Talking Water - Tuesday 28 May, 2024

This week's contents

Operations


  • Winter Works safety
  • 2024 Winter maintenance program
  • End of Season Trade and water allocation accounts
  • Water carryover rules
  • WaterWell announcement
  • NSW water allocation update
  • Talking Water data 


Business


  • Community grant applications closing soon
  • Peter Cullen Trust Anniversary


Industry


  • RICE CONNECT - Save the date
  • Dairy industry leadership program
  • Dairy Australia Situation and Outlook report


Operational Update

Winter Works safety

All Murray Irrigation's 2024 Maintenance Areas have now been drained and handed over to our Water Delivery team to complete this year's Winter Works. 

With our winter maintenance program now underway, there will be an increase in heavy machinery activity and vehicle movements as our crews and contracting teams work their way west.
 
Murray Irrigation is committed to the safety, health and wellbeing of our staff, contractors, customers and the broader community. 

If you come across a Murray Irrigation work site, please make sure you:


  • Slow down
  • Keep a look out for traffic signage
  • Adhere to changed road conditions 
  • Please remember that just because you don't see our work crews, doesn't mean they are not there. 


If you wish to report a safety issue, please call us on 1300 138 265 or email us at: customersupport@murrayirrigation.com.au


2024 Winter maintenance program

Our preventative maintenance activities this winter involves 3,763 work orders, including:


  • 199 regulator or offtake concrete remedial works
  • 67 civil and mechanical repairs and upgrades 
  • 295 slip meter outlet cleans
  • 179km of channel de-silting
  • 169 erosion control jobs on structures
  • 1,559 asset inspections.


We will keep you informed on our progress reports with the works each fortnight during winter. 

End of Season Trade and your water allocation account 

Our End of Season Operational Update released yesterday contains more details about: 


  • Unsold water on the Water Exchange (WEX) at closure
  • Arrangements for the Barmah Choke Trade opportunity on 1 July 
  • A reminder about casual usage charges
  • Re-opening of the Customer Portal and WEX on 1 July.



The first Operational Update on End of Season includes trade arrangements, carryover and water allocation accounts and is available on our website. 


Water carryover rules 

The water sharing plan (WSP) carryover rules enable customers to carryover up to 50% of Class C water entitlements held in their water allocation account each season. 

Any volume exceeding this is forfeited at the end of the season. 

For example, if you carryover 40%, any allocation exceeding 70% will not be received. 

WaterWell announcement and new product release 

Murray Irrigation’s Board of Directors has approved the company’s 2024/25 Resource Management Strategy at a Board meeting held last Monday 20 May. 

The company’s Resource Management Strategy outlines how water is distributed to customers through our suite of WaterWell products throughout the 2024/25 season.

You can read about this strategy in our company update distributed to customers last Thursday. 


Customer Update - Resource Management Strategy

NSW water allocation update 

The final Water Allocation Statement from the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) was published on 15 May 2024, including a water availability outlook for the 2024-25 season.

The likely commencing general security allocation of 30% of entitlement, remains unchanged. 



Read NSW Government Water Allocation Statement

Talking Water data 28/05/2024

All the detailed data for Murray Irrigation allocations, delivery, channel flow and Water Exchange temporary trade is available on our company web page below. 

View delivery, channel flows and temporary trade data


To see the latest data for Murray system storages and rivers, visit the Murray Darling Basin Authority's River data page. 


View MDBA storage and river data



The information and data provided in Talking Water is for general reference purposes only. We take best endeavours to ensure accuracy. 

Business News

Community grant applications close soon

Applications for Murray Irrigation's 2024 Community Sponsorship Program close next Monday 3 June.
 
Like last year, the company is looking to distribute $15,000 towards community initiatives across the footprint.     
 
So if you know of a community group seeking support to bring a project to fruition, please point them in our direction. 

Applications can either be downloaded from our website (as per below), or email us and we'll send you a form: marketing@murrayirrigation.com.au 


Download sponsorship application form


Murray Irrigation's annual Community Sponsorship Program is made possible through the support of the company's customers.

Peter Cullen Trust Anniversary

Photo (L-R): Murray Irrigation Board Chair and PCT Fellow Phil Snowden, General Manager Business Development Tessa Chartres, Water Policy & Strategy Manager and PCT Fellow Michael Pisasale, Board Directors Trisha Gorman and Robert Burbury, CEO Ron McCalman and Company Secretary Nathan Holahan. 


Murray Irrigation was proud to sponsor the Peter Cullen Water and Environment Trust's (PCT) 15th Anniversary Boat House Dinner, which was held in Canberra last Wednesday. 
 
A contingent of Board and staff members were on hand to celebrate the Trust's work over the past 15 years fostering leadership to tackle challenges in the water and environment space.
 
The line-up of guest speakers included, among others, Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek, PCT Founding Director Professor Andrew Campbell and MIL General Manager Business Development Tessa Chartres.

The evening provided a great opportunity for members of the delegation to share the Murray Irrigation story with the broader water industry and to speak about issues that are important to the company, customers and shareholders, the community and the region as a whole. 

Industry News

Save the date for RICE CONNECT

RiceGrowers' Association of Australia, SunRice Group and Agrifutures Australia are excited to introduce RICE CONNECT, a two-day dynamic event designed to bring together stakeholders from across the industry.

The Australian Rice Growers’ Conference will be now held every second year, with the next conference to be held in 2025. RICE CONNECT will be held in the alternate years. It is smaller scale event, which means less time off the farm, but you will still get to connect and celebrate with the Australian rice industry.

This year's RICE CONNECT will be held on Wednesday 31 July and Thursday 1 August at Moama. 

Registrations open in the coming weeks! More information to be released shortly. 

Sign up for event updates

Farming with My Team 

Whether you are a first time or experienced leader, Farming with My Team is a national facilitated program designed to help you understand your own leadership style and build leadership skills.

This free online program also provides the opportunity to connect and share experiences with other dairy farmers.

Delivered online by people management experts, you will actively participate in group discussions and consider how you are planning to apply ideas back on the farm.

Starting on Thursday 6 June, this six-week program involves two-hour live workshops covering the following areas:

1. What leadership means
2. What makes me a leader
3. How leaders communicate
4. Developing my team
5. Providing feedback
6. Dealing with challenges

Register for program

Dairy Australia Situation and Outlook report

Dairy Australia has released its May 2024 Situation and Outlook report, providing dairy farmers with expert analysis and unbiased insights on the latest dairy market trends. 

The May 2024 report forecasts national milk production to grow slightly, ending the 2023/24 season two to three per cent higher than the previous 2022/23 season. 

Download report here

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