The Minister for Water Gayle Tierney has announced 16 gigalitres of water for farming, the environment and Traditional Owners in the Latrobe Valley. The decision was made through the Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy.
The water was previously set aside for power generation, but is currently unused and has been reallocated. The 16 gigalitres will be equally shared between agriculture, Traditional Owners and the environment.
Additional water for environmental flows will improve the health of the Latrobe River as well as the Gippsland Lakes system downstream.
The Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation will have access to additional water for self-determined cultural uses.
Southern Rural Water will make additional water available to farmers. Agriculture supports thousands of jobs in Gippsland, and the availability of more water licences will help boost the local economy.
Consultation with irrigators
Consultation has not commenced at this stage, and will begin from June. Now that the water allocation has been made, Southern Rural Water will look at how it effectively consults with its customers to ensure a fair and transparent process to make this water available in a manner that helps bolster food production and support regional economic resilience.