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We reviewed Round 1 of the Water for Fodder program.
This was a requirement in the agreement between the Australian and South Australian Governments.
The Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, the Hon. Keith Pitt MP, has announced that Round 2 will not proceed.
Terms of reference
The review examined:
- water availability
- risk exposure of water-dependent agricultural sectors across the Basin
- the appropriateness of the current eligibility requirements
- possible improvements to the administration of the program.
Download
Department of Agriculture, 2019
| Document | Pages | File size |
|---|---|---|
Water for Fodder program review terms of reference PDF |
19 | 622 KB |
Water for Fodder program review terms of reference DOCX |
19 | 108 KB |
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Independent report into water availability and risk exposure
The department engaged an independent consultant to review the:
- water availability in the Basin
- risk exposure of water-dependent agricultural sectors across the southern Basin in 2020-21.
The consultant made eight key findings:
- Adelaide Desalination Plant production will be required in 2020–21, although it is constrained by operational considerations and water availability in both the River Murray and Western Mount Lofty Ranges.
- At this time, South Australia does not have sufficient water security based on the current low water availability in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Murray-Darling Basin to permit Round 2 of the Water for Fodder program.
- Only under specific water availability conditions could the Adelaide Desalination Plant be used to substitute River Murray water.
- Significant rainfall is required to improve storage levels above 2019–20.
- Allocations are expected to start low.
- Water market prices likely to remain high if low water availability continues into 2020–21.
- The projected demand and consequences for different irrigated commodities will be a driven by water availability and capacity to pay for water.
- Commodities with a higher capacity to pay for water have more opportunity to purchase water and remain sustainable.
Download
Marsden Jacob Associates, 2020
| Document | Pages | File size |
|---|---|---|
| Water for Fodder program review PDF |
39 | 1.2 MB |
The report has not been prepared by the department and may not meet Australian Government accessibility guidelines. If you require an accessible version of the report, please contact the author.
Eligibility and program improvements
We asked for your feedback about the eligibility requirements and how we could improve program administration.
We received over 800 survey responses and several written submissions.
Submissions received
Key industry stakeholders were invited to provide feedback. A number of private individuals also made written submissions.
We would like to thank all those who made a submission.
Disclaimer: Submissions have been published below unless authors have not authorised publication of their submission on the department’s webpage.
Views or opinions expressed in submissions reflect those of the organisation or individual making the submission. The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment does not endorse the views or opinions expressed in any submission.
The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment makes no representations or warranties regarding the contents of submissions published on this website, including with respect to factual accuracy and intellectual property. Intellectual property in submissions is held by the author of the submission and the author is responsible for factual accuracy. The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment disclaims all liability in relation to the publication of the submissions on this website.
Submissions
Published submissions may not meet Australian Government accessibility requirements as they have not been prepared by the department.
- Alister W Watt PDF [172 KB]
- Coleambally Irrigation Co-operative PDF [142 KB]
- Goulburn-Murray Water PDF [334 KB]
- Murrumbidgee Irrigation PDF [153 KB]
- NSW Farmers Association PDF [235 KB]
- Renmark Irrigation Trust PDF [343 KB]
Download the report on stakeholder views
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, 2020
| Document | Pages | File size |
|---|---|---|
| Water for Fodder program: review of round 1 - stakeholder views PDF |
42 | 1.2 MB |
| Water for Fodder program: review of round 1 - stakeholder views DOCX |
42 | 2.0 MB |
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.