NSW Farmers Association, Media Release, 6 March 2025

Farmer hopes for water security have been buoyed by new changes to water sharing plans for six NSW rivers.

NSW Farmers Water Taskforce Chair Richard Bootle said the revised wetland maps released by the state government this week were a sign of positive progress for many farmers, who were concerned land and water would be unfairly locked away by new water sharing plans.

“It was clear there was no ground truthing done to get this right, and farmers weren’t going to stay silent as land was incorrectly marked as wetlands and rules are changed to restrict their access to water,” Mr Bootle said.

“Irrigation channels, as well as land that had been farmed for over a century, were being marked as wetlands in these maps, and it’s good to see reality is starting to be reflected in these new plans.”

Water sharing plans for the Gwydir, Namoi-Peel, Macquarie/Wambuul-Bogan, Lachlan, Murrumbidgee and Barwon-Darling are among those updated with new wetland maps by the NSW Government this week.

Further updates to water sharing plans were critical, Mr Bootle said, with many farmers holding grave concerns around the new water rules being proposed.

“We simply can’t afford to get these plans wrong, so it’s critical we take the time to get them right,” Mr Bootle said.

“These draft plans are also proposing sweeping changes to how farmers trade, access and extract water – changes that could strip farms of water needed for essential food production and leave us reliant on imports if they are not addressed.

“Working with farmers will be the key here to ensure these plans don’t take away our precious water, or our food too.”