Australian turf producers are urged to complete the national survey in response to the water reform proposals, or even submit a response to the proposal the Australian government has drafted in review of the future of Australia’s water management.

By and large, the proposal is generally about building positively on what has been done in the past and adding measures to robustly address changing water demand and availability. Notably, it also addresses issues around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ “ownership” of water.

According to Turf Australia, “it is seriously concerning that some of this discussion/proposal has the potential to be highly divisive for Australia. There is a real potential for adverse impact on future water use associated with agriculture, horticulture, mining, amenity landscape and green spaces, and other areas of water use, if not appropriately addressed. Equally, other parts of the discussion are likely to be highly productive and provide greater certainty and reliability around water management in the future. There is sure to be a multitude of diverse opinions in the wider community, and it is important these opinions be heard.”

According to the representative body of the turf industry in Australia, there is a lot of information to digest regarding this discussion, but it is vitally important that this information is read and considered.

“This is information that should and could also be shared with your families, friends, workmates, news outlets, and on social media platforms. Water is the most vital resource that we have, it is critical to the survival of us all, for life itself and to industries reliant on water supply for production – we need to ensure it is managed appropriately for the future. It is therefore imperative that all of us who make our living reliant on water supply make a submission, or at the very least complete the national survey in response to the water reform proposals.”

Turf Australia is urging to please complete the discussion survey here

Seeking views on a future national water agreement – Climate (dcceew.gov.au)

And to read the following documents:

Insights Paper – Pathway to enduring recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ water interests in national water reform initiatives. (dcceew.gov.au)
Discussion paper – Seeking views on a future national water agreement. March 2024 (storage.googleapis.com)

Closing date for feedback regarding the proposed National Water Agreement is 3 May 2024