Victoria's long-term plan for our water resources and reporting against our targets.
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Delivering Water for Victoria
Since Water for Victoria was launched in August 2016, significant progress has been made in meeting the challenges of climate change and population growth and taking action to ensure our water system is modern and efficient, future-focused and affordable.
The 69 Water for Victoria actions range from flagship waterway projects, protecting and restoring waterway health, supporting farmers’ resilience with new infrastructure and skills and partnering with Traditional Owners to better include Aboriginal water interests into water planning and management.
We are proud to be delivering Water for Victoria actions in collaboration with water corporations, catchment management authorities, the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, Traditional Owner groups, local government and community partners.
Our approach focuses on strengthening local relationships and putting the community at the centre of decision-making and the delivery of priority water projects for Victoria’s cities, towns and regions.
A strong system of planning, governance and reporting is in place to make sure that the actions under Water for Victoria sustain and secure our water supply for now and into the future.
2024 action status update
By mid 2023, 57 of the 69 actions in Water for Victoria were complete, with work well underway on the remaining 12 actions.
While DEECA continues to deliver programs aligned to Water for Victoria, more focussed strategies have been developed with significant community and stakeholder input since then. These strategies, building on many reforms initiated through Water for Victoria, include:
The Water for Victoria status report for 2024 provides updates on the 12 actions that were still open as of the 2023 report. Nearly all actions are now marked as 'complete and now business as usual', noting that DEECA continues to deliver on the broad reforms set out in Water for Victoria.
Almost complete – expected 2025
Draft policies have been developed to guide water corporations to set charges for the storage and delivery of environmental water holdings. Consultation with key stakeholders has occurred, including catchment management authorities (CMAs), the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and Victorian water corporations. Communication products are now being finalised to inform the next stage of consultation. The policies will be finalised for inclusion in the final Victorian Waterway Management Strategy to be released in 2025.
Complete and now business as usual
In 2021-22, a review of Irrigation Licensing Guidance Material was undertaken. Implementation of the recommendations is underway.
The Northern Victorian, South West and Gippsland irrigation development guidelines (IDGs) have been updated and are being implemented.
The Mallee Irrigation Development Guidelines are currently under review. This is the second review since Water for Victoria was released.
Complete and now business as usual
The Emergency Water Supply Point (EWSP) network was reviewed and works completed in 2016. Additional funding for improving access to supply points was announced in 2019 as part of drought support, and a total of 11 new EWSPs were constructed through this project.
In 2021, an independent review was conducted which focused on identifying established infrastructure associated with emergency water supply and the consideration of where new or upgraded infrastructure was required.
In 2021-22, additional funding was announced for the extension and improvement of EWSP infrastructure across bushfire affected communities under the Victorian Government Building Works Stimulus Package and the Commonwealth National Water Grid Fund. This was allocated across several priority Local Government Areas identified through the 2021 review, with 22 EWSP sites upgraded or installed as part of this funding package to date.
DEECA has reviewed the roles and responsibilities for managing and communicating EWSPs and determined that local government and water corporations should continue to share ownership, as this arrangement works well for local needs. The relevant EWSP manager will continue to be responsible for the ongoing operation and maintenance and access conditions for EWSPs. As a condition for funding of new or upgraded EWSP sites, EWSP managers must commit to ongoing operational and maintenance requirements.
Pricing principles for access and usage of EWSPs will be set by the relevant site manager, based on the level of service at the site, asset and maintenance needs. DEECA has committed to reviewing the state's EWSP network every five years to ensure it is current, accurate, and clearly communicated to the community, with the next review due in 2026. You can find out more about EWSP on this webpage.
Complete and now business as usual
In April 2024,GMW Water Efficiency Project was completed, delivering 254km of irrigation modernisation and rationalisation across the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District to achieve 15.9 GL in water savings issued to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. In doing so, the project met its Commonwealth-State contractual obligations – a significant success for Victoria in delivering on its Murray Darling Basin Plan commitments. The project delivered an estimated 1,210 regional jobs during the life of the project and an estimated GDP increase of $148 million to the region – a significant economic stimulus during a period of Covid-19 impacts.
The $37.9m Lower Murray Water - Sunraysia Water Efficiency Project has continued its delivery of a significant program of construction works, including irrigation channel modernisation and the removal or upgrade of dethridge meters and domestic and stock outlets in the Mildura, Red Cliffs and Merbein Irrigation Districts. The project is on track for construction completion in late 2024. In May 2024, Victoria issued the first 0.3GL of the contracted 1.8GL water recovery to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, with the remaining 1.5GL on track for delivery by June 2026.
The Victoria Planning Provisions were amended to extend stormwater management requirements to most development types. To assist the industry in complying with the new requirements an online portal was developed and 43 training sessions have been delivered statewide to an audience of over 1000 people. This has built technical expertise and increased awareness. Guidance has been developed to help councils establish stormwater quality offsets schemes. This is expected to be published shortly.
