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.

DEECA and WaterNSW will also be hosting a joint webinar session on Thursday 17 July at 11 am, including a presentation on the framework and Q&A session. Please register for the webinar here. 

Based on the feedback received, we will finalise a joint framework and use it to assess potential long-term options to manage access to trade opportunities. Follow up consultation in early 2026 will be undertaken on the draft assessment findings before making any decisions to implement any recommendations.