Australia is on the verge of the most significant water policy reform in more than 20 years.
The proposed National Water Agreement (NWA) is intended to replace the 2004 National Water Initiative (NWI) which has been the blueprint that has guided water management, water markets and water reform across Australia for two decades.
This is not a minor policy refresh. It is a fundamental reset of the framework that will shape how governments manage water resources into the future.
The Australian Government has already signed the NWA and is now encouraging states and territories to do the same.
Once a jurisdiction signs on, the NWA will replace the NWI in that state or territory.
At the same time, the Commonwealth is reviewing the Water Act 2007 and undertaking the statutory review of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Together, these processes represent one of the most consequential water reform agendas Australia has seen in a generation.
That is precisely why industry must be part of the conversation before governments commit.
Governments have pointed to the consultation undertaken during the development of the NWA, including multiple engagement phases and hundreds of submissions.
Yet many agricultural stakeholders still have not seen the final NWA that governments are now being asked to sign.
That raises a simple question: how can industry provide informed feedback on a document they have never had the opportunity to review?
Consultation is not simply about collecting submissions.
It is about ensuring stakeholders can understand how their concerns have been reflected in the final outcome.
Without access to the final NWA, industry cannot assess its implications for farming businesses and regional communities.
For primary producers, this matters.
Water policy is not an academic exercise. It underpins food and fibre production, regional employment, investment confidence and community resilience.
Decisions made today will influence how water is managed for decades to come.
Importantly, industry is not seeking to delay reform, they are asking for transparency. Australian farmers have consistently demonstrated their willingness to adapt.
They have embraced water markets, invested in efficiency, adopted new technologies and responded to increasingly variable climatic conditions.
In South Australia, Primary Producers SA is working with the state government to ensure the voices of farmers, regional communities and water-dependent industries are heard before any decision is made by the state on whether to endorse the NWA.
Good policy is strengthened by engagement, not weakened by it.
The National Farmers’ Federation and its members have long advocated for practical, balanced water reform that delivers environmental, economic and social outcomes.
Achieving that balance requires governments to work with people who live with the consequences of these decisions every day.
The NWA may well become Australia’s next blueprint for water management.
But before states sign away the old framework and commit to a new one, industry deserves the opportunity to see it, understand it and provide informed feedback.
That is not opposition to reform.
It is simply good governance.
This column was written by PPSA Chair Professor Simon Maddocks and originally appeared in the 25 June 2026 edition of Stock Journal.
