Water: Ongoing initiatives
The Living Murray Initiative
The Living Murray Initiative was established to help improve the health of the River Murray. In 2004, the Murray‑Darling Basin Ministerial Council committed $500 million ($200 million from the Australian Government) over five years to recover an annual average of up to 500 gigalitres of water for environmental use at six icon sites. At the same time, the Council committed a complementary investment of $150 million under the Living Murray Environmental Works and Measures Programme.
In the 2006-07 Budget, the Australian Government committed to a further $500 million to bolster the capacity of the Murray Darling Basin Commission to accelerate the implementation of the Living Murray and other initiatives, and to complete essential works across the Basin that have been identified as necessary to ensure the river system is operating at optimal efficiency.
Australian Government Water Fund
The Australian Government will provide $2 billion over six years from 2004-05 to 2009-10 to assist with the funding of practical, on-the-ground water solutions. The Australian Government Water Fund represents a major investment by the Australian Government in water infrastructure, improved knowledge and water management, and better practices in the stewardship of Australia's scarce water resources. The fund will benefit all Australians, including those in rural and regional areas. Investment under the fund will be made on the basis that it is consistent with, and helps to achieve, the objectives, outcomes and actions of the National Water Initiative.
There are three programmes under the Australian Government Water Fund:
- Water Smart Australia;
- Raising National Water Standards; and
- Community Water Grants.
Water Smart Australia
A total of $1.6 billion will be provided to implement the Water Smart Australia programme. The programme will invest to accelerate the development and uptake of smart technologies and practices in water use across Australia. To gain greatest effect from these investments, competitive bidding will be the primary mechanism for allocating grants. Examples of the type of projects that could be eligible are outlined in the policy statement, Securing Australia's Water Future, which was released by the Prime Minister in 2004. They include:
- improving river flows;
- on-farm water use efficiency improvements;
- desalination of water for use in cities and towns;
- recycling and reuse of stormwater and 'grey' water;
- more efficient storage facilities;
- alternatives to ocean outfalls and better management of sewage;
- improvements in irrigation infrastructure; and
- developing water efficient housing design.
This component of the Australian Government Water Fund is administered by the National Water Commission.
Projects funded under Water Smart Australia include $167 million over six years towards the construction of the $501 million Wimmera Mallee Pipeline. The project targets water savings of 103,000 megalitres by replacing 16,000 kilometres of open water channels with 8,000 kilometres of pipeline.
Raising National Water Standards
The Raising National Water Standards programme will invest $200 million over six years in Australia's national capacity to measure, monitor and manage its water resources. These investments will be designed to help achieve National Water Initiative outcomes. Projects that could be eligible are outlined in the policy statement Securing Australia's Water Future. They include the following areas:
- facilitating a nationally consistent system for collecting and processing water data;
- strategic assessment of groundwater resources;
- working with local communities to improve the conservation of water systems with high environmental values through measures such as planning, voluntary conservation agreements and improved knowledge; and
- establishing and promoting the Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme for household appliances, and implementation of the Smart Water Mark regime for household gardens.
This component of the Australian Government Water Fund is administered by the National Water Commission.
Projects funded under the Raising National Water Standards Programme include $7.4 million to improve understanding of the complex surface and groundwater interactions in the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) in South Australia and the Northern Territory. The project will:
- improve the security of the water resource;
- build the capacity of water mangers and users to sustainably manage water allocations from the GAB; and
- enhance the management and protection of water dependent ecosystems.
Community Water Grants
The Australian Government Water Fund provides Community Water Grants to promote the wise use of water. A total of $200 million is available from 2004-05 to 2007-08 for grants of up to $50,000 each to save and protect water resources. A further $200 million has been allocated over six years from 2007-08 for grants of up to $50,000 for community groups to install water tanks and water efficient devices. This will reduce the use of mains water in urban and rural areas, sustain community amenities such as sporting fields and promote wise water use.
A total of $118 million has been spent since the programme commenced. Funded projects are community oriented, have public benefits, and involve practical on-ground works to save or protect water resources. For example, the Australian Government has provided $45,000 to the City of Bunbury in Western Australia for a new weather station to control irrigation, which will help save 50 million litres of water per year.