Four new trade reports released offer insight into Victoria’s water market
- Details
The Department and Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) has released four new reports for the Victorian water market. These are:
- Water Market Trends – Updated Trends in Northern Victorian Water Trade 2001–2024
- Victorian Water Trading: 2023–24 Annual Report
- Victorian Water Trading: 2024–25 Annual Report
- Goulburn-to-Murray Post Trade Opening Report (December 2025)
The release of these reports continues the Victorian Government’s commitment to ensuring all water participants can easily access water market information.
The reports compliment an increased suite of online reports and dashboards. These provide downloadable data for interested parties to undertake their own analysis. Dashboards and reports include Frequent Traders, Large Water Owners, Water Share Transfers to the Australian Government and new data for delivery shares. They are available on the Victorian Water Register website.
Read more: Four new trade reports released offer insight into Victoria’s water market
My Water and Broker Portal Security Improvements
- Details
To improve the security and resilience of My Water and the Broker Portal, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) has planned to rollout Multiple Factor Authentication for users in the first half of 2026. This initiative strengthens cybersecurity and makes the Victorian Water Register more secure for everyone.
DEECA will provide more information for customers early next year through the Victorian Water Register news. To ensure you are kept aware of these changes, users can subscribe via the homepage at https://waterregister.vic.gov.au/.
Important information: Estimated volume announced for Goulburn-to-Murray trade opportunity on Monday 15 December 2025
- Details
The next Goulburn-to-Murray trade opening is scheduled for Monday 15 December 2025. Based on current estimates, a minimum of 14 gigalitres (GL) of Goulburn-to-Murray trade opportunity will be released.
The estimated minimum 14 GL of trade opportunity is an indicative volume based on the available data to date. It does not include additional opportunity that may be available on 15 December following the Northern Victorian Resource Manager’s seasonal outlook announcement at 10 am. This additional opportunity can arise due to adjustments to the Legacy Trade Reserve set aside to meet historic exchange rate trade commitments.
Important information: Goulburn-to-Murray trade opening announced for Monday 15 December 2025
- Details
The Goulburn-to-Murray Trade Limit – which governs allocation trade from the Goulburn, Broken, Campaspe, and Loddon systems to the Victorian Murray system, New South Wales, and South Australia – will open again on Monday 15 December 2025. This is the third of three Goulburn-to-Murray scheduled trade openings for the 2025–26 water year. Estimated volumes will be made public closer to this date.
- Applications for the Goulburn-to-Murray trade opportunity should be submitted during the submission window, between 7 am and 2 pm on Monday 15 December 2025.
- During the submission window, water market participants should submit trade applications through My Water or the Broker Portal, and all trade applications during this period will be queued for later processing.
- After the submission window closes, DEECA will undertake a randomisation process to determine a processing order of the applications, in the presence of an ACCC independent observer.
- Processing of applications, in the order determined by the randomisation process, will occur as soon as possible after randomisation.
Customers are encouraged to lodge trade applications throughout the 7-hour submission window. Market participants are not required to submit trade applications as soon as the submission window opens. A customer who submits a trade application at the start of the submission window will have the same chance of having their application succeed as a customer who submits at the end of the window.
Latest Victorian Water Accounts data released
- Details
The 21st edition of the Victorian Water Accounts have been released, with water use and availability data from 2023–24 now available online.
The 2023–24 Victorian Water Accounts have been released, with 21 years of data and information now available online.
The Victorian Water Accounts are a trusted and transparent source of information that provides a comprehensive picture of the availability and use of the state’s water each year.
The reports have been released annually since 2003–04 and contain valuable data gathered during significant dry and wet periods.
Post trade report for October 2025 Goulburn-to-Murray trade opening now available
- Details
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action has released the Goulburn-to-Murray Post Trade Opening Report (October 2025). This report summarises the outcomes from the October Goulburn-to-Murray trade opening. It consolidates information available via the Victorian Water Register website with some additional data around the number of unique allocation accounts that traded. It provides insights into the number, volumes, and reason for trade for all applications submitted and the order they were processed.
The October Goulburn-to-Murray trade opportunity opened with a balance of 31,523 ML. A total of 203 eligible trade applications were received, with a total volume of 70,222 ML. Eligible applications were randomised to determine a processing order. Processing resulted in 98 applications being approved.
Read more: Post trade report for October 2025 Goulburn-to-Murray trade opening now available
The 2021–24 Scientific Advisory Panel reports for the lower Goulburn River, Lower Broken Creek and Campaspe River
- Details
The Goulburn to Murray trade review Scientific Advisory Panel (the Panel) has prepared three reports, covering detailed results and analysis of the lower Goulburn River Research and Investigations Program undertaken during 2023–24, and interpretation of the outcomes over the combined three years from the start of the program (2021–24).
The program is designed to assess the environmental performance of the long-term Operating Rules for the lower Goulburn River and to determine whether the rules are working as intended to prevent environmental damage from sustained high flows over summer and autumn.
