The National Water Initiative (NWI) is an intergovernmental agreement between the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments that provides a framework and principles for national water reform to manage Australia's water resources sustainably into the future. It aims to make Australia's water use more efficient, provide investment confidence and certainty for the environment, and improve water security for rural and urban communities. Tasmania became a signatory to the NWI on 2 June 2005.
Under the NWI, all states and territories are committed to:
- prepare water plans with provisions for the environment.
- achieve sustainable water use in over allocated or stressed water systems.
- introduce registers of water rights and standards for water accounting.
- expand trade in water rights.
- improve pricing for water storage and delivery.
- better manage urban water demands.
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) with input from all states and territories are now developing a new National Water Agreement. Tasmania has representatives on the National Water Committee, National Water Initiative Working Group and a number of subcommittees that support them.
The proposed new agreement builds on the NWI by modernising it to better respond to contemporary challenges and opportunities faced by Australia's water managers and communities including:
- Strengthening the connections between climate science and water planning to better respond to the challenges of population growth and climate change.
- Embedding an ongoing commitment to First Nations voices in water management and ensuring the needs and aspirations of First Nations communities are part of water planning including the rights and aspirations of First Nations people to manage, own and control water for their own economic and cultural purposes.
- Ensuring access to safe and secure drinking water.
- Taking a strategic approach to the management of groundwater.
There have been three phases of consultation on different aspects of the draft NWA. Two early phases of consultation focused on the draft high-level objectives and outcomes and a third phase, in August and September 2024, focused on the principles of the proposed new agreement.
To learn more about the proposed National Water Agreement visit A new National Water Agreement.