A new report was released by the Tasmanian Government representing a major milestone for water accountability in Tasmania.
The report, A Review of Tasmania’s Water Accountability Framework, was released at the 10th meeting of the Rural Water Roundtable.
Minister for Primary Industries and Water Jane Howlett said the review will increase our understanding of water use in Tasmania and improve how we make water allocation, planning, and investment decisions.
Water industry leaders and key stakeholders, including water managers, environmental managers, and industry peak bodies, attended the Rural Water Roundtable meeting. The author of the independent report presented the findings to the attendees.
“The report found that Tasmania’s current water accountability framework has served Tasmania well but requires modernising to meet challenges from changing climate, population growth, growing complexity in water management arrangements and more demands on our water resource,” Minister Howlett said.
“The report recommends improved water use data capture that aligns with contemporary and national best practices to ensure continued confidence and certainty about the availability and reliability of water allocations in Tasmania in the face of these challenges and increasing demand for water.
“A risk-based approach to implementation is recommended in the report, which is strongly supported by the Tasmanian Government, meaning that different water accountability measures will be required in different catchments based on risk.
“The Tasmanian Government supports all 23 recommendations in the independent report, which span policy, legislative, administrative and operational changes.
“Eleven of these key recommendations are already underway through the implementation of complementary projects delivered under the Tasmanian Government’s Rural Water Use Strategy.
“Opportunities for engagement with water managers and users will be a key focus during implementation, which will be staged over several years to allow people to have a say and time to adapt.”
The Tasmanian Government, through our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, will continue to support farmers in securing water where it’s needed and confidently investing in growing higher-value crops to enter longer-term supply contracts and expand their businesses.
The Water Accountability Framework Review Project commenced in mid-2023. $160,000 was committed to this project, which the Australian Government jointly funded through the National Water Grid Fund in partnership with the Tasmanian Government.
More information on the Rural Water Roundtable can be found here: https://nre.tas.gov.au/water/water-legislation-policies-and-strategies/rural-water-use-strategy/engagement-and-collaboration/rural-water-roundtable
More information on the Water Accountability Framework Review Project can be found here: Water Accountability Framework Review | Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania
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