e-News Edition #74 New

Date: 07-Oct-2026

Welcome to Edition 74 of the Irrigation Australia e-News. Peter Durand, our Acting General Manager, opens the edition on matching training to the work businesses need done. We then look at the New South Wales coastal metering deadline of 1 December, the Queensland meter certification rollout and our Certified Meter Installer and Validator course in Brisbane, and the waiting list for the Western Australian Certificate III. We recognise the 2026 Waterwise award winners and Tasmanian Irrigation, report on a dry start to summer in Perth, preview National Water Week, and close with the AGM, the October field days and a call for stories for the Summer edition of The Overflow.

Hot Topics

From Peter: Matching Training to the Work Businesses Need Done
NSW Coastal Water Users: Compliant Meters Are Due 1 December
Certified Meter Installer and Validator Training Comes to Brisbane
WA Certificate III: The October Intake Is Full
Recognising the 2026 Waterwise Award Winners
Tasmanian Irrigation Completes the Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme
A Dry Start to Summer in Perth
National Water Week: Water Connects Everything
The AGM and October Field Days
The Summer Overflow Wants Your WA Stories

1. From Peter: Matching Training to the Work Businesses Need Done

Recent discussions with members and sponsors have highlighted an important distinction: a need for stronger skills does not always translate into demand for a full qualification.

Some businesses need an accredited pathway for their staff. Others need focused learning around a particular task or technical problem. Both matter, but they require different approaches.

In Western Australia, strong interest in our accredited irrigation training is prompting further planning with the delivery team. Before confirming additional places, we need to ensure that teaching, assessment and ongoing student support can all be provided.

Alongside our accredited training, we are discussing how Irrigation Australia could draw more effectively on the expertise already held by manufacturers, suppliers and experienced practitioners. Shorter, practical learning is one likely possibility. This work is still being developed, and any offering needs a clear purpose, sufficient demand and the capacity to deliver it well.

For employers, specific information helps us make better decisions. If you have a training need, please tell us the task your staff need to perform, how many people need support, your location and the preferred timing. Email info@irrigation.org.au with "Training needs" in the subject.

That gives us a stronger basis for planning useful training and identifying where collaboration could help.

Peter Durand, Acting General Manager

2. NSW Coastal Water Users: Compliant Meters Are Due 1 December

Coastal water users in New South Wales whose works are nominated by entitlements of 100 ML or more must have an AS4747 meter, a local intelligence device and telemetry installed and validated by a duly qualified person by 1 December 2026. Users with 15 to 100 ML must install a pattern-approved meter by 1 December 2027, or by their works approval renewal date if that comes first.

That leaves less than eight weeks for the larger coastal users, and the work has to be done by someone qualified to do it. The department is running information sessions for coastal water users, and the details are on its website.

For members, this is installation and validation work arriving on a fixed date. If you hold the Certified Meter Installer and Validator certification, make sure your Certification Directory listing is current, because that is where water users look for a duly qualified person.

Coastal water users: information sessions

Search the Certification Directory

3. Certified Meter Installer and Validator Training Comes to Brisbane

Queensland's non-urban water meter rollout has certification deadlines running from 30 November this year through to November 2028, and each meter must be certified by a duly qualified person. Certifications are due on 30 November in parts of the Condamine and Balonne, Great Artesian Basin, Mary Basin, Fitzroy Basin, Gulf and Barron water plan areas, with more areas following in March 2027, November 2027 and December 2027. Every certified meter then needs re-certifying every five years.

Irrigation Australia's Certified Meter Installer and Validator course is a recognised pathway to becoming a certified meter installer and undertaking this work. The course runs in Brisbane on 1 and 2 December 2026 and includes two days of hands-on training, plus additional assessment tasks, some of which may need to be completed at home in your own time. A Construction Industry White Card is required, and participants must agree to the Code of Conduct. Successful completion of the required units leads to a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment. Fees are $1,700 for company members, $1,900 for individual members and $2,100 for non-members.

Book your place

Business Queensland: who needs a meter

4. WA Certificate III: The October Intake Is Full

The Western Australian intake of the AHC32424 Certificate III in Irrigation Technology, starting on Monday 19 October and running to 21 May 2027, is now at capacity. Thank you to the employers and learners who enrolled. A waiting list is open, and places that come free are offered from it.

If you want a place on the next Western Australian intake, join the waiting list now so the training team can gauge demand. Western Australian apprenticeship and Priority Industry Training subsidies can substantially reduce the cost, so check eligibility with the team before you commit a staff member.

Join the waiting list

To learn more or register your interest, email info@irrigation.org.au with "WA Certificate III funding" in the subject line.

5. Recognising the 2026 Waterwise Award Winners

Water Corporation's 2026 Waterwise Recognition Awards went to organisations and people across Western Australia who have cut water use and kept it down. Several of them are Irrigation Australia members, and we are pleased to see their work recognised.

In the Council Program, the City of Gosnells and the City of Karratha both reached Platinum. Steve Reeves of the City of Belmont received the Waterwise Leadership Award for a 15 per cent reduction in irrigation water use across more than 44,000 square metres of public space, and Riley Debney of the City of Kwinana received the Waterwise Action Award. Mid West Ports Authority in Geraldton cut its total water use by 33,539 kilolitres, or 33 per cent, in 2024-25, and Cockburn Arc saved more than 3,000 kilolitres in its last reporting year.

