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- Restoring Our Rivers 2024 - Expressions of Interest
Perhaps you're a long time water trader who is looking at a new option, or totally new to the concept of water trading. Whatever the case, this page explains some of the basic concepts and terminology. If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to contact one of our experienced team for the answers.
Water trade allows for the efficient redistribution of water and is an important mechanism for managing the Murray-Darling Basin’s scarce water resources.
There are two main types of water rights traded in the Basin – entitlements and allocations:
Rules operate together to govern water trade in the southern-connected Murray-Darling Basin, reduce restrictions on trade, improve transparency and access to information and
improve market confidence through a more effective water market.
There are overarching rules of the Commonwealth Basin Plan 2012, which all Basin States must comply with and rules in state water planning or water sharing instruments such as water allocation plans in South Australia and water sharing plans in New South Wales.
A temporary transfer is a transfer of water specifically for the irrigation season. Although temporary transfers are solely transfers of allocation between New South Wales and Victoria, Queensland and South Australia both have the means of transferring an entitlement on a temporary basis, whereby the water is transferred for the current irrigation season and the purchaser is the beneficiary of any increase in allocation from the date of the transfer.
Similar to the sale of land, a transfer of permanent water is the transfer of the water entitlement to the purchaser on a permanent basis. The purchaser will retain the parcel and receive any allocation granted upon it from the date of the transfer indefinitely or until the time at which they sell the entitlement.
The Forward Water Market is a mechanism which enables clients to plan for future irrigation requirements thus removing uncertainty around their requirements. Waterfind's unique and innovative Forward Water Market is an extension of the current spot market, enabling the contracting of temporary or permanent water parcels at a set price to be delivered at a future date, to be determined by the seller and purchaser.
With water being a limited and valuable resource, water trading encourages efficient water use by allowing it to be used where it’s needed most. Water trading is the act of selling your water allocation (temporarily) or entitlement (permanently) to another eligible water licence holder.
Waterfind makes water trading easy, where you can buy or sell water using our 24/7 online platform. You can also talk to your dedicated water account manager, and they can handle the process for you.
The Australian Government manages our water resources through issuing ‘rights’ (licenses, allocations, entitlements) to manage and control water use.
Water rights define how much water you are entitled to in a fully allocated year, where your water can be used, and any limitations on your licence.
If you have questions and queries regarding the water rights within your region, contact us today!
The water season runs from the 1st of July to the 30th of June.
There are two main types of water rights traded in the Murray-Darling Basin: water entitlements and water allocations.
Water entitlements are the total amount of water you own, allowing you to receive a certain volume of water during a season.
Water allocations are the percentage of a water entitlement that can be taken from the water source in that year. This can vary from year to year.
The volume of water allocated in a given year can change depending on the amount granted by the appropriate water authority. You can check your current allocation here.
