- Related capabilities
Addisons’ Water Law team members are known for their wealth of experience, making us the lawyers of choice on legal issues affecting the water industry. We advise clients including government agencies, international investors, agribusinesses, and co-operatives.
Our experience and deep industry knowledge ensure we can anticipate the challenges and identify emerging opportunities for our clients. We advise them on Commonwealth and State government water policies, the overarching trends in the water sector, and the political, economic, social and legal environments in which the sector operates.
advised farmer-owned irrigation businesses, on a range of business matters including corporate governance issues, commercial/customer contracts, infrastructure and major projects, property issues, environment and planning issues, regulatory investigations, as well as water policy, law and regulation.
carried out a complete re-write of the constitution, customer contracts and a suite of policy documents addressing water ordering, drainage, pricing, construction and development, water trading and privacy.
advised Murrumbidgee Irrigation, Murray Irrigation and Coleambally Irrigation Co-operative in relation to $565 million of water infrastructure projects under the Australian Government’s $893 million Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program in New South Wales.
representing the Commonwealth in acquisitions of water rights in four States under the $3.1 billion Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin Program and the $5.8 billion Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program. This included transactions with 119 irrigators in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales under the $100 million Round 3 of the On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program and transactions with 184 irrigators in Victoria and New South Wales under the $158 million Round 4 of the On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program.
advising on, and drafting commercial contracts concerning, the Australian Government’s $219 million purchase of 102 gigalitres of water from the State of Victoria over seven years as part of the $1.2 billion Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project Stage 2. This purchase will make a significant contribution to bridging the gap to the sustainable diversion limits under the Murray-Dowling Basin Plan.
developing legal frameworks and drafting water exchange rules for water markets including with respect to permanent and temporary transfers, conversions, leases and options of irrigation rights and water delivery rights, water trading rules, rules of online water exchanges, and water-ordering protocols.