Northern Australia Water Futures Assessment
The persistent drought and recognition of potential impacts of climate change on water availability in southern Australia have led to renewed interest in the development of Northern Australia. The Australian Government has established the Northern Australia Water Futures Assessment (the assessment) to provide the science needed to inform the development and protection of Northern Australia’s water resources, so that development is ecologically, culturally and economically sustainable.
The assessment is a multidisciplinary program being delivered jointly by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and the National Water Commission , in close collaboration with relevant state and territory government agencies. The assessment is comprised of four components:
- Water Resources program (the CSIRO Northern Australian Sustainable Yields project)
- Ecological program
- Cultural and Social program
- Knowledge Base program
Under Water for the Future, up to $13 million will be made available from 2008-09 to 2011-12 for approved projects. The assessment will bring together existing information and commission work where a clear need for additional information is identified for key basins in Northern Australia.
The geographical area being considered by the assessment stretches more than 3,000 km, from Broome in the west to Cairns in the east.
This area includes three drainage divisions:
The assessment will focus on those catchments identified by jurisdictions as likely to experience hydrological change due to water resource development or climate change.
The assessment will release work incrementally until its completion in 2012 and will result in a comprehensive and enduring knowledge base, which will make information available to decision-makers and the community.
Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce
The assessment also supports the work of the Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce (the taskforce), which was established in 2007 to examine the potential for further land and water development in Northern Australia. In April 2008 the taskforce was transferred to the Office of Northern Australia within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government . The assessment will assist in providing a water-focused knowledge base to inform the work of the taskforce.
Assessment news
The reports of the CSIRO Northern Australia Sustainable Yields project were released by the Parliamentary Secretary for Water on 21 September 2009.
Copies of the reports are available for download on the CSIRO website at http://www.csiro.au/partnerships/NASY.html
Contact us
For further queries or to receive updates, email northern.assessment@environment.gov.au or phone 02 6274 1111.
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