New National Water Initiative at risk of being watered down
Water ministers met for the first time in a decade to discuss the road ahead for major water reform.
Water
Northern NSW cotton farmer slapped with $25,000 fine
A NSW farmer has faced court after being found guilty of drawing water from multiple bores with faulty meters.
Why irrigators could lose more water to government buyouts
Irrigation communities face losing another 327 gigalitres of water over the next decade, under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap aimed at lifting First Nations’ water ownership to 3 per cent.
Border Rivers water sold in eight-figure deal
More than 2050ML of Macintyre Zone unsupplemented water has changed hands for millions after it was sold through auction. See the details.
DNA test IDs Murray Darling Basin fish hot spots
A DNA map of the Murray-Darling Basin shows which fish species are where – from the pests to perch and cod.
Labor announces $300m Basin support package
The Albanese Government has committed $300m in support for Murray Darling Basin communities to offset water recovery impacts, but whether the amount is adequate or not remains a concern.
‘Exaggerated’: Gov admits it used fake images in water campaign
It took Tanya Plibersek’s water bureaucrats four months before finally admitting a bleak image in their $12 million Murray Darling Basin advertising campaign was a fake.
Hume Dam down to 62 per cent
Hume Dam is sitting at its lowest level for years as a lack of rain in its catchment areas fails to top up supplies and irrigation demand remains strong.
Buried budget table reveals 100GL basin buyout
Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek intends to spend $613.4m in 2024-25 to strip 100 gigalitres out of irrigation communities.
Irrigators lose right to vote
Irrigators in Australia’s most productive food bowl have been stripped of the right to elect their own representatives to customer committees.
SA barrages reaching end of life
South Australia’s lower lakes barrages are reaching the end of their lifespan, but the state government is not developing a strategy to replace them.
$12m Basin advertising splurge
Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek will have spent all $12m of her Murray-Darling Rivers’ advertising campaign by June 30.
Rob Sitch linked to water speculator
Filmmaker Rob Sitch has been linked to a Murray Darling Basin water market speculator, which has struck a multimillion-dollar deal selling irrigation entitlements to the Federal Government.
Wrong river: Plibersek’s Murray Darling Basin mistakes
The Albanese Government has used images of rivers in tropical Queensland and coastal NSW to promote its Murray Darling Basin plan efforts.
Floodplain harvesting threat
A NSW Government appointed expert panel wants to impose hefty restrictions on northern Basin irrigators’ floodplain harvesting.
Native fish funding pool runs dry
Funding for Murray Darling Basin native fish recovery has dried up, as federal and state governments bicker over cost sharing.
Plibersek backs down
Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek has abandoned withholding funding to strongarm Victoria into backing buying 450GL of irrigator’s water.
Government ‘hell bent’ on 450GL buybacks
As the Murray Darling Basin Plan goes ahead, there are concerns the government is not focused on the “collateral damage” of the buybacks.
Darling River inflows cut
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder has diverted water destined for the Darling River onto a man-made floodplain.
Government accused of inflating Coorong project costs
The South Australian Government has been accused of inflating the cost of a Coorong project, which could help offset buying more irrigators’ water.
Farmers challenge ABARES water trade call
ABARES says the CEWH could sell up to 25 per cent of its annual allocations each year without “significant market impacts”.
Bureaucrats refuse to answer advertising campaign questions
The federal government has not provided details about where it sourced images of dead fish and trees in its Murray Darling advertising campaign.
How to fix eroding Murray-Darling Basin accountability
Cobram Estate boss Rob McGavin has offered a solution for how Murray-Darling Basin water policy should be managed. See the latest.
How NSW’s Alternatives to Buybacks Plan could affect Victoria
A new NSW Government plan wants to “shepherd” environmental water through the Menindee Lakes. Here’s what it means for Victorian irrigators.
Water tender’s sky-high prices revealed
Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek has paid a massive premium to buy water out of the Namoi Valley. See the details.
