e-News Edition #69 New

Date: 04-Aug-2026

Welcome to Edition 69 of the Irrigation Australia e-News. This edition leads with a compliance date that is now genuinely close: coastal water users in New South Wales with entitlements of 100 ML or more need a compliant, validated meter by 1 December 2026, and installer capacity will tighten well before then. We also look at the welcome lift in South Australian River Murray allocations to 92 per cent, Basin water recovery passing 380 GL, and the Productivity Commission's National Water Reform 2026 inquiry now underway. On the seasonal side, ABARES has forecast a 21 per cent fall in winter crop production against a dry outlook, Future Drought Fund applications close on 10 August, and aquatic weed incursions are back in the spotlight ahead of National Biosecurity Week. As always, our full training calendar and certification pathways are at the end.

Hot Topics

NSW Coastal Metering: 1 December 2026 Deadline Approaching
Greenscapes + Green Expo Irrigation Workshop, Brisbane, 5 August
SA River Murray Allocations Lift Again to 92 Per Cent
Basin Water Recovery Passes 380 GL Toward the 450 GL Target
Productivity Commission National Water Reform 2026 Inquiry Underway
ABARES Forecasts a 21 Per Cent Fall in Winter Crop Production
Drought Resilience Funding: Future Drought Fund Applications Close 10 August
Aquatic Weed Incursions and National Biosecurity Week, 24 to 30 August

1. NSW Coastal Metering: 1 December 2026 Deadline Approaching

The NSW non-urban water metering rollout has reached the coast, and the first compliance date is now less than five months away. Coastal water users whose works are nominated by a total licence entitlement of 100 ML or more must have a compliant, pattern-approved meter installed and validated by a Duly Qualified Person by 1 December 2026.

Smaller users have longer. Works nominated by more than 15 ML and less than 100 ML have until 1 December 2027, or the renewal of their work approval, whichever is later. That extra year sounds generous until you consider how much of the state's Certified Meter Installer capacity will be absorbed by the 2026 cohort first.

Members who hold coastal entitlements should check their position against the NSW Government's non-urban metering guidance now, and book a Certified Meter Installer and Validator early rather than in the final quarter. Irrigation Australia's Certification Directory lists every certified installer and validator in the country.

100 ML or more nominated entitlement: compliant meter required by 1 December 2026
More than 15 ML and less than 100 ML: 1 December 2027 or work approval renewal, whichever is later
Meters must be pattern approved and installed and validated by a Duly Qualified Person

Find a Certified Meter Installer and Validator in the Certification Directory

2. Greenscapes + Green Expo Irrigation Workshop, Brisbane, 5 August

Irrigation Australia's workshop "When Water Meets the Ground" runs this week at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Bank, on Wednesday 5 August from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm as part of the Greenscapes + Green Expo education program.

Developed by Irrigation Australia, the session is aimed squarely at landscape and horticulture professionals who want to lift irrigation performance on the ground. It works through the everyday problems that quietly cost water and plant health: run-off, dry spots, overspray, poor pressure regulation and scheduling that has never been revisited.

Registration is $95 including GST and delegates receive a Certificate of Attendance. Places are limited and the workshop is running this week, so anyone still deciding should register today.

Workshop details and registration

3. SA River Murray Allocations Lift Again to 92 Per Cent

South Australian River Murray irrigators have had a considerably better start to 2026-27 than the opening projection suggested. The allocation has been lifted to 92 per cent, the second increase since the projected minimum opening allocation of 62 per cent was announced on 15 April under the Murray-Darling Basin Authority's worst case water availability scenario.

The Department for Environment and Water attributed the increase to moderate to high rainfall across the southern Murray-Darling Basin during June, which improved inflows into the River Murray System. Water Delivery Manager Renee Thompson said the increase provides greater certainty for River Murray entitlement holders planning for the season ahead.

Current projections indicate a high likelihood of allocations reaching 100 per cent under most scenarios, with most River Murray system inflows historically occurring between July and November. That is not guaranteed: the three month Bureau of Meteorology outlook indicates below-average rainfall is expected across parts of the Basin.

One planning note for entitlement holders: because the minimum opening allocation announced on 15 April exceeded 50 per cent, irrigators are not eligible to carry over unused 2025-26 allocation volumes into 2026-27. Fortnightly allocation updates continue while allocations remain below 100 per cent.

