NATIONAL IRRIGATORS’ COUNCIL

MEDIA RELEASES

Advocating for the Australian irrigated agriculture industry

Following the two feedback sessions, an updated Final Draft is available for Members on the Water Act Review Submission. 

A massive efffort today by the team to pull this together.

Feedback is welcome but must be early Monday to allow the submission to be lodged.  There are no extensions. 

Minor checking and AI analysis of messaging will occur Monday before lodging, so there maybe minor changes. 

The NIC Team have prepared a brief two-pager pro-forma that can be used to highlght key points relating to the current preapration of the Water Act Submission.  We hope this is helpful to send your own Members or to highlight key areas to support our own. 

Either use this as a letter template or use the key headings as the core key messages to convey. 

An updated draft of our full submission is due today. 

NIC is hosting two online feedback sessions on the draft Water Act Review Submission.  This is to maximise opportunity for Members to provide direct feedback.

Only one session needs to be attended, but you are welcome to both.

Session 1 - Monday 24th August 1:30pm-2:30pm
Session 2 - Thursday 27th August 10am-11am

Click this link to RSVP and receive the Teams link for Session 2.

NIC is hosting two online feedback sessions on the draft Water Act Review Submission.  This is to maximise opportunity for Members to provide direct feedback.

Only one session needs to be attended, but you are welcome to both.

Session 1 - Monday 24th August 1:30pm-2:30pm
Session 2 - Thursday 27th August 10am-11am

Click this link to RSVP and receive the Teams link for Session 1.

The Peter Cullen Trust is inviting Expressions of Interest from outstanding leaders to join our Board of Directors which will help shape the next phase of the organisation but also future leaders in water, environment and climate. 

The position is voluntary but offers the opportunity to provide your voice and experience in the direction of one of NIC Partner organisations.

EOI close 25 September 2026. More information is available by clicking the link.

Australia's food security strategy cannot ignore water as a critical input, according to irrigation industry leaders in Canberra attending the National Farmers Federation Summit today.

National Irrigators' Council, NSW Irrigators' Council, Ricegrowers' Association, Citrus Australia and Cotton Australia were united in their call that water policy belongs in Australia's food security conversation. [...]

A first Draft following initial Member discussions has been preared for the Water Act Review Dicussion Paper response. Please review and consider feedback, preferably in tracked changes.  A Policy drop in session will be held to work through feedback also. 

This is a frist Draft, we expect further additional work in a few areas including the inclusion of data from our proposed survey on water information.  We will also be cross checking our Basin Plan submission table to the recommendations to ensure we have captured everything. 

A lot is changing in water and water-related businesses and National Irrigators' Council is changing too. 

We have introduced new membership options recognising that organisations are structured differently and may already contribute to NIC through local or valley representation. Our structure also provides options for organisations with operations outside the Murray–Darling Basin, making direct national representation more accessible while recognising existing contributions. 

Is now the time to explore our options?

Cotton Australia is looking for a Water Policy Officer to join their team. The role works closely with the General Manager, the CEO and other members of the Policy Team to ensure the cotton industry’s interests are well represented across water policy, planning and regulatory processes — engaging with stakeholders including the National Farmers’ Federation Water Committee, National Irrigators Council, Queensland Farmers’ Federation Water and Energy Policy Committee, New South Wales Irrigators Council, valley-based irrigator groups and Cotton Grower Associations.

We are preparing for our Annual General Meeting and General Meeting for the 13th and 14th October in Canberra.

The event will be at Old Parliament House from 2pm 13th October through to 1pm on 14th October, with a dinner at Hotel Kurrajong on Tuesday evening. 

As these dates are a sitting week, please book flights and accomodation. 

NIC provided a submission into the Snowy Water Inquiry Outcomes Implementation Deed Draft Report following a review of the recommendations.

NIC recognised that a modernised, transparent and evidence-based Deed framework is needed. NIC also welcomed the Panel’s stated intent that improved environmental outcomes should be pursued without compromising the reliability of water supply for irrigation. NIC has identified several areas where the draft recommendations, create material risk to the reliability of downstream consumptive entitlements, extend to shared interstate water resources, and sit uneasily with the risk-allocation and compensation principles of the National Water Initiative (NWI) and with the Review Framework’s own stated principles.

NIC provided a submission into the Productivity Commissions National Water Reform Interim update. 

The submission reinterated our key points from our initial submission but also explored a number of topics where the interim update was seeking information, covering intitial assessments, sustainable water limits, managing climate change and metering. 