Albanese pays premium for water
The Federal Government has paid a premium to buy irrigators’ water to boost the Murray Darling Basin’s environmental flows. See the details.
Argyle’s water trade win
Water market speculator Argyle Capital Partners has access to Victoria’s broker portal, allowing it to fast-track trades ahead of irrigators.
‘It’s fantastic’: Tiny Mallee town gets their water
A town in northwest Victoria that has waited years for access to clean drinking water can finally drink freely.
Government refuses to reveal details of $55m buyback
The federal government has been slammed for “double standards” after keeping the price, type and source of water it is buying secret, following their first round of Basin buybacks.
450GL Basin buyout plan released
The federal government’s 2024 water purchasing plan will first target southern Murray-Darling Basin’s private diverters.
Carp turn rivers to mud
Researchers have for the first time measured how carp turned Australian rivers upside down, killing off the native fish food chain.
Feds snap up $55.5 million worth of irrigators’ water
The Albanese government has splashed out millions to buy 33 parcels of irrigators’ water entitlements, through its first tender. See who sold and how much.
Murray cod farmers set for major Riverina expansion
Global investors could pour up to $500 million into a new agricultural investment fund led by the world’s largest Murray cod producer.
ACT Basin Plan failure
The ACT has failed to deliver a drop towards the Murray Darling Basin Plan, but has cut a $50m deal with the federal government to take water off Snowy Hydro.
Why SA wine irrigators want to offload their water
Almost one in four irrigators in Australia’s largest wine-grape growing region want to sell their water, amid a red grape glut.
How urban water could affect federal buyouts
Victoria’s urban water bodies are sitting on 133GL of excess water entitlements, which could be bought or leased to the federal government.
Victoria in federal buybacks scramble
Victorian Water Minister Harriet Shing is searching for a way to block buybacks in Goulburn and Murray irrigation communities.
Basin buyouts could cost taxpayers up to $10 billion
One of Australia’s largest water holders has warned the government’s Basin buyouts are immoral and would cost billions to complete.
Senate passes Restoring Our Rivers bill
The Senate has passed the Albanese Government’s Restoring Our Rivers Bill, clearing the way for a federal buyout of up to 700GL out of irrigation communities.
Victoria’s largest water owners revealed
The largest water entitlement holders in northern Victoria have been named, including a Canadian giant who owns a mammoth $600m portfolio.
Country schools face enrolment slide
Timber and irrigation towns have seen their school numbers slashed after falling victim to inner city voters’ demands. See the changes in enrolment numbers at every country school in Australia.
Irrigation towns at tipping point
Critical agricultural industries along the Murray Darling Basin are at risk of being wiped out from federal water buyouts, leading irrigators have warned.
Irrigators fire up to protest Basin buybacks
Backed by Australia’s major dairy processors, a lone farmer has launched a campaign warning against a federal bid for water buybacks. See the details.
Mallee CMA salinity charges push reserves to $36m
Victoria’s richest catchment management authority is sitting on millions of salinity offset funding, despite keeping salt levels below target for the past 15 years.
Water buyout impacts ‘over-inflated’
The impact of water buyouts on communities is “over-inflated” and not supported by “high-quality evidence”, a Senate committee has said. See the details.
Commission backs water buyouts
The federal Productivity Commission has said irrigator water buyouts are one of most “cost-effective” methods of recovering environmental water.
Water trade platform glitches for lucky few
Victoria’s ageing water register is in disarray, delaying Goulburn-Murray water trade. But a lucky few managed to get water through.
Massive Riverina farm hits the market for $80m-plus
Italian confectionery giant Ferrero, maker of famous treats Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, is selling 2665ha of farmland and a massive water portfolio.
Councils call for Basin buybacks to be scrapped
Six Murray River shire councils have urged the federal government to rethink their planned Basin Plan buybacks.
Farmers seize opportunity to begin lakebed cropping
Farmers are cropping the lakebeds of the Great Darling Anabranch system, as floodwaters evaporate to expose nutrient-rich soils.
Original URL: https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/water