Read the Department for Environment and Water announcement

4. Basin Water Recovery Passes 380 GL Toward the 450 GL Target

More than 380 GL has now been recovered toward the Basin Plan's additional 450 GL target, through a combination of federally funded water efficiency infrastructure projects and voluntary water purchasing, with a further 20 GL expected through entitlement purchases from voluntary sellers.

The recovery is being delivered through several programs, including the Restoring our Rivers Voluntary Water Purchase Program and the Resilient Rivers Water Infrastructure Program, which replaced the Off-farm Efficiency Program with a more flexible investment approach. The Restoring our Rivers Trading Strategy was updated in February 2026 with further information on how voluntary purchasing is being conducted.

For irrigation businesses, the practical interest is less in the headline volume and more in the infrastructure side of the ledger. Efficiency projects funded under these programs continue to generate design, installation, metering and system upgrade work across Basin districts.

A separate Basin-wide review, informed by a two day gathering of nearly 200 senior leaders from communities, agriculture, tourism, environmental groups, First Nations, government and science, is due to be released later in 2026.

Water reform funding in the Murray-Darling Basin (DCCEEW)

5. Productivity Commission National Water Reform 2026 Inquiry Underway

The Productivity Commission's National Water Reform 2026 public inquiry is now running. These inquiries are the mechanism through which national water policy settings get reassessed, and their recommendations tend to shape state-level water entitlement, metering and compliance rules for years afterward.

Irrigation professionals have a direct stake in the outcome. Entitlement reliability, water market integrity, metering and measurement standards and the funding model for water infrastructure all sit within scope, and all flow through to what irrigators can plan for and what installers and designers are asked to build.

Members with a view on how water reform is landing in practice, particularly on metering compliance costs and the availability of qualified installers, should watch the inquiry timetable for submission and consultation opportunities.

National Water Reform 2026 public inquiry

6. ABARES Forecasts a 21 Per Cent Fall in Winter Crop Production

The June 2026 Australian Crop Report forecasts winter crop production falling 21 per cent to 54.5 million tonnes, driven by lower average yields rather than a collapse in plantings. Area planted for the 2026-27 crop is expected to remain relatively high at 23.6 million hectares.

The Bureau of Meteorology outlook underpinning the forecast shows a 60 to 80 per cent chance of below-average winter rainfall across many cropping regions. High fuel and fertiliser costs are expected to keep pressure on grower returns, and the value of agricultural production is forecast to fall 5 per cent to $98.3 billion in 2026-27.

The read-across for irrigation is straightforward. A dry, high-input season is exactly the environment in which application efficiency, uniformity and scheduling accuracy stop being nice-to-have and start being the difference between a viable margin and a poor one. It is a good season to be having system audit and scheduling conversations with clients.

The next Australian Crop Report is scheduled for 8:00 am AEST on Tuesday 1 September 2026.

Australian Crop Report, ABARES

7. Drought Resilience Funding: Future Drought Fund Applications Close 10 August

Applications for the current Future Drought Fund round close on 10 August 2026, which gives members less than a week to get an application in. The Fund provides continuous funding for initiatives that help farmers and regional communities prepare for drought and other climate impacts.

Adoption of drought resilience practice is already high. ABARES reporting shows 77 per cent of broadacre and dairy farms adopted at least one drought resilience practice over the three years to 2023-24, with the highest uptake in the wheat-sheep zone at 84 per cent, compared with 72 per cent in the high rainfall zone and 70 per cent in the pastoral zone.

In New South Wales, a $7.94 million investment is supporting winegrape, apple and cherry growers to build drought resilience. The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is working with host growers on a toolkit of management strategies including soil amendments, deficit irrigation and modern technology such as soil moisture probes. Deficit irrigation and probe-based scheduling are both areas where certified irrigation professionals can add real value.

Future Drought Fund programs and application details

8. Aquatic Weed Incursions and National Biosecurity Week, 24 to 30 August

Invasive aquatic weeds remain one of the most direct biosecurity threats to irrigation infrastructure. NSW biosecurity officers intercepted and seized yellow burrhead plants in the Illawarra earlier this year under the state's New Weed Incursion Plan. Yellow burrhead invades wetlands, rice fields and irrigation channels, and forensic science was used to trace the incursion.