Every organisation has someone with the potential to lead through complexity, inspire others and make a lasting difference.  Who comes to mind for you?

The Peter Cullen Trust is looking for the next cohort of emerging and established leaders to join our 2027 Leadership Program.

A webinar is being held on 25 Aug 2026 12:30 PM to find out more.

Water professionals from across New South Wales will come together in Wollongong to explore practical solutions, fresh thinking and the partnerships needed to tackle today's biggest water challenges.

Under this year's theme, Squeezing Every Last Drop: From Survival to Strength: No Excuses, No Waste. Do More with Less, the program brings together government, utilities, local councils and industry leaders to share real-world insights you can take back to your organisation. 17 - 19 August 2026.

We are running a bit behind schedule but attached is a brief DRAFT submission into the PC Interim Report on National Water Reform.  Please review and provide comments no later than Tuesday 5pm, as the submission is over-due.  Comments to Zara.

The IGWC released its SDL compliance report for the Murray Darling Basin 2024-2025 water year. 

The report presented evidence that the MDB remains within SDL and there is continuing under-use occuring around the Basin.

DCCEEW are hosting an online webinar  at 10:30am AEST on 28 July 2026 - you can register here.

The webinar will provide information to support participation in the current review of The Water Act 2007 (Cth) with the release of a Review Discussion Paper.

This webinar will be recorded and will be available on our website following the event.

A new report has found levels of water use across the Murray-Darling Basin are fully compliant with the Basin Plan’s Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDLs), which irrigators say shows ‘the job is done’.

“Water use across the Basin is fully compliant with the Sustainable Diversion Limits set by the Basin Plan,” said Zara Lowien, CEO of the National Irrigators’ Council (NIC).

“It’s very clear that over-extraction is no longer the issue for the Murray-Darling Basin.”

13 July 2026, Canberra ACT: Communities in the Murray-Darling Basin are calling on the Federal Government to stop, after SunRice attributed major changes to Australian milling sites directly to slashed water for farming under the Basin Plan, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

“The industry has been warning the Federal Government of this exact risk for years, and now the worst-case scenario is unfolding,” said Zara Lowien, CEO of the National Irrigators’ Council (NIC).

[continued]

Basin officials have confirmed 14 environmental projects will be withdrawn from formal recognition under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan placing Southern Basin communities at risk of losing up to a further 355 GL of water through no fault of their own.

“The environmental outcomes from these projects cannot be achieved by ‘just adding more water’,” said CEO of the National Irrigators’ Council (NIC), Zara Lowien, “in fact, these projects are essential to actually use all the water the Government has already recovered from farmers.Withdrawing these projects is a lose-lose situation for communities and the environment." [...]

Please see our first draft on the issue paper “Strong Voices, Healthy Waters: upholding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ water rights through the review of the Water Act 2007” where the NIC has decided to make a number of corrections and clear points of clarification needed for the Water Act Review. 

Feedback on this draft submission is welcome, preferably through tracked changes or comments within the document to Christine by Wednesday, 8th July. 

Today's publication of the ‘What we Heard’ Report following public consultation on the Basin Plan Review shows a clear united message: priorities have shifted, move on from “just adding water”. “After three decades of reform focused on reducing diversions to rebalance towards the environment, it’s clear that priorities are now shifting to a broader range of issues that cannot be addressed by just adding water,” said National Irrigators’ Council CEO Zara Lowien [...]

The NIC continues to monitor the Federal Government’s implementation of the additional Held Environmental Water (HEW) program under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and has released a second report, following our December 2025 analysis. 

The 450 GL program has fundamentally changed since it was first conceived. The original budget has been exhausted, expected costs have escalated significantly, the scope of the program has expanded, and new environmental evidence has emerged. Despite these material changes, there has been no transparent reassessment of whether continued expenditure represents the most effective, efficient and economical investment to achieve environmental outcomes and deliver benefits to the Australian economy [...]

The National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) has warned the Federal Government’s continued pursuit of additional water buybacks under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan risks becoming one of Australia’s most expensive environmental program without demonstrating that it delivers value to the Australian economy. 

A new NIC review has found the Government’s 450 GL additional environmental water program has moved well beyond its original budget and purpose, with taxpayers facing a potential multi-billion-dollar bill despite growing evidence that further water purchases are delivering diminishing environmental returns.

The Board would like to thank Members for their ongoing support to NIC, your support and our growth strategy, is ensuring we are a focused and sustainable organisation, providing a strong and united voice in key water policy debates.

