Consultation submissions
Public consultation was open from 28 March 2024 – 10 May 2024. We received a total of 184 submissions.
Read published survey responses and submissions.
A detailed report on what we heard is available here:
What we heard
While we heard many different points of view on water management issues, key themes that emerged were:
Water infrastructure – A need to reduce the risk of unviable, costly, environmentally damaging, not holistically-considered, or not fit-for-purpose major water projects.
Urban water – How to better consider water in the urban environment, its sources, how its captured and what happens when its captured.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander water interests – Challenges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples face to be properly involved in caring for Country and carrying forward their culture.
Science, data and cultural knowledge – Sharing information and knowledge would benefit all. Building our knowledge of how to use water efficiently is fundamental to a healthy and prosperous country.
Water security – Demand for water from every sector is high. How it is shared and prioritised is sometimes contentious and will be more heavily scrutinised as demand increases or supply diminishes.
Water management frameworks – That water management frameworks should properly consider impacts and the difficulties they face with current mechanisms.
Integrated management of environmental water – That to protect and improve biodiversity, there is a need to not only have the right amount of water but to also consider environmental and land management practices.
Accountability – The need to consider a central body to help deliver this new national agreement.
Consistency – The importance of standardising areas of water management to help water managers manage and understand water, and be involved in the development of standard practices.
2004 National Water Initiative – Varying degrees of support for retaining elements of the 2004 NWI in a new agreement.
Converlens