Water
Victorian government water policy is summarized in the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy (NRSWS), a 50 year plan for water resources in northern Victoria. (68)
The strategy outlines changes to the water allocation framework to make it possible for irrigation water to be delivered in a drier future, and provides farmers with improved tools such as carryover to manage their own risk. It also sets targets for water recovery for northern Victoria’s rivers that are too low to meet recommended environmental flow regimes, will result in a continued and rapid decline in river health, and will leave rivers and wetlands dependent on the delivery of irrigation water or groundwater for base flows.
The NRSWS also sets the tone for Victorian-federal government interaction on water management planning. Cooperation between state and federal government will be a key requirement in the development of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s Basin Plan (see below).
Water for the Future is the Commonwealth Government’s 10-year, $12.9 billion program to secure long-term water supplies for urban, commercial and rural users, as well as recover water to restore the health of Australia’s river systems.
The Government has committed $3.1 billion to buy back water for the environment through its Restoring the Balance program, and $5.8 billion through the Rural Water Use and Infrastructure program for water efficiency and infrastructure upgrades. (69)
The Commonwealth’s preference for buying water from willing sellers risks losing potential multiple environmental and social benefits. The mechanisms available to government for buyback are currently being investigated by the Productivity Commission. (70) Targeting buy-back into areas which may have a more viable long-term future outside of irrigation will provide a better return on investment.
Effective integration of the objectives and operations of Water for the Future and Caring for our Country NRM programs would help ensure that money invested in water buy-back was targeted to areas where complementary biodiversity, salinity other natural resource management objectives could be achieved. And conversely, Caring for our Country funding could be targeted towards areas prioritized for water buy-back to support the transition to alternative land uses in these areas.
Such an integrated approach between natural resource management programs and irrigation industry planning would be consistent with the findings of an evaluation of previous Natural Heritage Trust programs. (71) An appropriate vehicle for this level of integrated strategic planning would be the forthcoming Basin Plan to be developed by the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) for implementation in 2011.
The Basin Plan will be developed by the MDBA as a strategic plan for the integrated and sustainable management of water resources in the Murray–Darling Basin.
The Water Act 2007 specifies some content of the Basin Plan, including:
- limits on the amount of water (both surface water and groundwater) that can be taken from Basin water resources on a sustainable basis
- identification of risks to Basin water resources, such as climate change, and strategies to manage those risks
- requirements that state water resource plans will need to comply with if they are to be accredited under this Act
- an environmental watering plan to optimise environmental outcomes for the Basin
- a water quality and salinity management plan
- rules about trading of water rights in relation to Basin water resources.
The Basin Plan will be complemented by water resource plans such as the NRSWS prepared by Basin states and provided to the Commonwealth Minister for accreditation. The Basin Plan will also play an important role in identifying responsibilities for managing risks related to reduced water availability and changes in reliability of supply. Water-sharing arrangements that are provided for in existing water resource plans will remain in place until these plans cease as outlined in the transitional arrangements set out in the Act. (72) The Basin pPlan willnot be enforceable in Victoria until 2019.
References
(68) DSE (2009) Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy
(69) Water for the Future, at http://www.environment.gov.au/water/ [Accessed June 2009]
(70) http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/study/water-recovery
(71) RM Consulting Group (2006) Evaluation of Sustainable Agriculture Outcomes from Regional Investment (NAP and NHT), Final Report, Prepared by RM Consulting Group with URS, Rural Directions, Griffin NRM and Mark Gardner and Associates for the Australian Government, March 2006
(72) Murray Darling Basin Authority, at http://www.mdba.gov.au/ [Accessed June 2009]
