Strategic Water Purchase Initiative – Victoria 2012-13
On 17 March 2013, Australian Government Water Minister Tony Burke and Victorian Minister for Water Peter Walsh jointly announced a new strategic water purchase initiative in the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District of Victoria.
- Strategic purchase program to offer options for irrigators - Media release 17 March 2013
Program Objectives
The new initiative aims to pursue environmental water purchase opportunities arising from the decommissioning of channels involved in the roll-out of the Goulburn-Murray Water Connections Project.
Available Funding
The Australian Government has allocated up to $15 million for the initiative.
Timing
The initiative opened on 18 March 2013 and will close at 5 pm AEST on 21 June 2013, unless the limit of the budget has been reached before this date.
Who can apply?
To be eligible, each application to sell water to the Commonwealth must be accompanied by a letter of support from Goulburn-Murray Water indicating that the water entitlement is located in an area covered by a Strategic Connections Project and the landowner is considering termination of their irrigation service.
This water purchase initiative will only be conducted within the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District areas of Central Goulburn, Murray Valley, Loddon Valley, Rochester-Campaspe, Shepparton and Torrumbarry.
Do I have to sell my water?
No, participation in this purchase initiative is voluntary. The Australian Government remains committed to a policy of only purchasing water entitlements from those who wish to sell.
How will my application be evaluated?
Eligible applications will be evaluated by the Department on the basis of value for money. Applications submitted between 18 March and 14 April 2013 will be evaluated on 15 April 2013. After this initial evaluation, applications will be evaluated approximately every two weeks until the close of the initiative.
Applications that pass the evaluation will be pursued by the Department subject to due diligence and the applicant providing a valid Exemption Evidence Notice. An Exemption Evidence Notice will be provided to applicants by G-MW on signing their connections agreement.
Please see the Request for Proposal document for further information on the Terms and Conditions and the evaluation process.
How do I apply?
Further information and application documents are available at the following links:
- Request for Proposal (PDF - 140 KB) | Strategic Water Purchase Initiative - Request for proposal(Word - 110 KB)
- Application Form (PDF - 114 KB) | Application Form(Word - 383 KB)
- Frequently Asked Questions (PDF - 49 KB) | Frequently Asked Questions(Word - 56 KB)
- Draft contract (PDF - 323 KB) | Draft Contract(Word - 130 KB)
Lodgement
Completed Application Forms must be submitted via one of the following methods:
Fax: (02) 6275 9398
E-mail: waterpurchasing@environment.gov.au
Post: Water Tender Section
Water Efficiency Division
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
PO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
Please contact the Water Information Line on 1800 218 478 for further assistance.
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