NSW Irrigators' Council (NSWIC) says the latest floodplain harvesting metering compliance figures highlight the ongoing government delays and implementation failures associated with the floodplain harvesting reforms, following new data released by the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR).
NSWIC CEO, Dr Madeleine Hartley, said NRAR's figures reflected the significant investment irrigators had made to comply with the new licensing and metering framework under challenging conditions.
"Northern irrigators have spent substantial time and resources - often exceeding tens of thousands of dollars - to meet the requirements of the floodplain harvesting framework," Dr Hartley said.
Dr Hartley noted that compliance challenges reflected government and administrative delays and constraints rather than deliberate wrongdoing.
"Licensing and metering floodplain harvesting has been one of the most technically complex water reforms undertaken in NSW in recent years."
"NSWIC has consistently raised concerns around issues such as hardware and software not always being fit for purpose, limited availability of qualified service providers, natural conditions, and the practical realities of delivering reforms across geographically dispersed communities," she said.
"It is encouraging to see NRAR recognise some of the practical barriers to implementation."
Dr Hartley said NSWIC had publicly supported a transparent and enforceable framework for floodplain harvesting, but repeated disallowance motions in the NSW Parliament between 2020 and 2022 delayed implementation and prolonged uncertainty for water users.
"The introduction of licensing delivered a 100GL adjustment to the system, increasing environmental water outcomes," she said.
Dr Hartley said NSWIC supports compliance objectives and acknowledged NRAR has an education and engagement remit, alongside its compliance responsibilities.
"NSWIC advocates for practical compliance measures, education and implementation pathways to ensure these compliance rates continue to improve over time."
"But these figures highlight NRAR and the government have room to improve reform implementation and education."