The Board also wishes to inform Members of the  2026 -2027 fee structure. Increases have been managed closely to the March 2026 quarter Consumer Price Index, slight rounding was needed to keep the fee structure in whole dollars. This coming year, a new non-Murray Darling Basin fee option is now available for all Membership categories enabling a discounted rate, when the proposed applicant's water entitlement interests are located solely outside the Murray-Darling Basin. 

Here is a member briefing note for members on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which is a key focus of the review of the Water Act 2007 (Cth). We will present this to you at todays drop-in session, for those available to attend, and start discussions on our strategy. 

The Peter Cullen Trust has initiated a new Leadership Program for Executives - Confluence.

Confluence is designed for leaders who already operate at scale and want to amplify their impact. In a time of complexity and change, it offers a rare opportunity to step back from the day to day demands of leadership and focus on how to maintain and expand influence.

Confluence creates a space to reflect, connect and lead with purpose in complex times. A place where ideas, experience and perspectives converge to shape resilient futures.  Reach out to Lesley at PCT via office@petercullentrust.com.au

Applications soon close for the first cohort's of the ARLF and MDBA Murray-Darling Leadership Program (MDBLP).  The program aims to bring together people from across the Basin who are ready to work beyond their own interests and contribute to something shared — including strengthening understanding of how the Basin’s water resources are managed and why they matter.

This is a leadership experience designed for people who care deeply about the future of the Basin and the communities, industries and water dependent ecosystems it supports.  To find our more - visit the webpage and lodge an expression of interest. 

The MDBA is seeking expression of interest applications for Basin Community Committee (BCC) Members that provide input to the MDBA on their activities.  

New tenures and reappointments will begin in April 2027 for a 3-year term and nominations will undergo an extensive selection process involving all Basin governments.

The Basin Community Committee, established under the Water Act 2007 (Cth), is chaired by Ms Rachel Kelly and includes irrigation, environmental water and Indigenous water subcommittees. 

Please see our Meeting Event page for information on our upcoming October AGM and General Meeting.

Scheduled over two-half-days on Tuesday 13th October and Wednesday 14th October 2026, in Barton ACT.  This is a sitting week, so please book your travel early to save.

A Networking and Thank You Dinner will be held at Hotel Kurrajong on Tuesday, 13th October - a separate event with a trybooking link is available under Member events. 

In One Basin CRC up-coming webinar series explores integrating Basin-scale and onsite water systems with a joint partnership with One Basin CRC and One Water Program at Texas A&M University in the United States. In response to increasing water scarcity, climate variability, and growing agricultural and municipal water demands, integrated “One Water” approaches are gaining global traction.Hear more at the Webinar Thursday, 21 May 2026, at 10:00am.

The MDBA together with the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation are hosting a free webinar to hear more about their new leadership initiative - A leadership program for people ready to work across sectors, communities and perspectives to support the long term health of the Basin and the communities it sustains. For anyone interested in learning more about this opportunity, a webinar is being held on Wednesday 20th May 2026 | 4pm - 5pm.

Last night, the Treasurer presented the Government's 2026 Budget. Its contentious due to is reform agenda to the tax system, their assumptions and whether Labor have broken trust with Australian's over their proposals.  The bottom line is that we are projected for at least another 10-years to be in deficit and that will affect the Government's thinking when it comes to how they generate income and their likely spending priorities going forward.

Attached is a briefing note from NIC which is specific to the Water Portfolio items which are much less controversial but indicative that water isnt a major priority. For water and the MDB, the likely expenditure is again as clear as mud with references to not for publication subtlety hidden as notes to tables, with no clear line items to attribute what may or may not be the future budget. We have made some calculations here using what we have available, however it may not be the full picture. As with many portfolio areas, there is a lot of savings and not a lot of new expenditure.  These savings include another $104M from the National Water Grid with only $21.1M in new spending to top up existing programs. 

This submission is provided to the Productivity Commission’s (PC) fourth inquiry on governments’ progress under the National Water Initiative (NWI), as required by the Water Act 2007 (Cth). NIC notes that this inquiry comes at a time of significant review, and potential change, of water policy settings across Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). The consultation burden affects stakeholders and Government.

This submission is provided to the review of the operation and management of the Menindee Lakes system. Many of our Members are critically linked into the frameworks and operations of Menindee Lakes via existing sharing arrangements through the Murray Darling Agreement or local sharing plans - above and below the Lakes. This submission therefore represents the views of irrigation entitlement holders and water users, and non-government water delivery networks, up and downstream of the Lakes.

