NOTES
12/09/2008: Data from the 2005-06 Agricultural Census in these datacubes supplement that released in Water Use on Australian Farms 2005–06 on the 13th March 2008. The additional datacubes present data at finer geographies than those previously published. A summary of water sources, irrigation and other agricultural water use is presented for Statistical Local Areas, Local Government Areas, Statistical Divisions and Sub-Divisions, Capital City Water Supply Areas, Drainage Divisions and River Basins (including Murray-Darling Basin), Ground Water Provinces, Natural Resource Management regions, and the Interim Biogeographical Regionalisation of Australia.
28/03/2008: Additional Material Data Cubes - Data in these tables supplements that released in Water Use on Australian Farms 2005–06 on 13th March 2008. The additional datacubes present data at finer geographies than those previously published. A summary of irrigation water use is presented for Statistical Local Areas and River Basins. Data on major pastures and crops irrigated is presented for Statistical Divisions and Natural Resource Management regions, as well as for the Murray-Darling Basin by state.
BACKGROUND
The agriculture industry is a major consumer of water in the Australian economy. The Water Account, Australia 2004-05 (cat. no. 4610.0) showed agriculture to account for 65% of all water consumed in 2004-05.
This publication presents final estimates of agricultural water use, pastures and crops irrigated, and sources of water used for agriculture at a national, state/territory and regional level, with the Murray-Darling Basin treated as a distinct geographical region for the first time. This issue updates and expands on data released in Water Use on Australian Farms Preliminary (4618.0) on 14 August 2007. The estimates are compiled from data collected as part of the Agricultural Census for the year ended 30 June 2006. Estimates for 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 are also included in this publication.
Climatic conditions affect both the availability of water for irrigation and the need to irrigate in order to supplement rainfall. Information from the Bureau of Meteorology outlining climatic conditions over key agricultural areas between July 2005 and June 2006 are presented as an appendix.
CHANGES IN THIS ISSUE
New geographies
For the first time, estimates are presented for key irrigated pastures and crops for the Murray-Darling Basin. Irrigation data are also presented for Drainage Divisions and Natural Resource Management Regions.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The provision of estimates for a range of regions is made possible by funding provided by the National Water Commission through Raising National Water Standards, and through natural resource management programs administered by the Departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
INQUIRIES
For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.
SUMMARY COMMENTARY
SUMMARY OF AGRICULTURAL WATER USE
Australia
In 2005-06, Australian agricultural businesses used 11,689 gigalitres of water for agricultural production. Of this, 10,737 gigalitres (91.9%) was used for the irrigation of pastures and crops, and 951 gigalitres (8.1%) used for other agricultural purposes such as stock watering and the cleaning of dairies and piggeries.
1.1 AGRICULTURAL WATER USE, By State - 2005-06 |
|
 | | WATER USE |
| Agricultural businesses | Irrigation | Other agricultural uses | Total water use |
| no. | ML | ML | ML |
|
| NSW | 48 838 | 4 533 324 | 261 925 | 4 795 250 |
| Vic. | 37 146 | 2 448 485 | 192 653 | 2 641 138 |
| Qld | 32 212 | 2 325 003 | 255 633 | 2 580 636 |
| SA | 16 455 | 897 197 | 78 378 | 975 575 |
| WA | 14 526 | 306 284 | 121 241 | 427 525 |
| Tas. | 4 745 | 203 931 | 25 789 | 229 720 |
| NT | 659 | 22 356 | 15 369 | 37 724 |
| ACT | 99 | ^784 | 439 | ^1 224 |
| Aust. | 154 681 | 10 737 364 | 951 428 | 11 688 792 |
|
| ^ estimate has a relative standard error of 10% to less than 25% and should be used with caution |
State/territory
Agricultural businesses in New South Wales used 4,795 gigalitres of water for all agricultural purposes (41.1% of the national total). Victoria with 2,641 gigalitres (22.6% of the national total), and Queensland with 2,581 gigalitres (22.1% of the national total) were the next highest users of water for agricultural purposes.
Irrigation was the major use of water for agricultural purposes in all states/territories, accounting for 94.5% of all water used for agricultural purposes in NSW (4,533 gigalitres), 92.7% of water used for agricultural purposes in Victoria (2,448 gigalitres), and 90.0% of water used for agricultural purposes in Queensland (2,325 gigalitres).
Water use for other agricultural purposes such as stock watering and the cleaning of dairies and piggeries accounted for a larger proportion of total water used for agricultural purposes in the Northern Territory (40.7%) and Western Australia (28.4%).
IRRIGATION WATER USE
Australia
Nationally, 29.0% of agricultural businesses (44,826) reported using water for irrigation. Across Australia, 2,546,000 hectares of agricultural land was irrigated at an average application rate of 4.2 ML/ha, which was the same rate as 2004-05.