Climatic and flow conditions throughout 2021–24, including record breaking floods in spring 2022 and summer 2024, saw relatively low demand for inter-valley trade (IVT) deliveries from the Goulburn River to the River Murray during the peak irrigation period (December to April).
What We Heard – Improving access to trade in southern Murray-Darling Basin – Stage 1
- Details
Earlier this year, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and WaterNSW developed a draft framework to assess options for improving the efficiency and equity of access to inter-valley trade opportunities. In July–August 2025 we sought feedback on whether the draft framework is appropriate and what options for managing access to trade opportunities should be assessed.
A report, summarising what we heard during the consultation, is available on Engage Victoria.
Read more: What We Heard – Improving access to trade in southern Murray-Darling Basin – Stage 1
Important information: Estimated volume announced for Goulburn-to-Murray trade opportunity on Wednesday 15 October 2025
- Details
The next Goulburn-to-Murray trade opening is scheduled for Wednesday 15 October 2025. Based on current estimates, approximately 31 gigalitres (GL) of Goulburn-to- Murray trade opportunity will be released.
The estimated 31 GL of trade opportunity is an indicative volume based on the best available data to date.
Find out more about how the Goulburn-to-Murray trade opportunity is calculated.
Important information: Goulburn-to-Murray trade opening announced for Wednesday 15 October 2025
- Details
The Goulburn-to-Murray Trade Limit—which governs allocation trade from the Goulburn, Broken, Campaspe, and Loddon systems to the Victorian Murray system, New South Wales, and South Australia—will open again on Wednesday 15 October 2025. This is the second of three Goulburn-to-Murray trade openings for the 2025–26 water year. Estimated volumes will be made public closer to this date.
- Applications for the Goulburn-to-Murray trade opportunity should be submitted during the submission window between 7 am and 2 pm on Wednesday 15 October 2025.
- During the submission window, water market participants should submit trade applications through My Water or the Broker Portal, and all trade applications during this period will be referred for manual processing.
- After the submission window closes, DEECA will undertake a randomisation process to determine a processing order of the applications, in the presence of an ACCC independent observer.
- Manual processing, in the order determined by the randomisation process, will occur on Thursday 16 October 2025.
Post trade summary and report for July 2025 trade openings now available
- Details
As part of Victoria’s ongoing commitment to water market transparency, post-trade opening reports have been regularly published since October 2023.
The release of the Post Trade Opportunity Opening Report, July 2025, summarises the outcomes from the July Barmah and Goulburn to Murray trade openings, and provides insights into the number, volume, and order of applications processed.
The Barmah and Goulburn to Murray trade opportunities both opened for a 7-hour submission window between 7:00 am and 2:00 pm on Wednesday 2 July 2025. Both trade openings used a randomisation approach to determine the order of application processing.
Read more: Post trade summary and report for July 2025 trade openings now available
Improving access to trade in southern Murray-Darling Basin
- Details
Help us improve the efficiency and equity of access to inter-valley and inter-zone water allocation trade opportunities in the southern Murray-Darling Basin.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and WaterNSW have developed a draft framework to assess options for improving the efficiency and equity of access to inter-valley and inter-zone trade opportunities. We are now seeking community feedback on whether the framework is appropriate for achieving this purpose, as well as your ideas on options for managing access to trade opportunities that should be assessed in the next stage of this project.
You can view the draft framework and submit your feedback to DEECA via a brief questionnaire at EngageVic. Alternatively, you can also submit your feedback to WaterNSW. This joint consultation will be open until 17 August.
Read more: Improving access to trade in southern Murray-Darling Basin
New Broker Code
- Details
From 1 July 2025 there are additional Australian Government obligations on water brokers and exchanges operating in the Murray-Darling Basin, under a new Water Markets Intermediaries Code.
As a water market participant you are encouraged to familiarise yourself with the Code and the new safeguards that have been put in place to ensure your broker acts in your best interests.
The new Code, and complementary trust accounting obligations, place further responsibilities on water market intermediaries. This is in addition to the rules they must follow under Australian Consumer Law.
The Code is designed to give greater protection to users of water brokers and exchanges, aligning standards with those that exist in other similar markets. Some obligations under the Code commence on 1 July 2025, others on 1 October 2025.
July 2025 Barmah trade opening – summary
- Details
On Wednesday 2 July 2025, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority made 38,767.7 megalitres (ML) of allocation trade opportunity available from above to below the Barmah Narrows. As in previous years, there was more demand than supply.
2025 marked the third year that Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) synchronised the timing of the Barmah trade opportunity.
This year, Victoria and NSW implemented a new joint randomisation protocol for the processing of Barmah trade applications. The new protocol meant that differences in each state’s processing approach and systems did not influence traders’ access to the available Barmah trade opportunity. You can learn more about how the protocol worked here.
