Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search

Queensland and NSW floods 2022

Visit recovery.gov.au to see what help is available.

Close
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Climate change
    Climate change Driving climate action, science and innovation so we are ready for the future.
    • Climate science and adaptation
    • Australia's climate change strategies
    • Emissions reduction
    • Emissions reporting
    • International commitments
    • Climate Active
    • Climate change publications and data
    • Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts (Emissions Data)
    Stronger action on climate change

    Stronger action on climate change

    See how the Australian Government is committed to taking more ambitious action on climate change.

    Find out more

  • Energy
    Energy Building a secure and sustainable energy system for all Australians.
    • Energy policy in Australia
    • Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council
    • Renewable energy
    • Energy publications
    • energy.gov.au
    • Energy Rating
    • Commercial Building Disclosure Program
    • Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS)
    • Your Home
    • Reducing transport emissions
    Photo of commercial laundry focused on a washer and dryer

    Energy Ratings labels

    Helping consumers choose energy-efficient appliances

    Helping consumers choose energy-efficient appliances

  • Environment
    Environment Improving stewardship and sustainable management of Australia’s environment.
    • Bushfire recovery
    • Climate change and the environment
    • Biodiversity
    • EPBC Act
    • Environmental information and data
    • International activities
    • Invasive species
    • Land
    • Marine
    • Partnerships
    • Protection
    • Report a breach of environment law
    • Threatened species & ecological communities
    • Waste and recycling
    • Wildlife trade
    Decorative image

    Read our Nature Positive Plan

    Our plan sets out the Australian Government’s commitment to environmental law reform

    Find out more

  • Water
    Water Improving the sustainable management of Australia’s water supply for industry, the environment and communities.
    • Coal, Coal seam gas (CSG) and water
    • Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder
    • Water policy and resources
    • Wetlands
    Water matters

    Water Matters

    Keep up with the latest news on the department's work in managing Australia's water resources.

    Read the latest edition here

  • Parks and heritage
    Parks and heritage Managing Australia’s iconic national parks, historic places and living landscapes.
    • Australian Marine Parks
    • Australian National Botanic Gardens
    • Booderee National Park
    • Kakadu National Park
    • Christmas Island National Park
    • National parks
    • Norfolk Island National Park
    • Heritage
    • Pulu Keeling National Park
    • The Great Barrier Reef
    • Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
    The reef

    Great Barrier Reef

    Australia is protecting and conserving this World Heritage Area.

    Find out more

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Climate change
    • Australia's biological resources
    • National Environmental Science Program (NESP)
    • Office of the Science Convenor
    • Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS)
    • State of the Environment (SoE) reporting
    • Bird and bat banding
    • Supervising Scientist
    Our climate is changing

    Our climate is changing

    Find out more about how climate science helps Australians with the impacts of climate change.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We lead Australia’s response to climate change and sustainable energy use, and protect our environment, heritage and water.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • People and jobs
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    2023-24 May Budget

    2023-24 Budget

    The 2023-24 Budget has been delivered. Find out what's been announced.

    Find out what's been announced

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Climate Change, Energy, Enviroment and Water

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Water
  3. Water policy and resources
  4. Murray–Darling Basin
  5. Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program

Sidebar first - Water

  • Murray–Darling Basin
    • Basin Plan
      • Economic effects of the Commonwealth water recovery programs in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area
      • Making the Basin Plan
      • Need water reform
      • Socio-economic effects of Commonwealth water recovery in the Murray–Darling Basin
      • Commonwealth water reform investments in the Murray–Darling Basin
    • Northern Murray-Darling Basin
      • Northern Basin Initiatives
      • Northern Basin Toolkit
    • Water recovery in the Murray-Darling Basin
      • How we recover water
        • Efficiency measures
        • Sustainable Diversion Limit (SDL) adjustment mechanism and its implementation
        • Water purchasing
          • Groundwater purchasing
          • Strategic water purchasing – Bridging the Gap 2023
            • What we heard: info sessions
          • Surface water purchasing - limited tender
          • Surface water purchasing - open tender
      • Progress on water recovery
        • Water recovery accounting
    • Murray–Darling Basin policy
      • Independent assessment of the social and economic conditions in the Basin
      • Review of the Water for the Environment Special Account
    • National Partnership Agreement on Implementing Water Reform in the Murray–Darling Basin: milestone assessment reports

Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program

​The Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program (SRWUIP) is a national program investing in rural water use, management and efficiency, including improved water knowledge and market reform, and water purchase for the environment.

SRWUIP is the key mechanism to ‘bridge the gap’ to the sustainable diversion limits (SDLs) under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and consists of 3 main components:

  • irrigation infrastructure projects
  • water purchase measures
  • supply measures.

