Commission calls for evaluation of water planning to be stepped up
Commission Chair Chloe Munro called for Australia’s states and territories to strengthen their commitment to water planning by stepping up the way they monitor and report results.
Releasing the inaugural National Water Planning Report Card 2011, prepared for the Council of Australian Governments, Ms Munro said, ‘The good news is that this summary of the status of water planning frameworks and 157 plans across Australia has found a welcome increase in both the number and quality of water plans.
‘However, there are still disappointing delays in developing and implementing plans in some areas. This is a real concern where failure to act has irreversible consequences.’
Water trading pays dividends for irrigators in a wet year
Three new National Water Commission reports demonstrate Australia's maturing water markets continue to play a vital role in helping irrigators manage their businesses.
Releasing the reports, Commissioner Mr Laurie Arthur said that ‘the 2010-11 water year was an extraordinary one that offered the Commission the chance to examine the response of water markets to marked changes in water availability.
‘It is clear that irrigators are employing increasingly sophisticated strategies to meet their changing water requirements and generate income from their water rights assets.’
Media release | Australian water markets report 2010-11
Australian water markets: trends and drivers 2007–08 to 2010–11
Water markets in Australia: a short history | Water trading data resource
The National Water Initiative - securing Australia's water future: 2011 assessment
The National Water Commission has released its comprehensive assessment of water reform progress in Australia, calling on governments to stay the distance on their reform commitments.
Launching the report, Commission Chair Ms Chloe Munro said, 'This independent report shows that actions under the National Water Initiative have made water use more efficient, sustainable and secure - and this helped Australians weather the worst drought on record.
'However, the goal of sustainable water management has not been reached.'
Drawing on its findings, the Commission made 12 major recommendations to COAG to reinvigorate the water reform agenda.
These recommendations call for renewed leadership, the need to take on a maturing reform agenda, and to put in place the national arrangements to make it happen.
The prospect of increased climate variability and the inevitable return to drought make sustainable management of Australia's water an enduring national imperative.
The National Water Initiative - securing Australia's water future: 2011 assessment
Media release | Stakeholder responses and selected media coverage