Goulburn Valley water could not be traded into the Murray after water register fail

Goulburn Valley water could not be traded into the Murray after Victoria’s water register collapsed, leaving irrigators and brokers frustrated.

Victorian Water Minister Harriet Shing failed to explain why the government had not delivered a new water register after spending $26m over four years.

Victoria’s ageing water register has once again collapsed, just as the first Goulburn to Murray Valley trade opportunity opened for the 2024-25 season.

The collapse meant 45,000ML of Goulburn Valley water, worth about $105/ML, could not be traded into the Murray, where it could be sold for $135/ML, frustrating irrigators and their brokers.

It is just 12 months since The Weekly Times reported the register collapsed under the exact same scenario, when a major processing glitch forced a three-week delay in 2023-24 Goulburn-Murray IVT trade of 88,000ML.

Victorian Farmers Federation water council chair Andrew Leahy said: “It’s bad enough we had a breakdown 12 months ago, let alone being in the same position now.”

The Andrews-Allan Government began building a new water register four years ago, but has little to show for its efforts after spending $26 million.

Meanwhile the old register, which was built in 2007 at a cost of about $20m, struggles to list the 200 or more trades it receives from brokers within milliseconds of IVT opening at 10am, which are then processed manually, based on their order of arrival until the 45,000ML IVT limit is reached.

H2OX water trader Lex Batters said the system should be able to cope - after all, “it’s not like it’s a Taylor Swift ticket opening”.

Irrigators and brokers have heard nothing since last week’s collapse, with Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action water bureaucrats simply issuing a statement on the day that “we would like to express our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused”.

It appears the government has the funds needed to fully upgrade the register. Water Minister Harriet Shing told Parliament’s Public Accounts and Estimates hearing in May that her department would collect $705m over the next four years in environmental contributions, as a levy on 5 per cent of urban and 2 per cent of rural water corporations’ revenue.

Minister Shing told PAEC the EC funding would be used to “cut water sector emissions and boost climate resilience” and “support traditional owner access to water”, with no mention of funding for the register.

Ms Shing was asked why she and her department had failed to deliver a new efficient Victorian Water Register after spending $26m that was ultimately collected as charges on households’ and businesses’ water bills.

But rather than answering the question Ms Shing’s office reiterated “we’re investing in building a new Victorian Water Register to better meet the needs of its users and provide a more reliable trading experience”.