Talking Water - Wednesday 6 September, 2023

This week's contents

Operations

• Supplementary access
• Spraying, weeds and chemical drums
• Water Delivery Performance
• Talking Water data to 5 September

Business

• Business Review announcement
• Member Director ballot now open
  

Industry

• Preventing Off-Target Spray Seminar
• GRDC online Grains Research Update

Operational Update

Supplementary access

WaterNSW finished access to supplementary water delivery last Friday 1 and Saturday 2 September for customers serviced by the Mulwala Offtake and the Wakool Offtake respectively.

Customers have been notified via SMS, with all deliveries after this time being allocation water. 

The Water Sharing Plan describes how supplementary events are managed.

Supplementary events are either called by the MDBA or WaterNSW in line with the rules within the Water Sharing Plan. Murray Irrigation is not the approval body. 

Spraying, weeds and chemical drums

Our routine spraying program along access tracks and around outlets has commenced and will continue over the next couple of months. 

If you are experiencing weed issues in the supply channel, please call us on 1300 138 265 or email us via: customersupport@murrayirrigation.com.au 

Once a weed issue is reported and work has been planned, we will call or SMS you to ensure no one is irrigating during that timeframe to avoid causing disruption. 

Please do not spray weeds in our channels as this may cause a contamination issue downstream. For the same reason, we ask that you do not leave chemical drums on our channel banks. 

Water Delivery Performance - 28/08/2023 to 3/09/2023

Talking Water data  5/09/2023

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



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

Additional resources 

MDBA weekly report
NSW Water allocation statements
Rainfall and evaporation
Barmah Choke trade balance

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

Business Update

Murray Irrigation prioritises steady change toward financial sustainability

Murray Irrigation has released details of its plan to future-proof the company to ensure it continues delivering water across the footprint for generations to come.

Under the strategy that was shared with customers earlier this week, the company intends to grow its investment fund over the next five years from around $61 million to $100m. This will be achieved via a range of methods, including the annual sale of temporary water.

Murray Irrigation Chairman, Noel Baxter, said the plan is the first step in the establishment of a fund that will provide a foundation from which the business can lower the risk of equipment failure, enhance the security of future water delivery and keep fees as low as possible. 

This week's announcement comes ahead of three Customer Information Sessions Murray Irrigation is hosting on 13 and 14 September in Deniliquin, Finley and Wakool. 

Customers are encouraged to attend one of the sessions to understand how this change will be implemented and to discuss what this will mean for their business. 

Customer Information Session details are as follows: 
 
Deniliquin 
Date: Wednesday 13 September 
Time: 4.00pm 
Venue: Deniliquin RSL 
 
Finley 
Date: Thursday 14 September 
Time: 8.00am 
Venue: Finley RSC 
 
Wakool 
Date: Thursday 14 September 
Time: 4.00pm 
Venue: Wakool Services Club 

For more information on our Business Review, the Board’s chosen solution, as well as explainer videos, fact sheets and frequently asked questions, please visit Murray Irrigation's website.

For any questions, please call 1300 138 265 or email review@murrayirrigation.com.au

Member Director Election - Voting now open

Voting for Murray Irrigation's 2023 Member Director election is now open.
 
Shareholders have until 9.00am AEDT Monday 2 October 2023 to have their say in this year's ballot, which we are conducting electronically using independent third-party provider, Vero Voting. 

By now shareholders should have received from Vero Voting - either by post or via email - your unique voting login details. 

If you are yet to receive these details, please contact Vero Voting on T: 1300 702 898 (between 10.30am and 7.00pm AEST). If calling outside of these hours, you will be able to leave a message with your contact number and a Vero Voting representative will return your call.

A 'How to vote' instruction guide is available on our website to help step you through the process.   

Shareholders who may not have internet access are more than welcome to drop-in to our Deniliquin or Finley office between 8.30am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday, to cast their vote.
 
This year we have five candidates contesting three available Member Director positions on the company’s Board. These three vacancies arise from the four-year rotation of these positions, as required by the company's Constitution.
 
The candidates (whose order have been determined by random draw) are as follows:

• Brendan Barry
• Ryan Gleeson
• Troy Mauger
• Noel Baxter
• Steven Fawns

The successful candidates will take office immediately after the completion of Murray Irrigation's 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM), and will hold office until the completion of the 2027 AGM.

Further information about our 2023 Member Director election, including candidate statements, our 'How to vote' guide, frequently asked questions and how Murray Irrigation’s optional preferential voting system works, can be found on Murray Irrigation's website.

Industry News

Preventing Off-Target Spray Seminar

NSW Farmers is hosting this free webinar with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and the Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) on 11 September.

Don’t miss this opportunity, ahead of spraying season, to engage directly with experts from the NSW EPA and GRDC to learn more about how to minimise costly off-target crop damage from spray drift.

The hour-long interactive webinar starts at 6.00pm and will include a facilitated Q&A session. Registrations are essential. 

GRDC online Grains Research Update

GRDC will be hosting its latest online Grains Research Updates on 19 September.

This free webinar will explore how to use seasonal forecasts for better on-farm cropping decisions.

The session begins at 9.00am and will include a panel discussion with industry experts.