Jock's Blog

Water infrastructure investment

Irrigators in New South Wales received a welcome announcement late last week with the Commonwealth Government kicking the can for water infrastructure investment.  Minister Penny Wong announced a $650 million private irrigator’s package for investment in the Murray-Darling Basin.  The package provides for irrigators to co-invest with Government on water saving infrastructure measures. 

On another point, irrigators continue to have strong concerns about the market rules and termination fee rules which Minister Wong signed off on last week.  These new water trading rules will have a major impact on private irrigators in smaller systems.