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Information for Aboriginal water users

Macro water sharing plans will transform the way water is shared between the community and the environment. This fact sheet contains important information about how water sharing plans will benefit Aboriginal water users.

The NSW Government has worked closely with Aboriginal communities to develop the macro water sharing plans.

Aboriginal people have a spiritual, customary and economic relationship with land and water that provide important insight into ‘best practice' for natural resource management.

That's why Aboriginal people in NSW were actively involved in the development of the first round of water sharing plans, along with landholders, conservationists, industry and government representatives. There will be opportunities in the future for Aboriginal communities to comment on all aspects of the macro water sharing plans now under development, in particular focusing on how well the plans protect Aboriginal values and interests.

The macro water sharing plans will be drafted taking into consideration values that Aboriginal communities identify through the current consultation process.

Two new measures will ensure that Aboriginal communities benefit from the new plans: Aboriginal cultural licences and Aboriginal commercial licences.

The NSW Government is determined to ensure that Aboriginal culture is maintained across the state and that Aboriginal communities benefit from the new opportunities that the water market will bring. To achieve this, macro water sharing plans will feature a new category of licence – Specific Purpose licences – which will include, amongst others, Aboriginal cultural and Aboriginal commercial licences.

For more details about the new licences and how to apply for them see overleaf.

What is a water sharing plan?

A water sharing plan determines how water will be shared between the environment and many different water users. This includes water for households, tourism, primary industries, manufacturing and power generation. Water sharing plans also set new rules for water trading.

What are macro water sharing plans?

Macro water sharing plans are water sharing plans which apply to a number of water sources across catchments or different types of aquifers. Macro plans are being prepared for areas that are generally characterised by low water usage.

Aboriginal cultural licences allow communities to access water for important cultural purposes

Macro water sharing plans recognise the importance of rivers and groundwater to Aboriginal culture. The plans will allow Aboriginal communities to apply for a water access licence for cultural purposes such as manufacturing traditional artefacts, hunting, fishing, gathering, recreation, cultural and ceremonial purposes. An Aboriginal cultural licence can also be used for drinking, food preparation, washing, and watering domestic gardens.

These licences will be considered in both inland and coastal surface water and groundwater systems and will generally be granted, as long as the water is not used for commercial activities. These cultural licences are capped at up to 10ML per licence per year.

For more information or to apply for an Aboriginal cultural licence, contact your local DNR office.

Aboriginal commercial licences will provide opportunities to get involved in water-related businesses

The NSW Government is committed to providing Aboriginal people with opportunities to become involved in water-related businesses. In certain situations, outlined below, the government will consider granting water extraction licences specifically for Aboriginal commercial activities. The situations where the licences can be granted must recognise the need to protect our rivers and aquifers from more and more extraction. However, comments on this approach are being sought from the Aboriginal community as part of this current consultation process.

Many of our rivers and aquifers already have a high number of irrigation licences, and are generally judged to be ‘stressed', particularly during dry times when, for example, river flows are low. Recognising this, inland rivers are subject to the Murray Darling Basin ‘cap', which means total extraction cannot increase beyond the ‘capped' limit. This effectively prevents the issuing of any new water licences on inland rivers.

However, in our coastal rivers, higher and more reliable flows are common and provide an opportunity for licences to be granted for Aboriginal commercial activities, provided this additional extraction would not negatively impact on ecological values that are dependent on high flows.

In these coastal catchments, Aboriginal commercial licences may be issued which allow water to be pumped from rivers during the higher flows, and stored in farm dams or tanks, to be used as needed. It is important to note that higher flows are not just peak or flood flows but also include flows that occur for 50 percent of the time.

Since granting any new licences would mean less water remains in the river to meet environmental needs, it will be necessary to limit the total volume that can be extracted for Aboriginal commercial purposes. The proposed macro water sharing plans will set limits on the total volume that can be extracted for Aboriginal commercial purposes within each water source. The limit would be a proportion of the river flow, and would not exceed 500ML per year. The macro water sharing plan will not limit the volume assigned to each individual Aboriginal commercial licence, only the total volume per water source.

Similarly, there may be opportunities in some groundwater systems to grant Aboriginal commercial licences. This will occur in areas where licensed entitlement is less than the sustainable yield of the aquifer.

Aboriginal commercial licences can be used for commercial enterprises owned by Aboriginal people and could include:

Irrigated cropping, such as maize;
Horticulture, such as fruit, vegetables, flowers or ornamental plants;
Irrigated pasture, such as lucerne for a dairy farm;
Aquaculture, such as oyster growing or prawn farms; and
Non-agricultural activities, such as manufacturing or crafts.

During this current consultation process the government will be seeking further information from the Aboriginal community regarding the type of entities and activities that may be eligible for these Aboriginal commercial licences.

Unlike other Specific Purpose licences, Aboriginal commercial licences can be traded.

For more information or to apply for an Aboriginal commercial licence, contact your local DNR office.