Search here for recent publications by the National Irrigators' Council (in order of publication date).
NIC prepared a submission to the MDBA on the Draft Determination for the Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism.
This submission calls for a made 13 findings, three key recommendations and a total of eight recommendations on how the MDBA and the
Government can consider next steps.
NIC has asked the question - how much water is actually used in the Murray-Darling Basin? After 30 years of reforms to rebalance.
This key piece of information is needed to understand and review water management in the MDB, to understands where that balance is now
- between water diverted for human uses, and water not-diverted to remain in rivers. This goes to the original purpose of the Basin Plan.
The Report’s key finding is clear: just 23% of available water is diverted for human uses, leaving 77% in rivers, wetlands, and floodplains
to support the environment.
NIC Members agreed to a Menindee Lakes Position Statement following on-going work program of reviews into Menindee Lakes.
This position statement was prepared in conjunction with our Position Statement on Reliability of Water Access Entitlements and
our guiding principles.
Approved14 October 2026.
NIC Members agreed to a Climate Resilience and Water Security Position Statement following on-going work program into climate risk, and
water security for Australia as part of the Murray Darling Basin Plan and Water Act review.
This position statement was prepared in conjunction with our Position Statement on Reliability of Water Access Entitlements, Position Statement on the Murray Darling Basin Plan and our guiding principles.
Approved14 October 2026.
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.
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.
Find out more about our community, and join our mission advocating for the Australian irrigated
agriculture industry.