Sydney developer Deicorp is set to officially open its <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/hills-showground-village-castle-hill-2-mandala-parade-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Showground Village</a> precinct in Castle Hill.

NSW Premier Chris Minns will attend the opening on Sunday August 31, alongside&nbsp;Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully, The Hills Shire Council Mayor Dr Michelle Byrne, Landcom CEO Alex Wendler, and Deicorp Founder Fouad Deiri.

Located just moments from Hills Showground Metro Station, the centre spans 9,500 sqm across four levels and features 26 specialty retailers as well as a 1,400 sqm public plaza, creating a new community meeting point for shopping, dining, fitness, and everyday convenience.&nbsp;

Showground Village forms part of the Hills Showground Station Precinct, an urban renewal initiative led by Landcom and Sydney Metro that will provide for around 2,300 new jobs over the next 20 years and around 9,000 new homes.&nbsp;

Deicorp was recently approved for another new development next door to Showground Village.

The new five residential buildings in the East Showgrounds Precinct, will see another 873 dwellings delivered, as well as&nbsp;3,500 sqm of open public space in the form of landscaped courtyards, a public park and communal outdoor recreational space including a playground, barbeque area, and outdoor seating.

“This approval will allow us to start construction on a range of beautifully designed, conveniently located apartments and create another vibrant, walkable and well-connected community,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/deicorp" target="">Deicorp</a>&nbsp;Founder Fouad Deiri.

“These new homes will provide their residents with a seamless connection to jobs and services along Metro North West, and the new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/hills-showground-village-castle-hill-2-mandala-parade-castle-hill" target="">Hills Showground Village</a>&nbsp;retail precinct currently under construction."

Deicorp has several thousand apartments in planning and under construction across Sydney, from Zetland and Five Dock to Crows Nest and Macquarie Park.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=133881]

Joel Robinson

Deicorp, NSW Premier officially open Showground Village, new retail and hospitality hub in Castle Hill

ASX-listed developer Cedar Woods is progressing its plans for its Southbank arts precinct site.&nbsp;

The developer has filed plans, which are now with the&nbsp;Department of Transport and Planning, for a new 20-level tower at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/141-151-sturt-street-southbank-vic-3006">141–151 Sturt Street</a>, a 2,718 sqm block opposite the Habitat Filter sculpture.

The proposal seeks to demolish the two-level&nbsp;commercial building, including a small supermarket and medical tenancies, and create a new building with 180 apartments and a focus on an&nbsp;active public realm and arts integration.

&nbsp;

<img alt="Southbank site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="76a72db6-91ef-43ae-827d-a9cfa72893d2" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Site.png?VersionId=DZgtB4K6BswVh0QtCs3iLjXaLp0CbcEb" />

&nbsp;

There will be a full mix of apartment configurations, including 28 studio apartments, 16 one-bedroom, 104 two-bedroom, and 32 three-bedroom units.

Retail, creative arts, and residential amenity functions are integrated across the lower levels. A food and drink tenancy is planned to front Dodds Street, while a retail tenancy fronting Sturt Street will be accessed via an elevated walkway. The first floor includes a substantial 734 sqm creative arts space, envisioned to support Melbourne’s growing cultural and digital industries.

Architecture firm <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a> has put together the plans. In their&nbsp;Urban Design Report they highlighted the project’s ambition to embed itself within Southbank’s evolving cultural fabric.

A central feature of the design is a through-block link connecting Sturt and Dodds Streets, landscaped with native plantings and embedded with universal access ramps.

“The ramp has been thoughtfully integrated as the primary access point, ensuring universal accessibility for all users,” the report noted, with the link offering “a direct response to the urban planning scheme of creating more green spaces within our communities”.

<img alt="Southbank podium" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4d24b1b2-d69c-4a11-a11d-ec6df432221c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/podium.png?VersionId=geWoJyZDmPSLODZ_.PNJ0LvpOmyyCdpo" />

The building’s podium form responds to the mandatory height limits along Dodds Street and maintains a fine-grain interface to adjoining developments. Above the podium, the tower is articulated with recessed balconies and a focus on views toward the CBD and surrounding arts institutions. A communal rooftop recreation deck and indoor lounge are positioned on level four, adjoining seven apartments and providing over 900 sqm of resident amenity space.

Vehicle access and loading will be provided via Dodds Street, with 155 resident car spaces located across two basement levels and the first three above-ground floors. Bicycle storage is more generous, with 226 spaces distributed across resident, staff and visitor needs.

Rothelowman describes the architecture as “humanist,” with ground-level interfaces designed to encourage social interaction and provide a dignified entry for both residents and passers-by. “All street interfaces are crafted to invite and nurture human connections,” the design report states. “The façade transitions to a human scale, providing an approachable and engaging streetscape”.

Cedar Woods, while well-known for its large communities it develops outside of Australia's capital cities, they have recently developed in Melbourne's inner-ring before. They are approaching completion at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/88-leveson-north-melbourne-88-leveson-street-north-melbourne-vic-3051">88 Leveson</a>, just 15 townhouses in the heart of North Melbourne.

Cedar Woods progresses with new apartment plans in Southbank arts precinct

Brisbane developers Core Property Partners and Vector Property Australia has teamed up for Brisbane's newest apartment development.

The duo identified <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/east-brisbane-qld-4169">East Brisbane</a> as their preferred suburb, on the fringe of the Gabba Precinct, where they've just revealed BANKSII, 72 apartments opposite Raymond Park.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=136432 project_image_fid=5481]

The one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments will sit in a glass-wrapped building that will also feature a rooftop with an&nbsp;infinity-edge pool, a BBQ area and alfresco dining spaces, sun lounges, and a sauna, as well as a resident-only gym and a ground-floor cafe.

Rhett Williams, Director of Vector Property Australia, said the project will lift the quality of the East Brisbane community and set a new benchmark.

"In Brisbane’s current property landscape, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/banksii-east-brisbane-169-wellington-road-east-brisbane-qld-4169">BANKSII</a> stands out through its emphasis on lifestyle-oriented living, connectivity and sophisticated design," Williams says.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=136432 project_image_fid=5479]

The 10-level building has been designed by MAS Architecture. Their designs were inspired by the native Banksia flower, with the architecture and interiors reflecting the organic symmetry of its namesake flora. MAS has interpreted this throughout the building’s curved form, façade detailing and interior palette.&nbsp;

The building’s flowing geometry and natural tones are complemented by large balconies and floor-to-ceiling glazing, maximising cross-breezes, daylight and views over the city, parklands and river.

“Having a strong narrative for a building helps us architecturally,” MAS noted. "We can choose colours that come off that species of flowers. The trunk and the trees and the flower elements all are now visible in our joinery on the inside and in our architectural finishes on the outside."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=136432 project_image_fid=5485]

Apartments will feature timber floors, soft porcelain tiles, brushed bronze fittings, and stone benchtops with warm veining.&nbsp;

Kitchens feature premium SMEG appliances and generous storage, while bathrooms have been designed as calming retreats with curved cabinetry and twin sinks in the master ensuites.

The building will feature a suite of rooftop and wellness amenities. Residents will have access to an infinity-edge pool, BBQ and alfresco dining areas, sun lounges and a rooftop sauna.&nbsp;

A residents-only gym will be located on the podium level, while a ground-floor café and landscaped laneway will further activate the site and improve neighbourhood connectivity.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=136432 project_image_fid=5488]

BANKSII will rise from a prime Wellington Road site, with the building oriented to overlook the adjacent Raymond Park and take in extensive city views. It is also on the doorstep of key&nbsp;lifestyle infrastructure, including the future Kangaroo Point Green Bridge, The Gabba stadium, and the planned Brisbane Live arena.&nbsp;

Public transport options, including ferry, bus and rail - including the future Cross River Rail Woolloongabba station - are all nearby, supporting a car-optional lifestyle just minutes from the CBD.