We will be telling some of these stories in full in the Summer edition of The Overflow, ready on 7 December. Congratulations to every winner.

Read Water Corporation's announcement

6. Tasmanian Irrigation Completes the Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme

Irrigation Australia member Tasmanian Irrigation has completed construction of the Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme, a significant achievement that will support farm investment and agricultural production in the region.

The $217.96 million project includes more than 150 kilometres of underground pipeline and is designed to deliver 25,500 ML of irrigation water annually to districts including Ross, Campbell Town and Conara. Its first season of operation was scheduled to begin on 1 October.

Jointly funded by the Australian and Tasmanian governments and participating irrigators, the scheme demonstrates the value of sustained collaboration in delivering major irrigation infrastructure. More reliable water supplies will give farmers greater confidence to plan production and invest in their businesses.

Irrigation Australia congratulates the Tasmanian Irrigation team and everyone involved in reaching this milestone. It is a strong example of the contribution our members make to regional communities and the future of Australian agriculture.

About the Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme

7. A Dry Start to Summer in Perth

Perth's dam storage is at its lowest level since 2017 after a dry winter. Only 12 billion litres of streamflow reached dams in Perth and southern Western Australia, and Water Corporation asked households to keep their sprinklers off throughout September.

That puts water efficiency in front of every customer before the hottest months arrive. Members can offer system checks covering leaks, pressure, head condition and controller settings now, so that systems are ready for the roster and are not losing water when it is scarce. Waterwise Garden Irrigators and Waterwise Irrigation Design Shops are listed on the Waterwise Programs website, where customers go to find a specialist.

Find a Waterwise specialist

Search the Certification Directory

8. National Water Week: Water Connects Everything

National Water Week runs from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 October, and the 2026 theme is Water Connects Everything. Water Night falls on Thursday 22 October, when households and schools are asked to turn the taps off from 5 pm to 10 pm.

Irrigation sits at the centre of that theme, connecting water to food, sport, public space and regional jobs. We will be posting through the week on our social channels. If your business, council or regional committee is running an activity, tell us and we will share it.

National Water Week themes

Water Night

9. The AGM and October Field Days

Irrigation Australia's 2026 Annual General Meeting is on Wednesday 28 October at 11 am AEST (12 noon AEDT), held online. Voting in this year's Board election has closed, and the results will be announced at the meeting, along with the 2026 Annual Report. The Notice of Meeting has been emailed to members with registration and proxy details. If you cannot attend, please return your proxy form by 5 pm AEST on Monday 26 October to help the meeting reach quorum.

Three field days fall in the next three weeks. The Wandin Silvan Field Days run in the Yarra Valley on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October, the Murrumbateman Field Days on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, and the Australian National Field Days at Borenore, near Orange, from Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 October. If you are exhibiting as an Irrigation Australia member, let us know and we will share your stand.

Wandin Silvan Field Days

Murrumbateman Field Days

Australian National Field Days

10. The Summer Overflow Wants Your WA Stories

The Summer edition of The Overflow, our Western Australian publication, will be ready on 7 December. It is built around practical case studies and what the industry learned in 2026: projects, councils, apprentices and the businesses behind them.

If you have a Western Australian project, a lesson from this year or a team member worth recognising, we would like to hear about it. It does not need to be polished writing. Send us notes or rough answers and we will shape them into an article and send it back for your approval. Drafts are due by Friday 6 November.

To learn more or register your interest, email info@irrigation.org.au with "Summer Overflow story" in the subject line.

Find out more about The Overflow

Also This Fortnight

Brunswick water sharing plan: feedback closes Monday 12 October. The replacement plan for the Brunswick unregulated and alluvial water sources in the Northern Rivers has been on public exhibition since 31 August. Have your say on the Brunswick plan

NRAR sets out its outcomes framework. The Natural Resources Access Regulator's strategy to 2030 sets three outcomes: water users know the rules and how to follow them, rule breakers are held to account, and communities trust that water is regulated fairly. Read NRAR's strategy

Lower Murray Locks 8 and 9 works contract awarded. Abergeldie Complex Infrastructure will build the new regulators and fishways at Carrs Weirs 1 and 2. About the Locks 8 and 9 project

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.

Early 2027

Funding and discounts: Western Australian participants should check the WA Apprenticeship and the current Priority Industry Training funding subsidies, which substantially reduce the cost of the Certificate III in Irrigation Technology. Councils and contractors sending staff to the October Western Australian intake should ask the training team about eligibility before they enrol, not after. 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 the Summer Edition of The Overflow

The Summer edition of The Overflow, Irrigation Australia's Western Australian publication, closes for advertising material on Friday 20 November and will be ready on 7 December. It reaches Waterwise Program participants, golf course superintendents, retailers, contractors and manufacturers across Western Australia, and every advertisement carries live links so readers go straight from the page to your website.

Your advertisement is promoted through:

Direct member emails to our membership base
The Irrigation Australia website
The e-News, reaching more than 6,900 subscribers
Irrigation Australia social media channels and our 8,800-plus LinkedIn following
QR codes displayed in irrigation retail stores across Western Australia

This is paid space and it is separate from the Member Spotlight earlier in this edition, which is editorial and free. Members receive preferential rates, and Irrigation Futures Sponsors have access to a discounted two-edition rate that pairs the Summer Overflow with the next Irrigation Journal. To book, or to request the media kit and current rate card, contact the team at info@irrigation.org.au.

Find out more about The Overflow

Find out more about The Irrigation Journal

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

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