plan,” said NIC CEO Zara Lowien “most of this additional water will not be able to be used as intended and unlikely to contribute to desired environmental outcomes”. [...] Read More…

Basin Plan blowout continues as failed projects open gap in Southern MDB
8 Dec

The amount of water that can be used in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin may need to drop by a further 255 to 355 gigalitres (GL) after 2026, as States remain behind on vital environmental projects, a new report finds

“Water use has drastically declined since the Basin Plan,” said NIC CEO, Zara Lowien “with one in three litres of irrigation water, now out of production and new Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDLs) set by the Basin Plan in force". [...] Read More…

Water security for farming must be a focus
27 Nov

Farmers in the Basin are calling on the Federal Government to escalate water security for agriculture as a priority, following the findings of the Basin Outlook, published today which echoed findings from the National Climate Risk Assessment.

“All climate change scenarios will have significant risks on water security for Australian agriculture,” said NIC CEO, Zara Lowien “farmers are adapting every day to changing climate, but can only adapt so far, water security is critical” [...]

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WESA Outcome Review needed as $1.3 billion buyback blowout looms
26 Nov

The National Irrigators’ Council is calling for an independent review of program outcomes, after a statutory review on the Water for the Environment Special Account (WESA) found an additional $1.3 billion would be needed to buy an additional 450 gigalitres, beyond what is required to achieve Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDLs) in the Murray Darling Basin.

“The report findings call into question the Government focus on just water, with a $1.3 billion blowout, and their own science saying priorities have shifted” said NIC CEO Zara Lowien [...] Read More…

Golden opportunity missed at Basin Summit
13 Nov

Many stakeholders have been left shocked by yesterday’s Federal Government announcement to fast track an additional 130 gigalitres of water purchases from farmers in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin, despite evidence that the Basin management needs to move beyond “just adding water”.

“This was a missed opportunity for Minister Watt to put politics aside and send a strong message about refocusing the Basin Plan on outcomes, not just numbers” said NIC CEO, Zara Lowien. [...] Read More…

AICD Scholarship opportunities
12 May

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. Read More…

Ambitious women urged to join ag leadership program
21 Feb

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/  Read More…

Churchill Fellowship information session for ag hort and food sectors - February 25
17 Feb

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).  Read More…