General News
11 February, 2026
Unlocking more water for our farmers
A MEETING will be held at Dimbulah Memorial Hall this Thursday from 6pm to discuss proposed amendments to Barron Water Management Protocol to unlock water in the Walsh River.
The Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers is proposing amendments to the Barron Water Management Protocol 2025 to support the release of unallocated water in the upper Walsh River.
The proposed changes aim to better meet agricultural demand in the upper Walsh River catchment and are a key recommendation of the “Unlocking water in the Barron Water Plan” area report.
The amendments would enable unallocated water to become available through new licences, while ensuring protections remain in place for existing water users and environmental flows.
The proposal is part of a state-wide project to analyse all of Queensland’s 23 water plans to identify unused water and match it with known demands.
The meeting at Dimbulah will discuss the proposed changes which include: respecifying unallocated water reserve types to better meet demand for agricultural use; and introducing rules that define when water can be taken under new licences to protect existing water users – including those in the Mareeba–Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme, as well as meeting environmental flow requirements.
The proposed amendments would only apply to new water licences granted in the upper Walsh River catchment. Existing water users would not see any change to how they currently access water.
FNQ Growers President Joe Moro said farmers in the Walsh River area and interested stakeholders should attend this information session so they can learn more and ask questions.
“These changes will make it better to meet agricultural demand and for the future of the farmers in the upper Walsh River catchment,” he said.
Last week the Unlocking Water Project opened the way for farmers in the Mitchell River Water Plan area to apply for a share in 55,000ML of water being made available under new licences.
Member for Cook David Kempton confirmed the Mitchell River Water Plan review had now reached stage two.
“These additional water licences are the result of early desktop assessments and are separate from the final outcome of the Mitchell Water Plan review,” he said.
“We are currently reviewing and replacing the existing Mitchell Water Plan, which is set to expire in November 2027, to ensure the region’s long-term water needs are managed responsibly and sustainably into the future.
“Stage two focuses on how water is currently managed in the Mitchell River, and the outcomes of this work have led to the issuing of these extra licences.”
Minister for Local Government and Water Ann Leahy said the new licences would provide farmers in the Mitchell region with the confidence to grow their business’ sustainably into the future.
“This release supports Queensland farmers and agribusinesses to expand, create more jobs and will deliver economic benefits to local communities.”
The release will be via a fixed-price process, which is based on a price per megalitre of water being offered for each water product as stated in the terms of sale:
nWatercourse water – water product 1A – $190 per ML.
nOther watercourse and overland flow water products – $160 per ML.
Applications for water licenses close on 30 April.
To apply, visit www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/mining-energy-water/water/catchments-planning/unallocated-water/apply/mitchell
For more information on the Dimbulah meeting contact Mr Moro on 0418 966 960.