Williams said the team spent over a year searching for the ideal site before securing this location.

"We were attracted to <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/east-brisbane-qld-4169">East Brisbane</a> as it is a vibrant and growing community that offers a perfect balance of urban convenience and natural beauty with the parklands and river on our doorstep.”

The project is part of the broader Woolloongabba Games precinct, which is undergoing significant investment in the lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. This urban renewal, coupled with infrastructure upgrades, is expected to enhance long-term liveability and capital growth in the area.

Given the wide max of configurations, BANKSII is expected to suit everyone from first home buyers and investors to families and downsizers.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=136432]

BANKSII sales launch in booming East Brisbane apartment market

The Minns Labor Government will deliver Sydney’s first new heavy rail station in more than a decade – enabling up to 10,000 new homes by rezoning land around Woollahra and Edgecliff stations, right next to the CBD, to tackle the housing crisis and rebalance growth across the city.

Recent reports by the NSW Productivity Commission have warned that Sydney is losing twice as many young people as it is gaining, while also finding that Woollahra is the most feasible Local Government Area (LGA) in New South Wales to build new housing.

Despite this, housing approvals in Woollahra consistently lag well behind other LGAs, and the population has declined by 11 per cent over the past 50 years while Greater Sydney as a whole has grown by 74 per cent.

The new station that will be an eight-minute trip from Sydney CBD, will be located on the Eastern Suburbs train line in Woollahra, where a station build was started in the 1970s but never completed.

To enable the delivery of new homes the NSW Government will lead a rezoning of Woollahra and Edgecliff stations similar to other state led rezonings to allow additional homes to be built around the stations.

Affordable housing will also make up a proportion of development on the site with the final amount of affordable housing required, to be determined as part of the rezoning process.

The area surrounding the new station is within walking distance of major green and recreational space including Cooper, Trumper, Rushcutters Bay and Centennial Parks.

The Eastern Suburbs train line between Bondi Junction and Sydney CBD also has the lowest passenger usage rates during the AM peak of any line on the Sydney network, with only 43 per cent of operating capacity during the AM peak currently being utilised by passengers.

Sydney Water and Infrastructure NSW have confirmed there is capacity in the water and wastewater systems to accommodate the proposed 10,000 dwellings without major upgrades.

The rezoning is expected to take around two years and will further support the Government’s housing targets that rebalance the delivery of new homes around existing infrastructure.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Next stop Woollahra train station - delivering up to 10,000 new homes in the heart of Sydney

<section data-element_type="section" data-id="b086848">
Fresh off completing its mixed-use Malvern project Malvern Collective, Kokoda Property Group has acquired a prime site on Richmond's Bridge Road.

They are planning a mid-rise residential development with&nbsp;integrated wellness amenities and a vibrant ground-floor retail and dining offering.

The site, at&nbsp;487–495 Bridge Road, spans&nbsp;1,650 sqm with 50 metres of dual frontage across Bridge Road and Palmer Street. It is currently leased to Adairs, and has a large retail building and 20 onsite car parks.
</section>

<section data-element_type="section" data-id="534a164">
Kokoda Property Group’s acquisition forms part of a broader phase of growth in Melbourne, building on momentum from the completion of Malvern Collective and the recent purchase of a Burnley Street site for the developer’s first commercial project.&nbsp;

Mark Stevens, Kokoda Property Group’s Founder and Managing Director, said that the company’s Bridge Road site acquisition signals confidence in a city that is re-accelerating.

“Melbourne is regaining momentum,"&nbsp;Stevens said.

"After a cautious period post-COVID, we’re seeing buyer sentiment stabilise and capital leaning back into well-located, quality projects. Victoria now benefits from deep builder capacity and competitive delivery pricing, creating a rare opportunity to bring design-led inner-city developments to market without compromising on craftsmanship.

“Richmond ticks all the boxes for us – connectivity, culture and everyday amenity – making Bridge Road the perfect address for an amenity-rich, multi-use development."

<img alt="Kokoda" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9a8de51d-8092-480a-8b7e-e081816692c2" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-08-29%20at%208.54.27%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=VRHpV5.6beOu2cieKHWrw3ErMPuVOAuj" />

Envisioned as an “urban lantern” the building will bring a distinctive new presence to Bridge Road with a sculptural retail frontage, designed to honour the street’s heritage character while contributing to its renewal.

Stevens said the acquisition reflects the developer’s commitment to design-led addresses in Melbourne’s inner city.

“Drawing on Richmond’s rich heritage and dynamic character, we’ve envisioned a contemporary building that respects the past while elevating the way people live today. With dual frontages, curated ground-floor spaces, and a focus on wellness, this project will contribute to the neighbourhood’s evolution, appealing to both downsizers and a new generation of professionals.”

Kokoda Property will now progress concept design ahead of a future planning process.
</section>

Mark Stevens, Kokoda Property Group’s Founder and Managing Director, said that the company’s Bridge Road site acquisition signals confidence in a city that is re-accelerating

First look: Kokoda secures Richmond site for new apartment development

Drought

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Australia has just experienced a summer of environmental extremes. Water has played a key role. This includes prolonged drought, <a href="https://theconversation.com/weather-bureau-says-hottest-driest-year-on-record-led-to-extreme-bushfire-season-129447" target="_blank">dry soil and bushland contributing to bushfires</a>, and widespread shortages of water for agriculture and drinking supplies. Thankfully, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/21/australia-fires-has-the-rain-put-out-the-bushfires-and-could-they-flare-again" target="_blank">rain extinguished many bushfires</a> that had burned for weeks and months.
The late summer heavy rain fell in some, but not all, regions. Australia’s capital city water supplies have had different fortunes this summer. The Bureau of Meteorology “<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/dashboards/#/water-storages/summary/state" target="_blank">water dashboard</a>” provides daily data.
Cities where storages are low
Five capital city water supplies dropped over summer by between 2.2% and 11.4% of their storage capacity.
<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/dashboards/#/water-storages/summary/urban?location=Hobart" target="_blank">Hobart</a> has proportionally dropped the most, by 11.4 percentage points, to 59.8%. This reflects relatively small storages and the city’s dry summer with only 65mm of rain. That’s less than half the historic average.
The <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/dashboards/#/water-storages/summary/urban?location=Adelaide" target="_blank">Adelaide</a> storages fell by 8.4 points to 43.5%. Adelaide had a typical dry summer with 66mm. That’s close to the historic average, as the city has a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers.
Adelaide’s water storages provided only 10% of the city’s water supply in 2018-19, with <a href="https://www.sawater.com.au/community-and-environment/our-water-and-sewerage-systems/water-sources">83% drawn from the Murray River</a>. The Commonwealth is providing nearly <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-07/drought-stimulus-sa-desalination-plant-murray-river-water-farms/11679136">A$100 million</a> for Adelaide’s desalination plant. This aims to allow upstream irrigators to grow fodder with the river water that was destined for Adelaide.
 
