three years through to 30 June 2017. This extension will provide governments with the opportunity to work with industry and communities to develop a possible private sector model for delivery in the future, to ensure a sustainable future for the Great Artesian Basin. Up until the 1950s, artesian water that came to the surface under natural pressure by the sinking of bores had been allowed to flow uncontrolled into open drains and creeks for distribution to stock. However, even in drains, up to 95 per cent of this water was being wasted through evaporation and seepage. Such uncontrolled flow of water from bores and open earth bore drains in the Great Artesian Basin threatened the health of important groundwater dependant ecosystems and the continued access to artesian water by pastoralists. In addition, it had become difficult for new water users in or near the Great Artesian Basin to obtain access to groundwater resources. The GABSI has accelerated work on the repair of these uncontrolled artesian bores and the replacement of open earthen bore drains with piped water reticulation systems since 1999. Water savings under the GABSI programme are identified in the table below. State Bores rehabilitated Water saving (Ml/annum) Queensland 123 35,912 New South Wales 78 18,217 South Australia 29 5624 The GABSI Initiative continues to be delivered through state and territory agencies. The Australian government makes its contributions jointly with state and territory governments on a 50:50 basis. Landholders are required to contribute to GABSI works and this amount is determined by individual State and Territory governments. Northern Australia White Paper A paper was released in June 2014 identifying six policy directions for a White Paper for Northern Australia. One of the policy directions identified was the need for development of water resources to be underpinned by robust assessment of surface and groundwater systems based on principles of the National Water Initiative. On 18 June 2015 the White paper was released and is available at Agriculture Competitiveness White Paper The development of an Agricultural Competitiveness White paper has been commissioned to identify pathways and approaches to growing agricultural profitability and boosting agricultures contribution o economic growth, trade, innovation and productivity. A Green paper was released on 20 October 2014. Further information is available at Water Infrastructure Options Paper A Water Infrastructure Options paper was released by the Department of Agriculture on 29 October 2014, exploring processes to accelerate infrastructure investment and priorities for investment, including new or existing dams to assist in economic development, flood mitigation and responding to community and industry needs.
The paper is available at Regional Natural Resource Management Planning for Climate Change During 2014-15, 53 regional natural resource management (NRM) organisations, including those located in the GAB, are updating existing regional NRM plans to incorporate climate change and adaptation approaches. This will guide planning for climate change impacts on the land and help to guide where projects to capture and store atmospheric greenhouse gas by biological processes should be located in the landscape to maximise the benefits for biodiversity, water and agricultural production. NRMs have been engaging with local community groups, industry sectors, government agencies and relevant committees. Further information is available at Indigenous Engagement Module An Indigenous Engagement Module is being developed to assist with the National Water Initiative’s (NWI) engagement processes. The NWI is a shared commitment by governments to increase the efficiency of Australia’s water use, leading to greater certainty for investment and productivity, for rural and urban communities, and for the environment. Consultation of the model is currently taking place to ensure the module meets the needs of key users and accurately reflects options for incorporating indigenous needs regarding water access and management. The Module is expected to be published in late 2015. Bioregional Assessments Bioregional assessments are being undertaken by the Department of the Environment to strengthen the science underpinning future decisions about coal seam gas and coal mining activities and their impacts on water-dependent assets. Australia is the first country in the world to gather and consolidate such a wide range of detailed information on a whole-of-region scale. An engagement process is underway with Indigenous communities across sub-regions to collect information on water dependent assets to feed into bioregional assessments. A range of products have been released in relation to the Bioregional Assessment programme. These include context statements, water-dependent asset register and data registers for various sub-regions. More information on the Bioregional assessments is at . Financial Statement 2014-15