Desalination plant to help drought-affected farmers
The South Australian and Australian governments have reached an historic agreement to support drought-affected farmers across the country.
The Adelaide Desalination Plant will increase production to provide 40GL of water this financial year, enabling the release of the equivalent amount to help drought-affected farmers around the nation.
The Australian Government will meet all costs associated with increased use of the desalination plant and provide the extra water to farmers at less than market rates to maintain minimum production during the current drought.
As part of the deal, the State Government has also secured a $10 million South Australian Drought Resilience Fund, which will be available for farmers.
Many farmers across Australia are calling for help to keep livestock alive, and will now have access to additional water.
The agreement includes the following commitments:
- No adverse impact on Adelaide’s water security or water prices.
- No adverse impacts on flows to South Australia.
- 40GL of water to be provided this financial year, with an extra 60GL to be provided in 2020-21, dependent on a review.
- The review will commence before 2020-21 and assess the effectiveness of the 40GL, water availability in the Murray-Darling Basin and South Australia’s water security and costs.
- The arrangement is once-off, recognising the impact of current drought conditions.
