Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA), Media Release, 31 October 2023

Tasmania’s peak farming body welcomes the introduction to the Tasmanian Parliament today [31 October 2023] of the Water Miscellaneous Amendments (Delegation and Industrial Water Supply) Bill 2023.

Proposed changes to legislation will mark a significant milestone in Tasmania’s water management by enabling water utilities such as Tasmanian Irrigation to supply industrial users for green hydrogen production.

Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers (TFGA) president Ian Sauer said farmers support the proposed changes as they will include provisions to ensure the industrial use of water for green hydrogen production will not be prioritised over allocations to farmers.

Mr Sauer said, “We recognise and thank the TFGA water committee who put a lot of hard work into providing feedback on the draft water amendments, from which government accepted many of the suggestions presented by the committee.

“Significantly, the committee has ensured amendments do not favour the hydrogen proponents or any other industrial water use over farm irrigation.

“We warmly congratulate the Minister for Primary Industries and Water, Jo Palmer for introducing the amendments and removing any uncertainty.

“This process has demonstrated that through industry consultation and collaboration, we can achieve positive outcomes together.”

“This will mean farmers who may consider investing in the Tamar irrigation scheme can have confidence in their decision to do so,” he said.