Perth has had another dry summer. Its catchment rivers have supplied only 44.1 gigalitres (GL) of water since April 2019. This is much lower than the <a href="https://www.watercorporation.com.au/water-supply/rainfall-and-dams/streamflow">long-term pre-1975 average of 413GL</a> over the same time period.
Perth water storages <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/dashboards/#/water-storages/summary/urban?location=Perth">fell by 5.7 percentage points this summer to 39.5%</a>, the lowest of all capital city supplies.
<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/dashboards/#/water-storages/summary/urban?location=Canberra">Canberra</a> lost 4.6% of its water supply. The end-of-summer level of 46.5% continues a rapid decline from 100% in October 2016.
Despite the falling reserves, Canberra’s Icon Water has not imposed water restrictions. It <a href="https://www.iconwater.com.au/My-Home/Saving-Water/why-isnt-canberra-in-water-restrictions.aspx">advises</a> that the Cotter Dam was enlarged in 2013. Icon Water can also draw “top-up” water from the Murrumbidgee River.
<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/dashboards/#/water-storages/summary/urban?location=Melbourne">Melbourne’s</a> supplies fell 2.2 percentage points to 61.6%.
Cities where storages rose
Three capital cities recorded water storage increases this summer.
<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/dashboards/#/water-storages/summary/urban?location=Darwin">Darwin’s</a> supply was close to full as recently as April 2018. Since then it has been on a downward trend. A modest 6.4% gain over this summer’s wet season took it to 60.3%.
Darwin appears to be having its second poor wet season in a row. The city had 675mm of rain (Darwin Airport) this summer. That’s about 67% of its historic summer average of just over 1,000mm.
<a href="https://www.powerwater.com.au/about/what-we-do/water-supply/darwin-water-supply">Options canvassed for increasing Darwin water supply</a> include using Manton Dam, which was built in the 1940s but is now used for recreation.
<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/dashboards/#/water-storages/summary/urban?location=Brisbane">Brisbane’s</a> southeast Queensland storages increased by 8.6 percentage points to 69.6%.
<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/dashboards/#/water-storages/summary/urban?location=Sydney">Sydney’s</a> storages increased the most, by 35.7 points to 81.4%.
Sydney was distressed by its dwindling water supplies as summer approached. Storages were at 45.7% at the start of December. <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/news/level-2-water-restrictions-to-start-across-sydney/">Level 2 water restrictions were imposed</a> from December 10.
These were the toughest summer water restrictions for an Australian capital city. All use of hoses for gardens and washing cars was banned. Many Sydneysiders struggled to keep their gardens alive, lugging around buckets and watering cans. A catchcry across Sydney was “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/24/let-your-lawn-die-five-ways-to-care-for-a-garden-in-a-drought">let your lawn die</a>”.
On February 6 2020, heavy rains started falling in coastal southeastern Australia, including Sydney and its water catchments.
The automatic weather station at Mount Boyce, near Blackheath on the edge of the Warragamba Dam catchment, recorded <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/202002/html/IDCJDW2087.202002.shtml">415mm in four days</a>. From February 6-27 Sydney’s water storages nearly doubled, from 41.7% to nearly 82%. This added more than 1 million megalitres (ML), equivalent to more than 1.5 years’ demand.
On February 6, parched catchments were adding 10ML a day to Warragamba Dam. A week later the catchment rivers had risen and many were in minor flood, adding <a href="/news">65,000ML a day</a> on February 13.
At the end of summer Sydney Water <a href="https://www.sydneywater.com.au/SW/water-the-environment/what-we-re-doing/water-restrictions/index.htm">announced</a> it was dropping level 2 restrictions.
Some parts missed out
The February rains were patchy, however. Many water-stressed parts of New South Wales were not so lucky.
Orange in the state’s Central West remained on <a href="https://www.orange.nsw.gov.au/water/">level 5 water restrictions</a> all summer. Orange Council pleaded with residents to curb water use to less than 160 litres per person per day. Residents responded by using even less, averaging <a href="https://www.orange.nsw.gov.au/water/oranges-water-supply/">126 litres a day</a> in February.
Nearby Bathurst declared <a href="https://www.bathurst.nsw.gov.au/396-environment/energy-sustainability/waterrestrictions">“extreme” water restrictions</a> from February 24. Its main storage, Chifley Dam, is just under 30% and also had a blue-green algae alert.
Chaffey Dam provides drinking water to the Tamworth area and sits at <a href="https://www.keywater.com.au/dam-storage-levels/">just 14.3%</a>. Over summer it received over 800ML but has to balance this inflow with environmental releases. Tamworth remains on <a href="https://yourvoice.tamworth.nsw.gov.au/town-water-supplies/water-restrictions">level 5 restrictions</a>. If Chaffey Dam drops below 10% a daily <a href="https://www.northerndailyleader.com.au/story/6583543/100-litre-target-to-be-set-if-chaffey-falls-to-10-per-cent/">target of 100 litres per person looms</a>.
A cause for concern is that many large NSW irrigation dams across the Murray-Darling River system remain very low for the start of autumn. For example, Burrendong Dam near Dubbo was at <a href="https://realtimedata.waternsw.com.au/">4.5% at the end of summer</a>. This dam supplies water to the city via the Macquarie River.
The Macquarie River also supplies other settlements, irrigators and industry, such as the mines at Cobar.
Flooding rains in inland Queensland are returning healthy flows to dry inland rivers such as the Barwon and the Darling. On February 25, Bourke Shire Council <a href="https://bourke.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/mr200225.pdf">announced</a> happy news that “strong flows in the Darling River” allowed the lifting of water restrictions. Bourke residents had endured water restrictions for more than 550 days.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/132669/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-wright-5162">Ian Wright</a>, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jason-reynolds-398576">Jason Reynolds</a>, Senior Lecturer in Geochemistry, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-city-by-city-guide-to-how-water-supplies-fared-in-australias-summer-of-extremes-132669">original article</a>.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

How water supplies fared in Australia’s summer of extremes

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Minister for Water, Property and Housing, Melinda Pavey, today announced that she would take the water resource plans for eight surface water areas back to the stakeholder advisory panels for comment prior to submitting to the Commonwealth for accreditation.
"In December last year I promised to complete the consultation, and not be rushed by deadlines that did not recognise the pressures put on our rural communities by what remains a significant drought in the NSW Murray-Darling Basin,” Mrs Pavey said.
“The community has made a huge effort to comment on the draft plans during the public exhibition phase last year. Now I want to go back to the stakeholder advisory panels with an analysis of key community concerns, and make sure these have been adequately considered in the latest draft."
“It is vital that we close the loop with stakeholders before the water resource plans are submitted to the Commonwealth for assessment and accreditation.”
Mrs Pavey said the Stakeholder Advisory Panels will be convened for the regulated river valleys and the Barwon-Darling during March.
"NSW water sharing plans form the engine room of water resource plans. I’ve asked the Department to put these on its website, showing the changes from the publicly exhibited versions, so that communities can see how their concerns have been addressed. This is part of my commitment to transparency in water management,” Mrs Pavey said.
“I have made it clear that these plans won’t be submitted until the community have had their say.”
The consultations will include:
· Murray Lower Darling – Deneliquin – March 18, 2020
· Murrumbidgee - Griffith -19 March
· Barwon Darling – Bouke - 24 March
· Namoi – Narrabri - 30 March
· Namoi – Tamworth - 31 March
· Gwydir - Moree - 1 April
· Border Rivers – Goondiwindi - 2 April
· Lachlan - Parkes - 7 April
· Macquarie – Dubbo - 8 April
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Minister Melinda Pavey gathers water resource plans for NSW

