Multi-million dollar upgrade

A $25 million investment in the Northern Murray-Darling Basin Metering Program will bolster water compliance and give communities access to faster and more accurate water data.

Federal Water Minister Keith Pitt said the program would provide $12.5 million each to NSW and Queensland to improve metering and expand access to water information.

NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey said the program would build industry capability, provide better access to accurate water information, and expand metering of water take.

“NSW can use the funding to help subsidise the costs of installing telemetry, undertake a metering demonstration project in the Barwon-Darling region, and support First Nations Australians in regional areas to undertake paid metering traineeships,” Ms Pavey said.

Mr Pitt said the investment would deliver new technologies to ensure communities had confidence in the integrity of local water users.

“This investment will significantly improve the information available to local communities, to water users and to compliance officers across the northern basin,’’ he said.