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 BasinSupply measures in the Murray–Darling Basin
Environmental Works and Measures Feasibility ProgramOther 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.
| 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: