SUBMISSIONS

NIC Water Act Review Submission
4 Sep

NIC provided their final submission into the Indepedant Reviewer for the Statutory Review of the Water Act.

Key points included ensuring the Water Act reflects the constitutional arrangements for water, reshaping the Act to reflect the changed roles of the Murray Darling Basin Plan from a plan of recovery to management and ensuring the froundations of water management framework, agreed in 2004 are reflected in legislation. Read More…

First Draft - Water Act Review
17 Aug

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.  Read More…

NIC submission to Snowy Water Inquiry Outcomes Implementation Deed Review
10 Aug

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. Read More…

PC National Water Reform Submission
10 Aug

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.  Read More…

Water Act Review Discussion Paper on First Nations
22 Jul

The NIC provided a submission to the Water Act Review Discussion Paper: Strong Voices, Healthy Waters. Read More…

Inquiry into National Water Reform Submission
11 May

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. Read More…

Menindee Review Submission
8 May

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. Read More…

Murray Darling Basin Plan Review Discussion Paper
1 May

The NIC submited their comphensive analysis and advice to the Murray Darling Basin Authority as part of the Murray Darling Basin Review. Read More…

NIC Submission into IGWC
25 Feb

The NIC provided a written, public submission into the Review into the Inspector General Water Compliance saying: "Reviewing how the role is functioning towards these key principles is paramount as the new role matures over time, to ensure that these principles are being met, but also that this is occurring in an effective, efficient, fit-for-purpose and proportional manner. Nothing in this submission is to question or belittle the importance of these principles – rather – to examine how they can be most effectively and efficiently served." Read More…

Feeding Australia: A national food security discussion paper
26 Sep '25

NIC provided a submission into Feeding Australian: A national food security discussion paper.  We stated "A national food security strategy must consider Australia’s food sovereignty as well as, our role in the future food security needs of our trading partners; to achieve this, a national water security strategy for agriculture will be needed to underpin it. Water is a critical input into agricultural production, and the objectives of this strategy cannot be achieved in the absence of agricultural water security". We provided six recommendations for consideration in developing the national strategy.  Read More…

NIC Submission on the WESA Review
8 Aug '25

We have just put in our submission for the third Water for Environment Special Account (WESA) review - take a look.

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. 
Read More…