News

Up to $25,000 Rebate for Stock Water Infrastructure

The National On-Farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate Scheme is offering rebates of up to 25% (with a $25,000 ceiling per farm business) for infrastructure that addresses livestock welfare needs and improves resilience against water deficiency.

To apply you must be a commercial livestock farmer with a business experiencing, or vulnerable to, stock water deficiency.
 
The rebate can be used against the purchase, delivery and labour associated with water infrastructure for animal welfare needs.
 
For more details and for the application form, please go to;

www.dwer.wa.gov.au/NOFEWIRS

It’s been a hot and dry start to a low allocation irrigation season – a challenging combination of factors for many Irrigators.
 
We remind all holders of Tradable Water Entitlement (TWE) to stay within your allocation limits for the 2019/20 irrigation season.  Please be aware significant penalties apply to Members using more than their entitlement;
 
$150 for each month you exceed your allocation
PLUS
$1,000 per Megalitre (pro rata) for water consumed over and above your allocation.
 
In the past, Members who have gone over allocation have often relied upon being able to trade in additional water.  Given the potential demand for water towards the end of the season, Members are advised to trade in water BEFORE going over allocation to avoid penalties.
 
If you are unsure how much of your TWE remains, look at the water balance on your last invoice and keep an eye on your supply point meter for up-to-date consumption between invoices.  
 
Trade your excess water
 
We continue to encourage Shareholders with excess TWE to make this available for trade;
 
Temporary Trade – sell some or all of your TWE for this season only.
Permanent Trade – sell some or all of your Shares/TWE permanently.  
 
If you need assistance to list your TWE for temporary or permanent trade, please do not hesitate to contact Jess on 9729 0100 or via email jthomson@harveywater.com.au.   

Applications Invited
 
Harvey Water is looking for two motivated and appropriately skilled people to join our team. 
Please click on the links below for position descriptions; 
 
Finance Administrator (P/T)
Marketing Analyst (F/T)
 
Applications close 5pm Monday 27th January and should be emailed to hr@harveywater.com.au
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Trade Water Now

The 2019/20 irrigation season has a low allocation (52%) to the Harvey and Waroona districts due to poor inflows to dams this winter.  Irrigators with high water reliance are looking for additional water and Harvey Water encourages all Members to consider making any excess or underutilised Tradable Water Entitlements (TWE) available for trade. 
 
There are two ways you can trade TWE, and in both cases you negotiate the sale price with the Buyer;
 
Temporary Trade – sell some or all of your TWE for this season only, with Shares remaining in your ownership; or
 
Permanent Trade – sell some or all of your Shares permanently.   As well as the Share price you will be reimbursed for any fixed charges you have paid in advance.  (Note: 10 Shares is the minimum allowable Shareholding in the Cooperative.)
 
Harvey Water provides mechanisms on our website to enable trading between Members;

Temporary Trade sales – There are two ways you can sell your TWE for a single season;

• Tradable Water Register – This register is held on www.harveywater.com.au.  It lists the Seller’s name, number of TWE’s available for trade and phone number.  Buyers can also be listed on the Register.  The Buyer contacts the Seller by phone, a price is agreed and form completed and sent to Harvey Water to complete the transfer.  The form is available on our website or from our office.

               (You will need to have a Member login to our website to access the Register.  Please contact me if you require one.)
              Harvey Water Online Trading (HWOT) – HWOT is an online trading platform accessed through our web site.  It provides a secure and automated process for temporary transfer of TWE’s and is                      the most efficient trading method once you are have gone through a few steps to become registered  for HWOT.  Sellers and Buyers both need to register to use the HWOT platform.   Please contact                me for the HWOT registration pack.  

Permanent Trade sales – Sellers can list Shares for permanent sale on the Tradeable Water Register.  As for temporary trading, contact and negotiation occurs directly between the Buyer and Seller, who    then jointly complete the Share Transfer Independent of Land (PT2A) form, available by email or in hard copy from our office.  

There are Members looking to buy water now at a financial premium.   If you need any assistance to list your TWE for temporary or permanent trade, please do not hesitate to contact me on 9729 0105 or via email tpraed@harveywater.com.au.

Quad bikes are now subject to a new safety standard, designed to improve the information and rollover protection available for users, while also increasing the bikes’ stability and performance. Within the next 12 months, all new quad bikes will need to: have a warning label alerting riders to the risk of rollover and meet US or European standards regarding performance of components like brakes, suspension, throttle and the clutch, according to the Australian Government, which announced the standard on 10 October.

Quad bikes will also need to be tested for stability and display the result on a hang tag attached to the bike at the point of sale. Additionally, within the next 24 months, all general-use quad bikes must be fitted or designed with an operator protection device, such as rollbars, and meet minimum stability requirements. Australian Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar said: “Quad bikes are the leading cause of fatalities in Australia of all consumer products that aren’t regulated.”