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Regional NSW is still in the grips of the worst drought on record with 99 per cent of the state still drought affected, despite recent rain in coastal areas and some inland regions.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro today spoke with farmers, families and business owners in Yass, Boorowa, Cowra and Orange about the drought and reassured them that they have not been forgotten.
“The recent downpours were a welcome relief, but people need to understand that many parts of the state did not receive a single drop and that 99 per cent of the state, particularly areas like the Far West, Central West and Southern NSW, remain in drought,” Mr Barilaro said.
“The drought is not over, far from it, and I want farmers, families and businesses to know that, while there has quite rightly been much attention given to firefighting and recovery efforts, our focus and commitment to drought support and response has not wavered.
“I am looking forward to the day I can say the drought has broken but that day is not today. 
“The recent rain has given a lot of communities hope for the future but for those who have missed out it is a tough pill to swallow. We will continue to stand by them until this drought breaks.”
Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW Adam Marshall said a further 50mm of rain is forecast on the North Coast for the coming week, following similar falls last week, however it will take months of sustained and widespread rainfall to break the drought.
“I’m sure many people have seen photos of green grass sprouting in some drought affected areas, but the reality is this recent growth is not that widespread and will provide only limited nutritional value for livestock,” Mr Marshall said.
“In farming areas, stored soil moisture levels remain very low, which shows the recent rainfall hasn’t provided the nourishing effect needed to improve conditions, while algal blooms and further fish kills remain a very real possibility across multiple regions.”
Mr Barilaro said as of February 2020, more than $1.9 billion has been committed to the Emergency Drought Relief package to help farmers and regional communities, on top of the $1 billion Safe and Secure Water program which is delivering water infrastructure that boosts drought resilience.
“We haven’t stopped and we won’t stop delivering for drought affected communities. Despite the bushfires, the bushfire recovery operation and despite recent rain, our commitment to regional towns suffering through this overwhelming drought is unwavering.”
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Regional NSW is still in grips of worst drought: John Barolaro

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Water restrictions in Greater Sydney are expected to be relaxed to Level 1 on the 1st of March as Sydney Dam levels reach 80 per cent following recent rainfall. 
Minister for Water, Property and Housing Melinda Pavey said Level 2 water restrictions will remain in place for two more weeks to reduce the demand on the water supply network and ensure water quality remains high.
“We recently experienced the biggest rain event in 20 years, which has impacted the quality of raw water in Greater Sydney’s bushfire affected catchment,” Mrs Pavey said. 
“A number of initiatives are in place to ensure the water is safe for use, including extensive testing, filtration and nets to catch debris, but we are allowing an extra two weeks purely as a precautionary measure.”
“It will also give the system time to recover and on the 1st of March we expect Greater Sydney will revert back to Level 1 water restrictions, subject to water quality assessment by Water NSW and Sydney Water.”
Under Level 1 water restrictions, residents and businesses are not able to leave hoses running unattended, wash vehicles and buildings with a hose that isn’t fitted with a trigger nozzle, or use standard sprinklers and watering systems at any time. 
Mrs Pavey acknowledged people have been patient and applauded their efforts to reduce the amount of water being used annually – from 200L per person per day in 2017, to 180L today.
“Despite a 26 per cent increase in population, the total demand for drinking water remains lower than it did before mandatory restrictions were introduced in late 2003,” Mrs Pavey said.
Fines will still apply for breaches of water restrictions - $220 for residential breaches and $550 for businesses. Exemptions will be available for non-residential customers with outdoor water use as their core business.
For a full list of requirements for Level 1 and 2 water restrictions visit: lovewater.sydney
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Water restrictions in Greater Sydney expected to be relaxed from March

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Paul White, the chairman of Ray White Rural, has donated $100,000 to Drought Angels – A Chinchilla-based charity for farmers in need.
“We like to tell our farmers that this is not a handout but a thank you,” said founder Tash Johnston.
“Thank you for all you do to put the food on our tables because without you we would all go hungry.
“Paul White and Ray White Rural has been so generous and this donation will enable us to give 1000 farming families a $100 pre-paid Visa card so they can buy presents for Christmas and the like.
“It’s not charity, it’s a thank you, not a hand-out and the number has grown in the wake of the devastating bushfires.”
Drought Angels has some 4500 families registered with it Australia-wide for support, and the number of primary producers who are doing it tough is growing each year.
The demand has grown in the wake of the bushfires.
You can donate to the Drought Angels cause in the lead up to Christmas at <a href="https://www.droughtangels.org.au/" target="_blank">www.droughtangels.org.au</a>.
Every donation of $2 is tax deductible.
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Ray White's Paul White supporting Drought Angels Christmas drive for farmers

