A NEW ‘place of take approvals’ framework being introduced to strengthen water delivery rights in declared water systems in Victoria will be outlined in webinars next month.

The framework is due to come into effect during 2023/24 following planned consultation and communications activities.

To help irrigators and service providers better understand these changes, a free lunchtime webinar is being held on Wednesday, 12 July from 1-2 pm.

The new framework will be consistent across all declared water systems and will protect irrigator’s existing rights to have water delivered during the rare event of a water shortfall.

Irrigators will also have more flexibility to manage their own delivery risk. The changes are driven by increasing delivery risk in the Murray River downstream of Barmah.

Agriculture Victoria technical specialist Rob O’Connor said the webinar will cover what the ‘place of take approvals framework’ changes are, the drivers for the change, and what the changes mean for water users – including private diverters and irrigation district customers.

“Proposed rules including the cap and trade of water delivery rights will be discussed, along with the broader program of work to manage delivery risk in the Murray system,” he said.

“Expert speakers will include Penny Clark, senior manager for water reform legislation oversight, and Alex Murray, acting manager declared systems reform.

“Penny and Alex are both from the Water Markets and Grid branch at Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), which over-sees the place of take approval framework,” Mr O’Connor said.

To register for the webinar, click here. After registering save the confirmation email containing important information about joining the webinar, including a password.

More information about ‘place of take approvals’ can be found on the Victorian Water Register web site here.

The webinars are organised under the Sustainable Irrigation Program, a partnership between DEECA, catchment management authorities, rural water corporations, and irrigators.

Source – Agriculture Victoria.