The majority of SRWUIP infrastructure funds are committed to projects in the Murray–Darling Basin for improving the operation of off-farm delivery systems and helping irrigators improve on-farm water use efficiency. The water savings generated from these projects are shared between the Australian governments for environmental use, and irrigators for consumptive use.

SRWUIP investments include:

  • planning, investigations and project design
  • works on off-farm irrigation systems
  • works on farms to improve water use efficiency
  • works to improve ecological health and restore natural flows
  • water saving municipal projects
  • water purchase through the Commonwealth purchasing program
  • environmental works and changes to river operations that enable the same environmental outcomes to be achieved with less water.​

Projects funded or partly funded under the program

Infrastructure projects in the Murray–Darling Basin

State priority projects

  • ACT Healthy Waterways project
  • Goulburn Murray Water Connections project Stage 2 (formerly Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal project Stage 2)
  • NVIRP 2 – On-Farm project (Vic)
  • Sunraysia Modernisation project (Vic)
  • Irrigated Farm Modernisation project (NSW)
  • Healthy Floodplains project (NSW)
  • Metering Scheme project (NSW)
  • Basin Pipe project (NSW)
  • Nimmie-Caira Enhanced Environmental Outcomes project (NSW)
  • Healthy HeadWaters Water Use Efficiency project (Qld)
  • Coal Seam Gas Water Feasibility study (Qld)
  • Private Irrigation Infrastructure Program in South Australia
  • Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Recovery project (SA)
  • Riverine Recovery project (SA)
  • Flows for the Future project (SA)
  • Integrated Pipelines project (SA)​

Other investment programs

  • On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program
  • Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program in New South Wales
  • Victorian Farm Modernisation project
  • Irrigator Led Group Proposals
  • Menindee Lakes project
  • Murray–Darling Basin Regional Economic Diversification Program

Water purchase in the Murray–Darling Basin

Restoring the Balance in the Murray–Darling Basin

Supply measures in the Murray–Darling Basin

Environmental Works and Measures Feasibility Program

Other projects

  • Great Artesian Basin water infrastructure interim arrangements​
  • Supporting more efficient irrigation in Tasmania
  • Environmental Water Knowledge and Research project
  • Upgrade of meter test facilities for non-urban water metering

See also:

  • Water programs in the Murray-Darling Basin
  • SRWUIP infrastructure projects and their location is available from the SRWUIP interactive map.
  • SRWUIP 'gap bridging' water recovery progress: Progress towards meeting environmental needs under the Basin Plan.

Taxation of Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure grants

Amendments to the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 commenced on 28 June 2013.

The amendments to the Act allow recipients of payments from eligible SRWUIP projects, to choose to make water infrastructure improvement payments non-assessable non-exempt (NANE) income, with expenditures matched by those payments non-deductible and to disregard any capital gain or loss from related transfers of water ​rights.

SRWUIP recipients should seek professional legal or accounting advice in applying the amendments to their individual circumstances. For more information relating to this tax measure, see the ATO website.

Whether or not taxpayers can make a choice affecting the tax treatment of amounts derived and expenditure incurred for a particular program depends on whether the program is listed under SRWUIP.

Programs under the Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program (SRWUIP) eligible for the days listed under section 59-70 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997
Eligible Program Eligibility start date Eligibility end date
Healthy Headwaters Water Use Efficiency project (Qld) 1 April 2010  
New South Wales Irrigated Farm Modernisation Pilot Program 1 April 2010 30 June 2011
Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program in New South Wales 9 April 2010  
Private Irrigation Infrastructure Program for South Australia 1 April 2010  
On Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program 1 April 2010  
Gascoyne Pipeline project 28 June 2010 30 June 2012
Irrigator Led Group Proposal Program (infrastructure removal component) 4 February 2011 30 June 2012
Goulburn Murray Water Connections project Stage 2 (formerly Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Program – Stage 2) 1 November 2010  
Strategic Subsystem Reconfiguration (infrastructure removal and reconfiguration component) 1 November 2012 17 December 2013
New South Wales Sustaining the Basin: Irrigated Farm Modernisation Program 7 December 2011  
Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project – On Farm Priority Project 17 October 2011 31 July 2014
Victorian Farm Modernisation project 26 July 2013  
Sunraysia Modernisation project 28 October 2013  
Flows for the Future Stage 1 15 February 2017  

See also water programs in:

  • Basin-wide programs
  • Australian Capital Territory programs
  • New South Wales programs
  • Queensland programs
  • South Australian programs
  • Victorian programs
​​​​​
Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 14 April 2021

© Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.