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GUEST OBSERVATION 
The “New Bradfield” scheme is more than an attempt to transcend environmental reality. It seeks to revive a pioneering spirit and a nation-building ethos supposedly stifled by the bureaucratic inertia of modern Australia.
This is not a new lament. Frustrated by bureaucracy, politicians in North Queensland have long criticised the slow pace of northern development.
In 1950, northern local governments blamed urban lethargy. <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63184273?searchTerm=concern%20at%20drift%20in%20north%27s%20population&amp;searchLimits=" target="_blank">One prominent mayor</a> complained: "These young people lack the pioneering spirit of their forebears, preferring leisure and pleasure to hardships and hard work."
These sentiments were inspired by an agrarian nostalgia that extolled toil and toughness. Stoic responses to the challenges of life on the land are part of the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/9284258" target="_blank">Australian legend</a>.
With drought devastating rural and urban communities and a state election looming in Queensland in 2020, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/leaders-tout-bradfield-scheme-options-in-queensland-election-fight-20191101-p536o2" target="_blank">both sides of politics</a> have proposed a “New Bradfield” scheme.
An idea with 19th-century origins
Civil engineer John Bradfield devised the original scheme in 1938. His plan would <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/97050378?browse=ndp%3Abrowse%2Ftitle%2FQ%2Ftitle%2F379%2F1939%2F05%2F04%2Fpage%2F10280686%2Farticle%2F97050378" target="_blank">swamp inland Australia</a> by reversing the flow of North Queensland’s rivers. Similar proposals go back to at least 1887, when geographer <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/35590102?q&amp;versionId=44284267+219718360+231090219" target="_blank">E.A. Leonard recommended</a> the Herbert, Tully, Johnstone and Barron rivers be turned around to irrigate Australia’s “<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/13361128" target="_blank">dead heart</a>”.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302057/original/file-20191117-66921-mj64sz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302057/original/file-20191117-66921-mj64sz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Blencoe Falls, on a tributary of the Herbert River, North Queensland, during the dry season. Patrick White, Author provided
As the “dead heart” became the “<a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/finlayson-hedley-herbert-14881" target="_blank">Red Centre</a>” in the 1930s, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/6707892?q&amp;versionId=7723963" target="_blank">populist writers</a> revived the dreams of big irrigation schemes.
These schemes have always been contested on both <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-18/fact-file-bradfield-scheme-drought-relief/11216616" target="_blank">environmental and economic grounds</a>. A <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/20252029" target="_blank">compelling history of Bradfield’s</a> proposal reveals many errors and miscalculations. But what the scheme lacked in substance it made up for in grandiose vision.
<a href="https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/the-water-dreamers" target="_blank">Water dreaming</a> has been a powerful theme in Australian history. The desire to transform desert into farmland retains appeal and <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/97099323?searchTerm=bradfield%20AND%20%22Nimmo%22&amp;searchLimits=exactPhrase=Nimmo%7C%7C%7CanyWords%7C%7C%7CnotWords%7C%7C%7CrequestHandler%7C%7C%7CdateFrom=1944-01-01%7C%7C%7CdateTo=1948-01-01%7C%7C%7Cl-advstate=National%7C%7C%7Cl-advstate=New+South+Wales%7C%7C%7Cl-advstate=Queensland%7C%7C%7Cl-advstate=Victoria%7C%7C%7Csortby" target="_blank">discredited</a> schemes like Bradfield keep reappearing.
Contempt for nature and country
While less ambitious than the original plan, the “New Bradfield” scheme still engineers against the gradient of both history and nature. It would have irreversible consequences for Queensland’s <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/am/experts-dismiss-new-drought-proofing-bradfield-scheme/11666006" target="_blank">environment</a>, society and culture.
What’s more, the new scheme manifests much the same mindset as the old.
It’s an attitude that privileges the conquest of nature: in this case literally up-ending geography by turning east-flowing rivers westward. Its celebration of the human struggle against defiant nature reprises the pioneering ethos.
Like many pioneers, “New Bradfield” proposals disregard the interests and land-management practices of Indigenous people. The bushfires ravaging the eastern states show the folly of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-14/traditional-owners-predicted-bushfire-disaster/11700320?sf223598160=1&amp;fbclid=IwAR2UkvGj_wyO4s6tbRqyI5sI6UgEI6SvqkoMwxCFEkKEV6FO7ZGJfGMP3Kc" target="_blank">ignoring traditional ways of caring for country</a>.
<a href="http://www.hcourt.gov.au/cases/case_d1-2018" target="_blank">Overlooking native title realities</a> can also cost governments and communities.
Polarising debate neglects more viable projects
“New Bradfield” is promoted as “<a href="https://www.deb2020.com.au/newbradfield/?utm_source=Digitaliyf&amp;utm_medium=GSearch&amp;utm_campaign=NBradfield&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiA8K7uBRBBEiwACOm4d-0xBRkgojO1Wykl937_rMhWhPhAb2ZsKhcKHOqdM2OuG11V34XdHBoCxBMQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">an asset owned by all Queenslanders for all Queenslanders</a>”. But <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-darling-river-is-simply-not-supposed-to-dry-out-even-in-drought-109880" target="_blank">environmental destruction</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/drought-and-climate-change-are-driving-high-water-prices-in-the-murray-darling-basin-119993" target="_blank">disputes over water sales</a> in the Murray-Darling Basin sound a warning.
The Queensland Farmers Federation has <a href="https://www.qff.org.au/media-releases/qff-welcomes-lnp-commitment-new-bradfield-scheme/" target="_blank">cautiously welcomed</a> the new scheme. Others have dismissed it as a “<a href="https://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/6479100/cold-water-poured-on-bradfield-mark-ii/" target="_blank">pipe dream</a>”.
Thus, northern Australia again sits amid a polarised debate about its utility to the nation. Such polarising contests diminish the likelihood of more viable projects being implemented.
Extravagant expectations of “untapped” northern resources have been <a href="https://scholarly.info/book/northern-dreams/" target="_blank">proffered for nearly two centuries</a>. Distant governments have fantasised the Australian tropics as a land of near-limitless potential. Northern communities have many times been disappointed by the results.
Today’s promises to “<a href="https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/opinion/flow-of-jobs-water-vital-for-nq-says-lnp-leader-deb-frecklington/news-story/053bb635b9cb86461ead6eedd39756ca" target="_blank">drought-proof</a>” large areas of Queensland rely on similar images. “Drought-proofing” aims to keep people on the land but often defies economic and social reality.
Dam developments have an underwhelming record
The “New Bradfield” rhetoric echoes the inflated expectations of myriad disappointing northern development plans in the past. The <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781349905737" target="_blank">Ord River project</a> was touted as an agricultural wonder that would put hundreds of thousands of farmers into the Kimberley. Its success lies forever just over the horizon.
Much closer to the present proposal is the Burdekin Falls Dam. It sits in the lower reaches of the same river earmarked for the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-01/bradfield-scheme-is-moving-water-from-north-to-south-feasible/11662942" target="_blank">Hells Gates Dam that would feed</a> the “New Bradfield” scheme. Damming Hells Gates has been advocated since at least the 1930s and has <a href="https://www.townsvilleenterprise.com.au/news-media/news-centre/advocacy-alert-hells-gates-funding-agreement-signals-boots-on-the-ground/" target="_blank">new supporters</a>.
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302055/original/file-20191117-66921-zna3a6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
The proposed site for Hells Gates Dam is on Gugu Badhun country on the Burdekin River. Dr Theresa Petray, Author provided
Back in the 1950s, damming the Burdekin was expected to generate hydro-electric power and irrigate vast swathes of farmland. After decades of political squabbling, the dam was completed in 1988. It does not generate hydro power. Although it irrigates some land downstream, the anticipated huge agricultural expansion never happened.
The Burdekin Falls Dam has helped the regional economy and could help to overcome the water shortages of the nearby city of Townsville. But it has not met the inflated expectations widely proffered decades earlier. The benefits that would flow from another dam further upstream are likely to be even more meagre.
Grandiose visions of northern development have a habit of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/8505121?selectedversion=NBD660057" target="_blank">failing</a>. A “New Bradfield” scheme, animated by an old pioneering ethos, is unlikely to be different.
Drought-affected communities would derive more benefit from sober proposals that acknowledge the past, integrate Indigenous knowledge and incorporate agricultural innovation.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127010/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Patrick White, PhD Candidate in History and Politics, James Cook University
Russell McGregor, Adjunct Professor of History, James Cook University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-bradfield-rerouting-rivers-to-recapture-a-pioneering-spirit-127010" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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‘New Bradfield’ and how talk of rerouting rivers tries to recapture a pioneering spirit

