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Water for the Future

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Irrigator-led Group Proposals

As part of Water for the Future, $3.1 billion will be invested over ten years in Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin, to purchase water entitlements from willing sellers. The purchased water will be managed by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) and used to protect and restore the high priority environmental assets in the Murray-Darling Basin. The water will also help to keep the Murray mouth open, and protect against algal bloom outbreaks, salinity and other water quality risks that threaten the health of our rivers and livelihood of our farmers.

Opportunities for developing Group Proposals

The Australian Government recognises that groups of irrigators may wish to develop coordinated proposals for selling their water entitlements to the Commonwealth and decommissioning or altering shared irrigation supply infrastructure under the Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin program.

As well as contributing to healthy rivers and waterways, it is expected that such proposals may assist the Australian Government in achieving other Water for the Future objectives such as taking action on climate change and using water wisely.

The Government is inviting groups of irrigators to work with their irrigation water provider and other directly affected parties to develop proposals. Working together has the potential to provide a number of benefits for the parties involved, including:

• Allowing irrigators to sell their water entitlements and restructure their businesses
• Allowing irrigation water providers to decommission inefficient channels, pipelines and other infrastructure. The Australian Government will consider making a contribution towards the cost of infrastructure works where such a contribution could be justified in terms of key Water for the Future priorities (particularly 'taking action on climate change' and 'using water wisely')
• Providing the Australian Government with the opportunity to make value for money purchases of water entitlements under the Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin program that can be used to protect and restore environmental assets
• Where infrastructure is to be decommissioned, there may be savings in conveyance water, which can be retained by the irrigation water provider to benefit the business and/or remaining irrigators, or sold to the Commonwealth, thereby enhancing returns to irrigators selling their entitlements, and
• Where irrigation supply infrastructure is to be removed, irrigators may be able to negotiate reductions in any termination fees charged by their water provider.

There are four key features that the Government is looking for in industry-led group proposals:

1. Acquiring value for money water entitlements that the Australian Government can use to protect environmental assets and support healthy rivers
2. Rationalising irrigation supply infrastructure to address system losses and better prepare irrigation regions for the future impact of climate change
3. Using water wisely, and
4. Ensuring that appropriate consultation with directly affected parties has occurred.

• Irrigator groups invited to submit proposals for selling water entitlements - media release 

Group eligibility – Who can submit a proposal?

If you own a permanent water entitlement (also known as a water share) and are part of an irrigation district within the Murray-Darling Basin that has shared irrigation supply infrastructure – you may work with a group of irrigators and your water provider, to develop a proposal to sell your water entitlements to the Commonwealth and decommission shared irrigation infrastructure.

A group of irrigators may consist of two or more separate business entities. The entities should demonstrate they have agreed to work together to achieve a common set of goals as outlined in the proposal.

Group proposals may be from irrigation districts serviced by either open channels or by a pressurised pipe network. Your proposal will need to demonstrate that all entitlement holders involved agree to the proposal to sell entitlements to the Commonwealth. The Australian Government does not have any restrictions on the scale of proposals that it will consider.

Need more information?

The Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin - Irrigator-led Group Proposals fact sheet provides a summary of the $3.1 billion Australian Government Water Entitlement Purchasing Program and the opportunity that irrigators have to work with their water provider to develop group proposals for selling their water entitlements to the Government and decommission or alter irrigation infrastructure to reflect the sale of water entitlements.

The Information and Guidelines pack sets out the Australian Government's objectives in relation to Water for the Future and provides details on what the Government is looking for in a group proposal and the process for progressing your proposal once it is submitted to the Department.

The Supporting Documents provide further information on specific topics relevant to your proposal.

Download the documents

• Information and guidelines plus supporting documents - complete pack (ZIP - 1029 KB)

Documents available separately

• Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin - Irrigator-led Group Proposals fact sheet (PDF - 232 KB) |  (RTF - 162 KB)
• Information and Guidelines (PDF - 92 KB) |  (RTF - 317 KB)
• Fact Sheet: Assessment Criteria for Australian Government Water Purchases (PDF - 40 KB) |   (RTF - 279 KB)
• Fact Sheet: Environmental Water Recovery (PDF - 52 KB) |   (RTF - 194 KB)
• Fact Sheet: Offering conveyance water for Australian Government purchase (PDF - 31 KB) |   (RTF - 268 KB)
• Fact sheet - Obtaining information on market prices (PDF - 31 KB) |   (RTF - 58 KB)
• Fact Sheet: Responsibility for Termination Fees (PDF - 35 KB) |   (RTF - 318 KB)
• Fact Sheet: The Due Diligence Process (PDF - 35 KB) |   (RTF - 315 KB)

Submitting your proposal

Send your proposal to the Department by one of the following ways:

1. Fax: (02) 6275 9398
   
2. Email: waterpurchasing@environment.gov.au
   
3. Post: The Water Purchasing Officer
   Water Efficiency Division
   Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
   GPO Box 787
   Canberra ACT 2601