Other species to watch include water caltrop, which forms dense mats that block waterways, Eurasian water milfoil, which can take over a watercourse quickly, and water poppy, which forms entangled mats that obstruct flow and can damage irrigation equipment in infested waterways.

National Biosecurity Week runs from 24 to 30 August 2026, with the message that prevention, preparedness and early action are what protect Australia's food supply, environment and economy. For irrigation businesses, the practical version of that is simple: clean equipment between sites, know what the notifiable aquatic weeds look like in your state, and report suspected incursions rather than assuming someone else already has.

National Biosecurity Week 2026, Plant Health Australia

Upcoming Training Courses

Irrigation Australia is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO 91313) delivering nationally accredited irrigation qualifications, workshops and short courses. Our courses use a blended learning model, combining hands-on face-to-face training with interactive virtual classrooms.

Certified Meter Installer and Validator, New South Wales, 11 to 12 August 2026
Certified Irrigation Installer, Queensland, 15 to 18 September 2026
Certified Meter Installer and Validator, South Australia, 13 to 14 October 2026
AHC32424 Certificate III in Irrigation Technology, Western Australia, 19 to 23 October 2026
AHC32424 Certificate III in Irrigation Technology, New South Wales, 26 October 2026 to 11 June 2027
Electrofusion and Butt Welding, Western Australia, 4 to 5 November 2026
Certified Meter Installer and Validator, Queensland, 1 to 2 December 2026
Electrofusion and Butt Welding, New South Wales, 9 to 10 December 2026

Early 2027

Certified Irrigation Installer, Western Australia, 2 to 5 February 2027
Electrofusion and Butt Welding, South Australia, 10 to 11 February 2027
Certified Meter Installer and Validator, New South Wales, 16 to 17 February 2027
Certified Irrigation Installer, Queensland, 2 to 5 March 2027
Certified Meter Installer and Validator, South Australia, 13 to 14 April 2027
Certified Irrigation Installer, Victoria, 11 to 14 May 2027
Electrofusion and Butt Welding, Western Australia, 19 to 20 May 2027
Electrofusion and Butt Welding, South Australia, 9 to 10 June 2027
Certified Meter Installer and Validator, Queensland, 15 to 16 June 2027

Funding and discounts: Western Australian participants should check the WA Apprenticeship and current funding subsidies available through the Irrigation Australia careers site, which can substantially reduce course costs. Group discounts are available for organisations enrolling multiple staff, so please contact the training team before booking a team in.

Self-paced online options also remain open, including the free Irrigation Insights induction course and the Introduction to Irrigation Part A and Part B courses. Company members can purchase a 12 month subscription giving all staff unlimited access to all three online courses.

View all upcoming training courses and dates

The Irrigation Australia Talent Hub: Employers Wanted!

Irrigation Australia has partnered with Goheadhunt to deliver the Irrigation Australia Talent Hub, a dedicated recruitment channel for our industry. If you are hiring, or expect to be hiring, this is the place to be visible.

Employers can create a free employer profile and get in front of a growing pool of industry talent, including graduates of our Certificate III and certification programs and people coming through the Irrigation Insights induction course.

Free employer profile, no cost to list your business
Access to a growing pool of irrigation-specific talent
Pay-for-Success model, so you only pay on a successful placement

The Talent Hub only works if employers are on it. We would encourage every member business with current or upcoming vacancies to register a profile.

Explore careers and the Talent Hub at irrigationcareers.org.au

Advertise in Our Publications

Advertising with Irrigation Australia puts your business in front of the people who specify, install, maintain and buy irrigation products and services across the country.

Your advertisement is promoted through:

Direct member emails to our membership base
The Irrigation Australia website
The e-News, reaching 8,500 or more subscribers
Irrigation Australia social media channels
QR codes displayed in irrigation retail stores across Western Australia
Publuu digital distribution of each publication

All advertisements carry live links, so readers can go straight from the page to your website, product page or contact form.

To discuss advertising in The Irrigation Journal or The Overflow, including rates, deadlines and available placements, contact the team at info@irrigation.org.au.

Find out more about The Irrigation Journal

Find out more about The Overflow

Irrigation Australia Ltd | 1/35 Paringa Road, Murarrie QLD 4172 | 07 3517 4000 | info@irrigation.org.au

Back to list