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The level of water stored by Australia’s capital cities has steadily fallen over the last six years. They are now collectively at 54.6% of capacity – a decline of 30% from 2013.
We’re going into a hot summer and Sydney has just announced <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/news/level-2-water-restrictions-to-start-across-sydney/" target="_blank">level two restrictions</a>, the toughest for any capital. Data from the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/dashboards/#/water-storages/summary/urban?location=Canberra" target="_blank">Bureau of Meteorology</a> shows other capital cities facing mixed results.
The results show that Darwin’s water supply has lost about 25% over the last year. On the plus side, Melbourne’s supply actually increased over 2019, having fallen below 50% earlier this year, and now sits on 63.9%.
While the national average is trending downwards, the patterns for each city are very different. Sydney and Perth water supplies have had contrasting journeys over the last six years. In October 2013 Perth’s supply was a very low 33.8% and Sydney was a comfortable 91%.
Now, for the first time in many years Perth does not have Australia’s lowest level of all capital city water storages. As of last week, Sydney has taken this unwanted distinction from Perth.
For Perth residents, the news is good as their surface water storages are at a six-year high of 46.4%. In Sydney they are worried, as they have a six-year low of 46.2%.
Sydney has experienced a steep decline over the last 30 months, from nearly full storages (96%) in April 2017. The speed and severity of the Sydney drought is starting to resemble previous dry spells. One was in the 1940s and the other was the Millennium drought.
Perth has lived with the most water stress of any capital city. They have had to contend with a steady 45-year decline in rain. The inflow of water into Perth’s dams has also <a href="https://www.watercorporation.com.au/water-supply/our-water-sources/securing-perth-supply" target="_blank">fallen dramatically</a>.
Perth has adapted to its drying climate by sourcing water from <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-perth-really-running-out-of-water-well-yes-and-no-90857" target="_blank">many different supplies</a>. It now uses its surface water storages for about 10% of its water supply. Much larger proportions of Perth’s supply comes from its two desalination plants, which unlike the other capitals are constantly in operation. It makes greater use of groundwater and highly treated recycled water. Perth also has permanent water restrictions.
Sydney’s desalination plant, after hibernating for seven years, is now supplying water. It was switched on in late January 2019 when Sydney supply hit 60%, and can supply 15% of water demand. Unusually perhaps, the desalinated water does not reach all parts of Sydney.
Sydney Water has announced plans to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/26/sydney-desalination-plant-to-double-in-size-as-dams-approach-critical-level" target="_blank">double the capacity</a> of the desalination plant. Construction is expected to <a href="https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/-/media/Files/DPE/Other/About-us/Metropolitan-Water/2017-Metropolitan-Water-Plan.pdf" target="_blank">begin soon</a>.
Melbourne and Brisbane water supplies are currently at similar levels. However, since 2013 Melbourne’s storages have generally been lower than Brisbane’s. Melbourne’s supply has risen in 2019 after good winter rainfall in its catchments. The storages have increased from under 50% (49.6%) in late May 2019. Today, Brisbane storage levels are now at 59.2%.
Melbourne residents use <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-sydney-residents-use-30-more-water-per-day-than-melburnians-117656" target="_blank">less water</a> than the other capital cities. In 2018 the average Melbourne resident used 161 litres per day, approximately 30% less than Sydney residents.
Melbourne’s supplies have also been supplemented with the reactivation of its Wonthaggi desalination plant in 2019. It is Australia’s largest desalination plant, capable of producing <a href="https://www.water.vic.gov.au/media-releases/2019/desalinated-water-begins-flowing-to-secure-supplies" target="_blank">410 million litres a day</a>.
Brisbane also built a desalination plant after the Millennium Drought. In addition, they also made very large investments in Australia’s largest waste water recycling scheme. The <a href="https://www.seqwater.com.au/seq-water-grid" target="_blank">Western Corridor recycled water scheme</a> opened in 2008, cost $2.5 billion and features three advanced waste water treatment plants, with more than 200 km of pipelines and three advanced waste water treatment plants.
Hobart, Darwin and Canberra are the three Australian capital cities without desalination plants. Canberra has had a steady decline in its supply over three years. It was full in October 2016, gradually dropping to 51.6% in November 2019. Hobart’s storages were above 80% for most of the last six years. They were just above 90% 12 months ago and have since fallen to their current level of 72%.
Darwin’s water supply was full as recently as April 2018. Now, 18 months later, it is just touching 54%. This is its lowest level in six years. Darwin, our tropical capital, has the most seasonal rainfall of Australia’s capitals. Typically, they have almost no rain June to September during their dry season, and a wet season of <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-the-australian-monsoon-69411" target="_blank">heavy rains from October to April</a>. However, the last wet season was one of the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-14/revisiting-the-1952-northern-territory-missing-wet-season/10883534" target="_blank">driest on record</a>.
Adelaide’s water storage has fluctuated over the last six years. Adelaide gets more rain in winter and has dry summers, an opposite pattern to that of Darwin. Over the last three years the level has dropped from over 97% in October 2017 to just below 58%.
The desalination plant in Adelaide can supply up to 50% of its water supply. It has been operating in 2019, although not in the wetter months of July and August. The Murray also continues to supply a <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-14/adelaide-desal-plant-revival-plan-to-ease-use-of-murray-water/10619960" target="_blank">large proportion</a> of Adelaide’s water supply. The Commonwealth has agreed to use drought funding for the Adelaide desalination plant, so more river water can be used by farmers upstream to <a href="https://watersource.awa.asn.au/business/assets-and-operations/sa-desal-plant-to-increase-production-as-part-of-drought-deal/" target="_blank">grow fodder for livestock</a>.
Australia is set for a <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks/#/overview/summary" target="_blank">dryer and hotter summer than average</a>, particularly in the east. Coupled with continued high levels of household demand, we can expect further declines in water storage levels through the first half of 2020.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127909/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University.
Jason Reynolds, Research Lecturer in Geochemistry, Western Sydney University.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-drought-is-affecting-water-supply-in-australias-capital-cities-127909" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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How drought is affecting water supply in Australia’s capital cities

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There are two basic components to the Morrison government’s latest A$1 billion package response to the drought affecting large parts eastern Australia. One part involves extra subsidies to farmers and farm-related business. The other involves measures to create or upgrade infrastructure in rural areas.
Unfortunately, most funds will be misdirected and the response is unlikely to secure the long-term prosperity of regional and rural communities. This is a quick fix to a political problem, appealing to an important constituency. But it misses the point, again, about the emerging economics of drought.
<h2>Hitting the political target</h2>
The bulk of the A$1 billion package is allocated to a loan fund. The terms of the ten-year loans are more generous than what has been offered in the past. They are now interest-free for two years, with no requirement to start paying back the principal till the sixth year.
Farmers will be able to borrow up to A$2 million. In addition, loans of up to A$500,000 will also be available to small businesses in drought-affected towns.
Because recipients are not having to pay the full cost, these loans are in practice a form of subsidy.
Subsidies are used by government to make more people undertake an activity than would otherwise be the case. In this case the government is offering a subsidy to keep farmers and small businesses owners doing what they’ve been doing, even though from an economic point of view this might not be very wise at all.
The question that should be asked is: “do we want more or fewer people to be involved in a farming activity that is vulnerable to drought?”
Most farming in Australia is completely reliant on rainfed crops and pastures. Rainfall is already highly variable. All the indicators from climate science is that rain will be even more unreliable in the future.
In addition, the agricultural industries currently drought affected are not just at the whims of rainfall. These industries are constantly changing and being affected by new technologies and market forces.
For most agricultural produce the key market force is price. Sure, some farms and farmers can carve out niche markets, but most farm businesses depend on producing at lowest cost. Increasingly, the farms that survive in a highly competitive global environment do this by exploiting economies of scale. Big farms are thus more profitable than small ones in the good times (such as when it rains); and during the tough times (such as during drought) they have more resources and deeper reserves to ride it out.
Ultimately, this means successful farms are continually getting bigger and small farmers are getting squeezed out.
The data also support the view that the farmers who survive and are simultaneously exposed to drought <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8489.12195" target="_blank">ultimately become even more profitable</a>, because of what they learnt about managing in a difficult environment.
This is not to argue drought is a good thing for any farm, but it does raise a serious question about any government policy that effectively encourages more people to keep doing something when global and technological forces would point to it being unsustainable.
<h2>So what’s the point?</h2>
The second component of the Morrison government’s relief response involves directing about A$500 million from existing regional infrastructure funds into building roads and other things into affected communities.
While many will welcome this on top of the the extension of loans to small business in country towns, the policy detracts from the serious questions that confront rural and regional communities.
The economics of agriculture has flow-on effects to towns, but it would be wrong to think all are impacted in the same way.
As a general rule, when farmers sell up, they tend to leave from the small communities first. The upshot is that small communities get smaller, older and poorer as those least mobile are left behind. These people also generally require more, not less, public support. Mid-size communities tend to level out, while continuing to age. Large regional centres tend to grow and prosper.
The point is that each community requires different things from government. Genuine public goods like roads, health services and education are desperately needed and undersupplied in many cases. Providing cash to a few select businesses and grading a gravel road in this situation belies the complexity of the long-term challenges and fails to address serious issues.
An elderly retiree in a rural town might well ask why their local road or bridge is only upgraded during a drought. Surely, government should focus on providing legitimate public goods for the long term, regardless of the weather.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126583/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lin-crase-9904" target="_blank">Lin Crase</a>, Professor of Economics and Head of School, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180" target="_blank">University of South Australia</a>
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-drought-relief-package-hits-the-political-spot-but-misses-the-bigger-point-126583" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Australia’s drought relief package hits the political spot but misses the bigger point

