Water

Public forums

The ACCC hosted a series of public forums in November to hear the views of those engaged in, or affected by, markets for tradeable water rights in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Final decision

On 4 September 2019, the ACCC made a final decision to accredit the Essential Services Commission (Victoria) (ESCV) under Part 9 of the Water Charge (Infrastructure) Rules 2010 (WCIR).

Stable year for Murray–Darling Basin infrastructure operators, despite drought

Hotter and drier-than-average weather led to reduced water availability and higher prices for tradeable water products in 2017–18, placing pressure on water users in the Murray–Darling Basin, the ACCC’s ninth annual Water Monitoring Report has found.

Despite this, the ACCC found that 2017–18 was a relatively stable year for major water infrastructure operators, with relatively minor changes in hypothetical (or average) bills for irrigators in the majority of networks.