SDLAM Reconciliation Framework Position Statement
NIC Policy Positions are agreed with Members and prepared in conjunction with our Guiding Policy Principles.
1. NIC calls on Governments to stand by their commitment to SDLAM and its full associated offset (605 GL) and benefits beyond 2026.
2. The environmental outcomes from SDLAM projects cannot be achieved through further reductions to SDLs (or more water). NIC calls for a shift in thinking, beyond ’just add water’, and recognition that SDLAM projects are integral environmental projects needed to maximise Basin Plan outcomes.
3. NIC calls for the development of an equivalent SDLAM Roadmap, aligned to the Constraints Roadmap, to support future implementation of projects. Governments must work collaboratively to fund and deliver these roadmaps.
4. NIC does not support the proposed SDLAM Reconciliation in 2026. It is premature (many highly valuable projects will need more time), and redundant (further water recovery is not an alternative to these projects). A SDLAM Reconciliation must only occur following full project delivery, which means it must align with timeframes in the Roadmap.
5. The environmental value of SDLAM projects is greater than initially modelled. NIC calls for updated methodologies to better recognise and account for this value.
6. NIC demands that any failure by Basin Governments to successfully implement SDLAM projects should not reduce water for agriculture or have any impacts on a water user or a Basin community. These projects are a government responsibility to implement.