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GUEST OBSERVATION
There is a phrase in the novel East of Eden that springs to mind every time politicians speak of “drought-proofing” Australia: 
"And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way."
While author John Steinbeck was referring to California’s Salinas Valley, the phrase is particularly pertinent to Australia where the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/updates/articles/a020.shtml#targetText=La%20Ni%C3%B1a%20occurs%20when%20equatorial,and%20eastern%20tropical%20Pacific%20Ocean.&amp;targetText=As%20a%20result%2C%20heavy%20rainfall,to%20the%20north%20of%20Australia." target="_blank">El Niño-Southern Oscillation</a> exerts a profound influence. Water availability varies greatly across the country, both in space and time. El Niño conditions bring droughts and devastating bushfires, while La Niña is accompanied by violent rainfall, floods and cyclones.
This variability is innate to the Australian environment. And now, climate change means that in some regions, the dry years are becoming drier and the wet years are becoming less frequent. Managing water resources under a changing climate and burgeoning population requires innovative and realistic solutions that are different to those that have worked in the past.
Drought-proofing is impossible
Planning for the dry years involves setting sustainable usage limits, using more than one source of water, efficiency improvements, managed aquifer recharge, water recycling and evaluation of the best usage of water resources. It does not <a href="https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/social-affairs/australia-should-never-be-%E2%80%98drought-proofed%E2%80%99-again" target="_blank">involve misleading claims of drought-proofing</a> that infer we can somehow tame the unruly nature of our arid environment instead of planning and preparing for reality.
Unlike managing for the wet and dry periods, drought-proofing seeks to negate dry periods through infrastructure schemes such as large dams (subject to huge evaporative losses) and dubious river diversions. It fails to acknowledge the intrinsic variability of water availability in Australia, and modify our behaviour accordingly.
The reality is that in many parts of the country, <a href="http://www.groundwater.com.au/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTQvMDMvMjUvMDFfNTFfMTNfMTMzX0dyb3VuZHdhdGVyX2luX0F1c3RyYWxpYV9GSU5BTF9mb3Jfd2ViLnBkZiJdXQ/Groundwater%20in%20Australia_FINAL%20for%20web.pdf" target="_blank">groundwater is the sole source</a> of water and the climate is <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/water/waterinaustralia/" target="_blank">very dry</a>. A cornerstone of the recently launched <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/mccormack/media-release/national-water-grid-authority-future" target="_blank">$100 million National Water Grid Authority</a> is the construction of more dams. But dams need rain to fill them, because without rain, all we have is empty dams. And we have enough of those already.
A history of denial
Just because Dorothea Mackellar wrote of “droughts and flooding rains” over 100 years ago, it doesn’t mean water management should proceed in the same vein it always has.
Australia has always had a variable climate, which changes significantly from year to year and also decade to decade. This not the same as a <a href="https://www.pacificclimatefutures.net/en/help/climate-projections/understanding-climate-variability-and-change/#targetText=Climate%20is%20the%20long%20term,trend%20in%20the%20mean%20climate." target="_blank">long-term climatic trend</a>, better known as climate change.
Climate change is making parts of Australia even drier. Rainfall in the south-eastern part of Australia is <a href="https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/download?pid=csiro:EP127070&amp;dsid=DS3" target="_blank">projected to keep declining</a>. We cannot rely on blind faith that rains will fill dams once more because they have in the past.
Yet inevitably, during the dry years, claims that Australia can be “drought-proofed” are renewed. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/mccormack/media-release/national-water-grid-authority-future" target="_blank">recently praised </a>the <a href="https://go-gale-com.ezp.lib.unimelb.edu.au/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T002&amp;resultListType=RESULT_LIST&amp;searchResultsType=SingleTab&amp;searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&amp;currentPosition=3&amp;docId=GALE%7CA202253089&amp;docType=Essay&amp;sort=Relevance&amp;contentSegment=ZAHD&amp;prodId=PPWH&amp;contentSet=GALE%7CA202253089&amp;searchId=R1&amp;userGroupName=unimelb&amp;inPS=true" target="_blank">Bradfield scheme</a>, an 80 year old infrastructure project intending to divert northern river flows inland. It has been <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-18/fact-file-bradfield-scheme-drought-relief/11216616" target="_blank">so thoroughly debunked</a> on all scales, it is better described as a pipe-dream than piping scheme. It has no place in reasonable water management discourse.
The concept of drought-proofing harks back to the days of European settlement. Early water management techniques were more appropriate for verdant English fields than the arid plains of Australia.
In the early twentieth century, water resources were vigorously developed, with government-sponsored irrigation schemes and large dams constructed. During this time, little thought was given to sustainability. Instead, the goal was to stimulate inland settlement, agriculture and industry. Development was pursued despite the cost and ill-advised nature of irrigation in particular areas.
Shifting long entrenched perceptions of water management
All this said, irrigation certainly has its place: it supports a quarter of Australia’s agricultural output. And there are substantial efforts underway to rebalance water usage between irrigation and the environment.
However, acknowledgement of the relative scarcity of water in certain parts of Australia has only really occurred in the last 30 years or so.
Widespread droughts in the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/lookup/1301.0Feature%20Article151988" target="_blank">late 1970s and early 1980s</a> highlighted the importance of effective water management and shifted long-entrenched perceptions of irrigation and development. <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.crcpress.com/Water-Policy-in-Australia-The-Impact-of-Change-and-Uncertainty/Crase/p/book/9781933115986" target="_blank">Water reforms were passed</a>, mandating future water development be environmentally sustainable development, which meant, for the first time, water resource management sought a balance between economic, social and environmental needs.
Antiquated ideas about drought-proofing, pushed by politicians, promise much yet deliver little. They distract attention and siphon funds from realistic solutions, or actually re-evaluating where and how we use our limited water resources.
We need practical, effective and well-considered management such as water recycling, efficiency measures and source-divestment that accounts for both shorter term climatic variability and long term changes in temperature and rainfall due to climate change. A big part of this is <a href="https://www.wentworthgroup.org/docs/Can_We_Myth_Proof_Australia.pdf" target="_blank">managing expectations through education</a>.
Attempting to drought-proof Australia is not “managing for the dry periods”, as advocates claim. It is sticking our heads in the dry, salty sand and pretending the land is cool and green and wet.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124504/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Emma Kathryn White, PhD Candidate, Infrastructure Engineering, University of Melbourne.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-drought-proof-australia-and-trying-is-a-fools-errand-124504" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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We can’t drought-proof Australia, and trying is a fool’s errand

