Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697632408075.pdf (Australia)
KEY FACTS ON IRRIGATION AND THE COMMUNITY Water Available for Irrigation: • Irrigators have access to only 19% of long-term average river flows.

o Environmental water managers (both State and Federal) own a total: ▪ 29% high security entitlements; ▪ 28.5% of general security entitlements; and ▪ 13% of supplementary entitlements (on top of getter more than half of all supplementary events i.e.

any river flows below Copeton Dam).


• Groundwater is allocated based on an estimate that 85% of the aquifers sustainable yield (extraction is lower than the estimate discharge to balance levels).

• Most irrigators have direct access to rivers and manage cast stretches of riparian land.

• The local industry has significant improved is water-use efficiency over-time.
o Cotton industry has made a variety of changes to better utilise water resulting in around 40% improvement with some of the lowest water requirements in agriculture.

o Horticulture has also changed from flood-irrigation to drip enabling that industry to expand as it uses water moving efficiently.

Value of local agriculture: • In Moree 54% of the land-use for cropping, 10% of this is used for irrigation and in 2011 produced around 72% of the value of gross domestic product (cotton is around 60%).
• Total Agricultural production in the shire in 2011 was nearly 8% of the state’s gross domestic product estimated at $911 million.

• Using an economic multiplier for the community from the ABS (2.178) this equals $2 billion to the region.

o Cotton Catchment Communities economic multiplier is 3 which would equate in even larger benefits to the community.
• Total Irrigated production is estimated at $656 million, which generated an estimated $1.44 billion Irrigation crops in the region include cotton, nuts, oranges, olives and turf.

• Community and social impacts of water recovery: • For both Moree and Collarenebri social and economic indicators declined throughout 2001- 2011 including education, economic resources, disadvantage.

• Moree: o 8% decrease in water availability which equates to around 5% impact on area.
o Modelled change in FTE is around 15% (850 FTE) Sources: Australia Bureau of Statistic Census information, 2001, 2016, 2011.

MDBA Catchment Profiles for the Socio-economic analysis to inform the Northern Review.

The integrity of the water market in the Murray-Darling BasinSubmission 46 - Attachment 1 o 2.4% (47 FTE) impact on jobs in agricultural sector to 1.5% (27FTE) in non-ag.

o Total impact of Basin Plan a 1.4% (75 FTE) without taking into consideration Collarenebri.
o Out of a total decline of agriculture and agriculture supply sector felt by 22% (520 FTE) with non-ag private sector also declining by 21% (460 FTE) between 2001 – 2011.

• Collarenebri: o 66% decrease in water availability has equated to 83% reduction in area for irrigation o 21% (54 FTE) change in jobs because of the Basin Plan (28% (47 FTE) reduction in farm related jobs and 21% (7 FTE) other private jobs.
o Relates to half of the total job losses which are agriculture and supply sector have 42% (81 FTE) with non-agriculture private sector also declining by 68% (50 FTE) between.

• Current scenario of job losses to be 129 FTE without assessing the connectivity between towns with connectivity could be estimated at over 200 FTE.

200 JOBS LOST WOULD MOST LIKELY RESULT IN 200 FAMILIES TO LEAVE THE REGION AND UPTO 400 CHILDREN FROM LOCAL SCHOOLS.
Table 1: Summary of census changes 2001 - 2011 2001 15,680 9,249 3,906 2006 14,124 8,084 3,447 2011 13,429 7,722 3,321 2,445 2,252 14.3 % (1,693) 17% with support services 20% (1,217) 1,978 (1263 registered as attending) 15.8% with support services 19.22% (1,113) Percentage change -14.35% -16.51% -14.98% -19.10% -34.25% 3.8% (450) 5.8% (353) 6.4% (373) -17.1% Population Town Population Number of ‘families’ Number of primary school aged children Main employment - agriculture Second employment - education Sources: Australia Bureau of Statistic Census information, 2001, 2016, 2011.
MDBA Catchment Profiles for the Socio-economic analysis to inform the Northern Review.

The integrity of the water market in the Murray-Darling BasinSubmission 46 - Attachment 1