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DWE Home > Home > Water Management > Water sharing plans > Socio-economic assessment

Socio-economic assessment

Socio-economic survey of irrigators

A report on the outcomes of a telephone survey of 1124 irrigators covering the 2005-06 crop year is now available on-line.

Monitoring economic and social changes in NSW water sharing plan areas Irrigators’ survey 2005–2006 (PDF 595 KB)

The survey, which was undertaken from November 2006 to January 2007, collected data to set benchmarks to monitor social and economic changes over time in the 31 areas where water sharing plans commenced on 1 July 2004. Irrigators within these water sharing plan areas were invited to participate in the voluntary telephone survey, which featured 51 questions regarding farm enterprises, water use efficiency, water trading, employment, and other economic and social indicators. This information will enhance future industry and government decision-making on water planning and management and contribute to the Natural Resource Commission's review of the water sharing plans.

Prepared by the Economics Unit of NSW Department of Water and Energy, this is the first report of a series under the Monitoring Economic and Social Changes in NSW Water Sharing Plan Areas project. This project is based on close collaboration with the key stakeholders including the NSW Irrigators Council and the Primary Industries and Economic Development Standing Committee of Natural Resources Advisory Council, who provided financial assistance for the survey.

The Department of Water and Energy will continue to monitor economic and social changes by undertaking future irrigators’ surveys and using data from secondary sources, such as the Agricultural Census conducted every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and information on water trading contained in the Department’s water management registers and other water exchanges.

The results of the survey should be viewed with care as this was conducted at a time of severe drought.

State-Wide Economic Assessment of Water Sharing Plans

In 2002 the NSW Government commissioned ACIL Consulting to undertake an independent report into the State-wide economic impact of the draft Water Sharing Plans. The assessment was based on surface water and groundwater sources that support about 80 per cent of the state’s water extractions.

Eight surface water plans were assessed: Murray/Lower Darling, Murrumbidgee, Macquarie, Lachlan, Namoi, Gwydir and Hunter and five groundwater plans: Lower Macquarie, Lower Gwydir, Lower Lachlan, Lower Murrumbidgee and Upper and Lower Namoi.

View or download the Economic Impacts of the Draft Water Sharing Plans (PDF 724B)

Socio-economic guidelines for the water management committees - 1998

These guidelines were prepared for the water management committees to assist them in the process of decision-making for developing the rules for the water sharing plans.