Off-farm Efficiency Program

The Australian Government and the governments of NSW, South Australia, Queensland and ACT have agreed to extend the 30 June 2024 delivery deadline to return the 450 GL of water to the environment under the Murray Darling Basin Plan to 31 December 2027.

The Australian Government’s Off-farm Efficiency Program is a $1.54 billion initiative to upgrade water infrastructure to reduce water losses and increase water available for the environment. The program has three streams including $1.33 billion for state-led projects (open) and $150 million for grants provided direct to applicants (now closed). A further $60 million is available for on-farm projects, however NSW Government will not progress applications under this stream.

Projects funded under the program will provide long-term benefits through improved water infrastructure and reduced water losses. Water users and the community will also benefit from increased water reliability and the creation of job opportunities.

The program aims to:

• improve and modernise water delivery systems and reduce water losses to increase the volume of available water for the environment, irrigation, urban and industrial networks, irrigators and communities
• drive employment and create infrastructure opportunities for local communities through funding arrangements for suitable projects
• deliver on the NSW Government’s commitment to the Murray Darling Basin Plan to contribute to the return of 450 GL to the environment by June 2024.

The program is open to individuals and entities in the irrigation, urban and manufacturing sectors across the Murray Darling Basin for projects that will achieve water efficiencies and return water to the environment.

The following types of projects are eligible to apply for funding under the program:

• Irrigation networks: installing new, or upgrading existing, irrigation infrastructure and technology in water delivery networks to supply water to irrigators, including permanently decommissioning inefficient or underused sections of a water delivery network
• Industrial or mining: constructing, replacing, upgrading, installing, improving, or refurbishing industrial water uses, including reducing leakage, for the purpose of using water for producing goods and services
• Urban: constructing, replacing, upgrading, installing, improving, or refurbishing urban water supply arrangements, including reducing leakage for the purpose of urban water supply
• Stock and domestic: improving stock and domestic water supply on one or more properties for the purpose of watering stock and supplying water for human use.

Feasibility funding is available to help identify early project opportunities to reduce water losses and increase water available for the environment in the Murray-Darling Basin. This can include investigations into improving infrastructure, confirming water losses and savings, informing the potential costs of construction, and supporting formal discussions with stakeholders.

Some on-property projects are eligible such as the installation or replacement of pipes, tanks and troughs for stock and domestic systems These are considered ‘off-farm’ activities as stock and domestic water entitlements are not tradeable and do not impact the water market. Individuals or organisations proposing on-property stock and domestic projects to improve water delivery and reduce water losses are encouraged to contact winsw.programs@dpie.nsw.gov.au for more information.