Following a quick presentation from the PC and our Member Policy Discussion yesterday, please see the first draft of NIC's Submission into the Productivity Commissions Inquiry into National Water Reform.  This is due to be lodged tomorrow, however given the timeframes we can hold off until Monday for feedback and lodge Monday evening. 

We hope that little bit more time allows you time for feedback and review.  Please reach out for a word document if you want to provide tracked changes. 

Following feedback from Members and the discussion at the Member Policy Session yesterday, please see an updated version of the NIC Menindee Submission attached. This is due to be lodged tomorrow, so please review for final checks. 

Changes included adding clear statements on boundaries on what the vision for the Lakes must recognise, as well as including the final agreed principles as recommendations.  We included reference to the shepherding trial and clarity around the exiting multi jurisdictional arrangements now within the Water Act.

The draft NIC Submission for the Menindee Lakes Review is now available for member feedback. You will find the draft submission on our members area > policy & strategy > Menindee Lakes.

We will discuss the draft submission at next weeks Drop-In, which is an opportunity to provide feedback. 

Note: NIC received an extension to May 8th. 

Thank you to all our Members who have provided input prior to and during the 12-weeks of consultation.

Our submission has now been lodged. 

NIC Media Release: Now Is The Time For Stability - Irrigators Submit To Basin Plan Review

23 April 2026, Sydney, NSW: The National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) met in Sydney today to finalise a response to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review, issuing a sneak peek.

“The balance has been struck when it comes to sharing water, with three-decades of reforms shrinking the share for farmers by one-third,” said NIC CEO, Zara Lowien.

“The Government’s own science says there’s no need to further reduce water from farming, showing 92% of environmental indicators across the Basin’s rivers would not change.”

As we prepared to get ready for our April General Meeting, the final Agenda and Papers are now available for review prior to the Thursday.  These include two new updated papers to help guide discussions on Climate Uncertainty and Menindee Lakes, as well as a background brief for the Water Act discussion.

We look forward to welcoming you to Sydney. Reminder, a casual breakfast will start from 7:30am prior to the meeting. 

A new podcast by The Rural Psychologist explores the question of how government decisions can effect the mental health and wellbeing of whole rural communities.  In this episode NIC CEO Zara Lowien, shares her in-sights and lived experience, explaining how government decisions in water can flow through a community, the benefits and impacts and why stability is needed to provide some certainty moving forward, in these increasingly uncertain times.  

Following last week's Member Policy discussion, a Draft Position Statement on Climate Uncertainty is available for review and feedback.  Feedback is welcome by Friday 10th April.  We intend to finalise this Position Statement at our April General Meeting. 

REMINDER - the Blue box is the text that is agreed or voted on by Members and should be the focus of feedback.  The remaining text is background and can be updated as needed with new information without Member approval. 

Following feedback and discussion, we have updated the Basin Plan snapshot document to include climate as well as, more detail on the Basin Plan 2.0 and 1.0.

Visit the Members Area to see the web version of the attached PDF.

The Productivity Commission has released the terms of reference for the tree-yearly review into National Water Reform - this inquiry is into the National Water Initiative and its progress.  The review also includes terms to look at urban water infrastructure and pricing, and thus presents an opportunity to raise concerns with bulk water infrastructure and pricing. This is a tight timeframe, with a two-step process for an initial submission and a final submission deadline, which is similar to the usual process, it will mean we will not see a draft report rather an initial summary.  The intention is this information is available to the Minister prior to the end of 2026, to help inform the legislative program for 2027.

NIC has requested a direct meeting with the inquiry team and we will let you know when.

Part 3 of our Submission to the MDBA's Basin Plan Review Discussion paper is the full list of MDBA options, our NIC response and our own options.  This is available as a stand alone document. 

The first draft of our NIC Submission to the MDBA's Basin Plan Review Discussion Paper is now available.  Attached is the one document, which includes a brief one-pager on the review. The one-pager is designed as a stand alone document for decision makers, and hence its language is tailored accordingly.  The options table is also available separately on the Members Page. 

Feedback is welcomed, and I note we haven't specifically discussed northern connectivity or Menindee yet as a Membership group which will further shape this submission (although we anticipate a separate submission for Menindee Review).  We will have a Specific Member Drop in session scheduled for this in coming weeks, to give you time to read through the submission.  The submission has been written to provide an overarching key recommendations, with a number of specific recommendations within the report - the key list is the option table in Part 3.  We aimed to have it structured to allow, local views and regional examples, to be provided. 

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