As with waterways across Australia, Tasmania’s rivers, lakes and wetlands are facing increased pressures resulting in decreased flows, water quality and ecological health. In Tasmania, these pressures arise from population growth in our urban areas, altered flow and usage regimes due to climate change, industrial uses such as hydro and aquaculture, and agricultural pressures from increased irrigation.
In this context, the Tasmanian Government proposes to quadruple the economic output of Tasmania’s agricultural sector by 2050. A large proportion of this growth will be focused on high-value, water intensive industries such as dairy farming and aquaculture. The Government proposes to create a Rural Water Use Strategy to underpin the development of the State’s water resources to support this increase in output. In April 2020, the Government released a position paper detailing the key proposals it was investigating taking in the Rural Water Use Strategy.
To view EDO’s response to this position paper, follow the link below.