Notification: Victorian Water Register, MyWater and Broker Portal offline for end of water year on Monday 30 June 2025
- Details
This is a reminder that this year the Victorian Water Register will close at 12 noon on Monday 30 June 2025 for end-of-year accounting to transition from the 2024–25 to the 2025–26 water year. The Register will reopen at 9 am on 1 July 2025.
The following online services will be unavailable during this shutdown time:
- Broker portal
- 'My Water' access and online allocation trading and bore construction licence applications
- Copy of Record purchases
- Victorian Water Register website.
Reminder: Upcoming allocation trade closing and opening times
- Details
This article is a reminder of important information regarding allocation trade closing and opening times for June and July 2025. For further information or assistance, reach out to the Victorian Water Register team on waterregister.support@delwp.vic.gov.au.
2024–25: Allocation trade closing times
The Victorian Water Register, including MyWater and the Broker Portal, will close for 2024–25 end-of-year (EOY) processing at 12 noon Monday 30 June 2025.
Online applications to trade allocation within Victoria must be submitted by 12 noon on 30 June 2025 for processing in the 2024–25 water year.
Paper-based applications to trade allocation within Victoria must be lodged with the relevant water corporation by 5 pm on 20 June 2025. There is no guarantee that applications submitted after this time will be processed in the 2024–25 water year.
All applications to trade allocation interstate (where Victoria is involved), including those lodged online, will be processed manually from 5 pm on 26 June 2025. Note the final date for guaranteed processing of interstate allocation trades in the 2024-25 water year has passed (this was 5 pm 16 June 2025).
If you are trading allocation before the end of the water year, please be aware of these important closing times. More information on end of 2024–25 water year application processing is available here.
Read more: Reminder: Upcoming allocation trade closing and opening times
Important trade opening information for the start of the 2025–26 water year
- Details
This article contains important information relating to July 2025 trade openings, including relevant dates, processes and estimated volumes. Information about end of water year closing times for the VWR and application deadlines is available here.
Important opening dates:
Tuesday 1 July 2025
- The Broken Trade Out and NSW to Vic trade opportunities open at 10 am AEST on Tuesday 1 July 2025. These openings will proceed with a first in, first served approach, with automated processing of applications.
Wednesday 2 July 2025
- The MDBA Barmah and Goulburn-to-Murray trade opportunities will have a 7-hour submission window on Wednesday 2 July 2025, from 7 am to 2 pm AEST. Eligible applications submitted for these opportunities will be randomised to create an order for processing starting Thursday 3 July.
Read more: Important trade opening information for the start of the 2025–26 water year
Important dates – end of 2024–25 water year application processing
- Details
The Victorian Water Register, including My Water and the Broker Portal, will close for end-of-year processing at 12 pm 30 June 2025. Services will re-open at 9 am 1 July 2025.
Important information regarding times and dates for the July 2025 trade openings will be provided soon.
If you are trading allocation or water shares before the end of the water year, please be aware of the important dates and times below.
Read more: Important dates – end of 2024–25 water year application processing
July 2025 Trade Openings update
- Details
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) would like to provide an update about the upcoming July 2025 trade openings.
In response to consistently high demand during key trade events, in October 2024, the Victorian Water Register (VWR) temporarily moved to a randomisation approach rather than ‘first in, first served’ for the Goulburn to Murray trade openings. The approach reduces load on the VWR during the trade opening and ensures the opportunity is reliably made available to all market participants.
Following a review of these processes, DEECA will continue to use a randomisation approach for all Goulburn to Murray trade openings of 2025. Additionally, in partnership with WaterNSW, a joint randomisation process will be implemented for the 2025 Barmah trade opening.
Other smaller trade openings, including the Broken trade out limit (made available in July each year), will continue to operate without change. This is because the impact on reliable service delivery from the VWR isn’t as large as Barmah and Goulburn to Murray trade openings.
DEECA thanks users who provided feedback on the randomisation approach. A summary of feedback provided will be included in our next information update.
2025 Barmah trade opening and seeking feedback on randomisation approach
- Details
In October 2024, DEECA implemented a new randomisation processing approach for the October and December Goulburn to Murray trade openings. The approach was designed to provide market participants with reliable access to those trade openings as soon as possible.
DEECA is now reviewing how those openings went and seeking feedback from market participants on the trade application process and the randomisation approach. Market participants wanting to provide feedback to DEECA on the new approach can do so using this feedback form.
DEECA is now also working with its WaterNSW counterparts to deliver a reliable Barmah trade opening in July 2025. We are currently considering using a combined ‘single queue’ and randomisation process for applications for the 1 July Barmah trade opportunity. This would leverage the approach that Victoria used in the Goulburn to Murray trade openings last year and extend this so that it applies to applications received by both WaterNSW and the Victorian Water Register.
Both DEECA and WaterNSW are committed to working together to ensure reliable access to this year’s opening Barmah trade opportunity and a unified experience for customers from both Victoria and NSW.
Read more: 2025 Barmah trade opening and seeking feedback on randomisation approach