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GUEST OBSERVATION
In a country as dry as Australia, surely it is a no-brainer that we have in place a coordinated, national drought response that can be rolled out the same way that the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements are triggered when the country experiences cyclones, floods or bushfires.
Drought used to be part of these arrangements but, for good policy reasons, was removed in 1989.
Our last attempt at national drought policy
Once upon a time, Australia had a national drought policy. It was enacted in 1992 following a comprehensive review and report by an independent panel, the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/6206176" target="_blank">National Drought Policy Review Task Force</a>, and detailed negotiations between Commonwealth and state ministers and their officials.
The policy included commitments by both state and Commonwealth governments to implement a coordinated and comprehensive package of programs covering drought preparation and response.
At the Commonwealth level, these measures were centred around:
<ul>
<li>
the controversial “exceptional circumstances” provisions of its revised <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8500.2006.00483.x" target="_blank">Rural Adjustment Scheme</a>, which were aimed at supporting farm businesses by subsidising up to 100% of the interest paid on commercial loans.
</li>
<li>
a farm household support scheme that provided short-term income support to farmers and also offered grants for those who decided to leave the land.
</li>
<li>
farm management bonds, later known as <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/Primary-producers/In-detail/Farm-management-deposits-scheme/" target="_blank">farm management deposits</a>, that allowed farmers to set aside pre-tax income they could later draw on in times of need.
</li>
<li>
a drought relief payment (added to the policy in 1994) that provided income support for farmers in areas declared to be experiencing “exceptional circumstances” drought. By May 1995, <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/RP9596/96rp06" target="_blank">over 10,000 families</a> were accessing this payment every month.
</li>
</ul>
Flaws in the policy
As anyone familiar with these programs will know, the exceptional circumstances program was plagued by problems.
The first was the lack of clarity around defining when a drought moved from a “normal” situation that was expected to be managed by farmers, to an “exceptional” situation with which even the best manager could not be expected to cope.
The definition of an “exceptional circumstances” drought became the subject of ongoing debate, along with concerns that drought assistance was based on administrative boundaries, leading to inequities that became known as the <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=EC_ubyzIecUC&amp;pg=PA59&amp;lpg=PA59&amp;dq=australia+drought+%22lines+on+maps%22+problem&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=Xt_qqiXXkc&amp;sig=ACfU3U3WoO17x1bFqBhucrPqvrQtiVGMYQ&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwia3aeAno7lAhVpILcAHTEeCC0Q6AEwAHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&amp;q=australia%20drought%20%22lines%20on%20maps%22%20problem&amp;f=false" target="_blank">“lines on maps” problem</a>.
The second issue was the amount of information farmers were required to provide in order to demonstrate eligibility for “exceptional circumstances” assistance. The process was considered onerous and time-consuming.
Amid these concerns, a comprehensive review of drought policy was conducted in 2008 by the <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/drought/report" target="_blank">Productivity Commission</a>. This was accompanied by a <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/droughtec/ec-report.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO on the likely impact of climate change on the frequency and severity of droughts in Australia, and an independent report on the <a href="http://www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/drought/drought-policy/history/dryness-report" target="_blank">social impact of drought</a>.
Following the review, the government decided to end the “exceptional circumstances” program in 2009. This effectively gutted the national drought policy.
Since then, there has been no further attempt at developing a comprehensive, predictable drought policy response from the federal or state governments. There have been intergovernmental <a href="http://www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/drought/drought-policy/national-drought-agreement" target="_blank">National Drought Agreements</a>, but these have done little more than restate the principles underpinning the country’s drought policy since 1992.
In recent years, the Coalition government has appointed a drought envoy, Barnaby Joyce, and drought coordinator-general, Stephen Day, to study the impact of drought on farmers and recommend possible solutions, but we have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/sep/23/labor-calls-for-release-of-drought-envoy-reports-barnaby-joyce-says-he-sent-via-text" target="_blank">yet to see what either has come up with</a>.
Providing meaningful, timely and predictable support
Much of the criticism levelled at the government’s response to the current drought relates to its ad hoc and knee-jerk nature. This reactive way of dealing with drought highlights the need to return to a more predictable approach. This would avoid <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/disbelief-over-1-million-funding-as-moyne-shire-locals-deny-they-are-in-drought/news-story/d82ba5220872e2d291f898cbe70f3e6a" target="_blank">perceptions of pork barrelling</a> and provide certainty to farmers about what support is available and under what circumstances.
A new national drought policy needs to take several forms. First, it needs to support farmers to prepare for drought before it happens. This is one area where the current policy has been moderately successful.
As of August 2019, Australian farmers had set aside a total of <a href="http://www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/drought/assistance/fmd/statistics" target="_blank">$5.809 billion in farm management deposits</a>. These deposits have encouraged farmers to manage financial risk by building up cash reserves in high-income years, which they could then use during times of drought.
Individual farmers can currently hold a total of $800,000 in deposits. One possible improvement is to raise the ceiling on annual deposits in the years following drought recovery to allow a rapid rebuilding of cash reserves.
Second, a strong drought policy needs to provide support to all farmers during drought, not just those who have accumulated sufficient deposits to help them ride out the lean years.
In recent years, many farmers have taken advantage of long-term, low-interest loans to help during drought, and some have called for <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-10-07/farms-push-for-interest-free-drought-loans/11574552" target="_blank">zero-interest loans</a> to be made available, as well. But loans are not an ideal solution, as repayments are generally required even when farm incomes remain low.
An alternative to low- or no-interest loans are <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-8489.12213" target="_blank">income contingent loans</a>. Similar to the <a href="https://www.studyassist.gov.au/help-loans/hecs-help" target="_blank">HECS-HELP scheme in higher education</a>, these types of loans only require repayment when the borrower can afford to do so.
This would not only give farmers greater flexibility when it comes to repayment, it would also greatly reduce the extensive red tape that strangled the old “exceptional circumstances” scheme.
Third, we need a serious rethink of the way we provide income assistance to farmers in a broader sense. Providing income support to farmers who are asset-rich, for instance, raises questions about fairness when compared with poor people in cities who are struggling to get by on Newstart payments.
This imbalance has come into stark focus in recent weeks, particularly on social media, as government ministers have discussed the introduction of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/dole-drug-tests-demonise-the-needy-20190906-p52okv" target="_blank">drug testing for Newstart recipients</a>, and in the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-09/farm-household-allowance-on-cashless-welfare-cards-no-problem/11492590" target="_blank">debate around the Indue card</a>.
There has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/farm-poverty-an-area-of-policy-aid-built-on-sands-of-ignorance-23756" target="_blank">no serious attempt in the past 45 years</a> to measure the extent of poverty among farmers. We can develop more appropriate and equitable income-support policies if we can better understand the genuine nature of their need.
The elephant in the room
While the government has assiduously avoided making the link, an effective national drought policy also cannot be divorced from discussions about climate change.
The 2008 Productivity Commission report was pretty clear in its conclusions about the impact of climate change on drought in Australia. A growing number of farmers are now <a href="http://farminstitute.org.au/publications/research_report/change-in-the-air" target="_blank">acknowledging this reality</a>. Denying the need for serious consideration of climate change is not doing our agricultural producers any favours.
Developing an effective national drought policy is hard work. But in another sense, it should also be easy. This is because, unlike many other areas of government policy, it can be bipartisan.
Although the National Party has historically been aligned with rural voters, all parties are broadly sympathetic to farmers and value their contributions to the economy and, importantly, our national identity. The public also generally <a href="https://csrm.cass.anu.edu.au/research/publications/parched-rural-australia-thirsty-solutions" target="_blank">regards farmers positively</a> and is responsive to their plight when they are faced with hardship.
As such, this should be one area where our politicians can come together to develop a coherent national response — one that is known in advance, forward-looking, equitable with other income-assistance programs in the community, and provides meaningful support before, during and after drought.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124775/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Linda Botterill, Professor in Australian Politics, University of Canberra.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-national-drought-policy-should-be-an-easy-bipartisan-fix-so-why-has-it-taken-so-long-to-enact-a-new-one-124775" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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