The Port Phillip and Westernport region Healthy Waterways Strategy has identified place based targets for stormwater harvesting and infiltration. The Integrated Water Management Catchment Scale Action Plans have also developed place-based targets for stormwater management.
The EPA has released urban stormwater management guidance, 1739.1 that includes performance objectives which relate to rainfall bands. The EPA have also released the Obligations of Land and Infrastructure Managers which requires councils to develop municipal stormwater management plans.
Complete and now business as usual
DEECA continues to simplify regulatory instruments and to clarify roles and responsibilities set out in bulk entitlements and associated instruments for the management of water systems.
The approach taken to appoint storage managers has been refreshed to ensure strict adherence to the Water Act 1989. Existing storage manager appointments are being remade, with some re-appointments already completed and the remainder due to be completed in 2024-25. Most resource manager appointments were found to be redundant with most already lapsed or to be revoked in 2024-25.
Ongoing work is underway to look at future options to further improve system management appointments to simplify and provide greater clarity of roles.
Complete and now business as usual
DEECA is reviewing the draft guidelines for the development of low flow contingency plans. The review will take account of the new regulations under the ‘place of take’ framework (for implementing restrictions and prohibitions on the taking of water in response to low flows).
Rural water corporations will be consulted on the draft guidelines and a program for the development of pilot low flow contingency plans for priority systems. In the meantime, rural water corporations continue to improve information about water resource availability by publishing annual water outlooks.
In alignment with Priority Area 7 of Groundwater Management 2030, DEECA are reviewing the groundwater licensing and management framework (including statutory management plans). DEECA is also working with the rural water corporations on a state-wide technical assessment and review of the limits of take under licences (aligned to Priority Area 1).
As the further work will continue as part of business as usual activities, or as part of implementing Groundwater 2030 and other new strategies, this action will now be marked as “complete and now business as usual”.
Complete and now business as usual
The new Goulburn to Murray trade and operating rules have been in effect since June 2022, ensuring trade and delivery of water is only allowed within the ecological tolerances of the lower Goulburn River.
The existing exemption for ‘grandfathered’ tags from allocation trade restrictions was removed from the Victorian regulatory framework to align with the changes to Commonwealth legislation that came into effect on 1 July 2024.
River Murray delivery risks continue to be managed through continuous improvement of river operations and the interjurisdictional Capacity and Shortfall Program, which Victoria actively supports. Interjurisdictional work program on communicating River Murray delivery risks is continuing with improved resourcing.
Victoria’s new ‘place of take’ legislative framework commenced in November 2023, strengthening and clarifying delivery rights during shortfall events.
Complete and now business as usual
Water corporations and CMAs are continuing to work with delivery partners to identify skills gaps and develop programs to improve skills and capacity in the sector, including traineeships, apprenticeships and director development programs.
Guidelines to assist water corporation and CMA boards engage Aboriginal Delegates were issued by DEECA in 2023. Since then, over 20 Aboriginal Delegates have been appointed to boards across the water sector.
As part of the Aboriginal Delegate program, Aboriginal Delegates on water corporation boards will be entitled to an AICD scholarship and DEECA has directly funded CMAs to provide similar support to their Aboriginal board Delegates.
Complete and now business as usual
The water sector is making positive change to improve Aboriginal inclusion in the water sector, including increasing the number of Aboriginal Victorians appointed to water sector boards. This work continued in 2021-22 with scholarships awarded to high potential individuals to receive Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) training in governance.
In 2022-23 further funding was used to improve the awareness of the water sector, and to develop high potential individuals for future board positions. Further AICD scholarships were funded in 2023-24.
As at 1 October 2024, the number of Aboriginal board members is 20, up from 11 in 2019 and 13 in 2021. With this increased representation, 18 out of 28 water sector boards have an Aboriginal board member.
Complete and now business as usual
The water sector is working with Traditional Owner groups to support increased Victorian Aboriginal self-determination by exploring and developing opportunities for Aboriginal enterprises to supply goods and services for the water sector.
Water corporations and CMAs are also developing traineeship and employment programs for Aboriginal Victorians to increase participation in the sector.
Complete and now business as usual
Performance indicator definitions for water corporation annual report and corporate plan submissions have been reviewed and consolidated into a single, enduring, easy-to-use format. This has eliminated duplication of some indicator definitions and reduced the administrative load on water corporations in preparing data. It should also improve data quality, so is expected to reduce the number of queries.
The database is now functional and work is progressing to minimise duplicative reporting to multiple government agencies. The feasibility of allowing water corporations to directly input performance data to the database is being examined. This has the potential to streamline management of data even further.