On average, quad bike accidents have caused 16 deaths per year since 2011 and an estimated six people present to an emergency hospital department each day, with at least two of these admitted with serious injuries, the government said. “This safety standard aims to address the high risk of rollovers, which is especially important for many of our farmers and their families who use these vehicles daily,” Sukkar explained, adding that it will “put the onus on foreign manufacturers to supply safer quad bikes into Australia”.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which called for the standard after consultation with farmers, consumer groups, retailers, manufacturers and health and medical experts, welcomed the changes. “These changes are an important step in improving the safety of quad bikes, and we look forward to working with farmers, manufacturers and retailers to implement the standard,” ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.
​
The ACCC is also expected to work alongside Standards Australia as the industry develops its own safety specifications for rollbars. Alongside these changes, the ACCC is still urging state and territory governments to continue to support complementary safety measures, such as the use of helmets, protective clothing, prohibiting children from riding adult-sized quad bikes and a continuation of rebate schemes to encourage consumers to fit rollover protection devices to quad bikes currently in use.

Harvey Water staff volunteered their time and gardening expertise to help re-vegetate and improve habitat along the lower Harvey River system.

The benefits of this include, slowing the flow of water reducing erosion, wetting floodplain habitats to allow for fish recruitment and provide food for birds and other animals.
​
The Harvey River Restoration Task force Inc. does an amazing job but do rely on volunteer help and donations to improve these systems.

Harvey Water is pleased to sponsor Harvey Netball Association uniforms for the 2019 season.
 
The Association has undergone a period of rejuvenation and redevelopment, and the new Committee is focused on rebuilding the junior netball scene.
 
Louisa Sgambelluri, Harvey Netball Association Vice-President??, said ‘Club uniforms will raise the profile of junior netball and enhance our competition, and in doing so, encourage greater membership and support for both the sport and the Harvey Netball Association’.
 
Harvey Water is proud to contribute to a project that encourages sporting participation and a stronger community.

In Western Australia, kikuyu is grown in many areas of the southwest region where irrigation occurs. If managed well with good water quality and good grazing practice, kikuyu can provide nutritional feed for dairy cows during summer and the shoulders of the growing season, alleviating feed shortage. In the summer/autumn of 2018/19, Western Dairy (WD) sought to answer the question “Does kikuyu stack up as an irrigated summer pasture?”. Specifically, how responsive is kikuyu to nitrogen (N), frequency of N application, and grazing management. Also, how does it perform under pivot versus surface irrigation and when there is a salt load in the irrigation water.
 
Results showed that centre pivot outperformed surface irrigation, with either fresh or salted water, on kikuyu growth. Also, applying 1.2 kg N /ha /day after each harvest had the most cost-effective growth compared to applying 2.4 or 3.6 kg N /ha /day. Compared to other home-grown summer feeds kikuyu does stack up well with good water use efficiency (WUE) and cost efficiency. It has high potential growth up to and beyond 120 kg DM /ha /day and the sweet spot for cutting or grazing is at the 4th leaf stage. However, supplements are needed.
 
Link to the project website: 
 https://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/publications/irrigation-projects?id=5D6EAF1698024FB297AF725087E727EE
 
Link to final results:
https://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/-/media/dairyaustralia/westerndairy/news-pubs-media/publication-files-and-images/summary_2019.pdf?la=en&hash=2401F56CD8FD5102C7BAF0A30E3CFA784FE7C3DC
 
Thanks to Western Dairy for sharing their trial results!

Harvey Water staff volunteered to help put on the Harvey Community Dinner for two weeks in March.
 
The Harvey Community Dinner provides great food and the chance to mingle to between 80 - 120 people each week.  The event relies on volunteer help, produce donations and is coordinated by Ester Italiano.

​Harvey Water recently completed an extension of its backbone water supply infrastructure into Kemerton Strategic Industrial Area to service global lithium producer Albemarle. 
Albemarle plans to utilise water supplied by Harvey Water during construction and in their lithium hydroxide production plant.
The pipeline also provides a number of firefighting supply points for the community in and around Kemerton – an important asset in the event of a bush fire.
Bradd Hamersley, General Manager Harvey Water, said “Harvey Water is an example of the many local suppliers and contractors that will benefit from the construction and operational phases of Albemarle’s operation”. 
This project broadens Harvey Water’s customer base for the benefit of cooperative Members.  Mr Hamersley said “We continue to work with our Members and other customers towards effective and efficient use of our precious natural resources”.
Mr Hamersley acknowledged the foresight demonstrated by Albemarle in considering the community in the pre approvals phase of the project.