1.2 IRRIGATION ACTIVITY, By State - 2002-03 to 2005-06 |
|
| | | Agricultural
businesses | Agricultural
businesses
irrigating | Area of
agricultural
holding | Area
irrigated | Volume
applied | Application
rate |
| | | no. | no. | '000 ha | '000 ha | ML | ML/ha |
|
| AUSTRALIA | | | | | | |
| Old basis(a) | | | | | | |
| | 2002-03 | 132 983 | 43 774 | 439 531 | 2 378 | 10 403 759 | 4.4 |
| | 2003-04 | 130 526 | 40 400 | 440 110 | 2 402 | 10 441 515 | 4.3 |
| | 2004-05 | 129 934 | 35 244 | 445 149 | 2 405 | 10 084 596 | 4.2 |
| New basis(b) | | | | | | |
| | 2005-06 | 154 681 | 44 826 | 434 925 | 2 546 | 10 737 364 | 4.2 |
| 2005-06 | | | | | | |
| New basis(b) | | | | | | |
| | NSW | 48 838 | 11 587 | 62 119 | 994 | 4 533 325 | 4.6 |
| | Vic. | 37 146 | 11 621 | 12 314 | 648 | 2 448 485 | 3.8 |
| | Qld | 32 212 | 9 861 | 145 519 | 539 | 2 325 003 | 4.3 |
| | SA | 16 455 | 6 298 | 55 408 | 217 | 897 197 | 4.1 |
| | WA | 14 526 | 3 173 | 98 653 | 60 | 306 284 | 5.1 |
| | Tas. | 4 745 | 1 919 | 1 739 | 81 | 203 931 | 2.5 |
| | NT | 659 | 351 | 59 127 | 7 | 22 356 | 3.1 |
| | ACT | 99 | 17 | 45 | ^ - | ^784 | ^3.1 |
|
| ^ estimate has a relative standard error of 10% to less than 25% and should be used with caution |
| - nil or rounded to zero (including null cells) |
| (a) Derived using old ABS-maintained frame. See Technical Note for detail. |
| (b) Derived using new ABR-based frame. See Technical Note for detail. |
State/territory
Victoria had the largest number of agricultural businesses irrigating (11,621 or 25.9% of the national total), followed by NSW (11,587 or 25.8% of the national total) and Queensland (9,861 or 22.0% of the national total). The Northern Territory had the highest proportion of agricultural businesses irrigating (53.3% of agricultural businesses in the territory), followed by Tasmania with 40.4%.
Agricultural businesses in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland continued to be the major users of water for irrigation nationally, accounting for 86.7% (9,307 gigalitres) of all water used for irrigation purposes. New South Wales used 42.2% (4,533 gigalitres), followed by Victoria, 22.8% (2,448 gigalitres) and Queensland, 21.7% (2,325 gigalitres).
Western Australia had the highest application rate of irrigation water (5.1 ML/ha), followed by New South Wales (4.6 ML/ha) and Queensland (4.3 ML/ha). Tasmania had the lowest application rate at 2.5 ML/ha.
In New South Wales, 994,000 hectares, or 1.6% of agricultural land in the state was irrigated. This represents 39.0% of irrigated agricultural land nationally. In Victoria, 648,000 hectares, or 5.2% of agricultural land in the state was irrigated. This represents 25.5% of irrigated agricultural land nationally.
Murray-Darling Basin
Nationally, 41.6% of all irrigating agricultural businesses were found in the Murray-Darling Basin (18,634 agricultural businesses). Of irrigating agricultural businesses in the Murray-Darling Basin, 42.5% (7,915) were in Victoria, 35.7% (6,651) in New South Wales, and the remainder in Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
Agricultural businesses in the Murray-Darling Basin used 68.6% of all water used for irrigation purposes nationally, and accounted for 65.0% of all irrigated agricultural land nationally.
1.3 IRRIGATION ACTIVITY, By Drainage Division - 2005-06 |
|
| | Agricultural
businesses | Agricultural
businesses
irrigating | Area of
agricultural
holding | Area
irrigated | Volume
applied | Application
rate |
| | no. | no. | '000 ha | '000 ha | ML | ML/ha |
|
| Bulloo-Bancannia | 138 | - | 10 389 | - | - | - |
| Gulf of Carpentaria | 1 022 | 259 | 41 799 | 11 | 47 061 | 4.3 |
| Indian Ocean | 1 043 | 261 | 36 715 | np | 12 789 | np |
| Lake Eyre | 1 280 | 31 | 88 442 | ^1 | ^4 978 | ^3.3 |
| Murray Darling | | | | | | |
| MDB in NSW | 29 803 | 6 651 | 51 214 | 914 | 4 293 445 | 4.7 |
| MDB in Vic. | 18 496 | 7 915 | 7 593 | 522 | 2 055 487 | 3.9 |
| MDB in Qld | 7 881 | 1 536 | 23 421 | 147 | 611 817 | 4.2 |
| MDB in SA | 4 753 | 2 514 | 6 555 | 71 | 408 273 | 5.7 |
| MDB in ACT | 99 | 17 | 45 | ^ - | ^784 | ^3.1 |
| Total | 61 033 | 18 634 | 88 828 | 1 654 | 7 369 807 | 4.5 |
| North-East Coast | 22 339 | 8 056 | 36 777 | 381 | 1 664 324 | 4.4 |
| South Australian Gulf | 7 441 | 2 590 | 7 962 | 45 | 89 191 | 2.0 |
| South-East Coast | 40 593 | 9 820 | 12 001 | 305 | 1 030 204 | 3.4 |
| South-West Coast | 13 047 | 2 793 | 21 569 | 45 | 186 528 | 4.2 |
| Tasmania | 4 745 | 1 919 | 1 739 | 81 | 203 931 | 2.5 |
| Timor Sea | 693 | 437 | 29 093 | 16 | ^124 838 | ^7.7 |
| Western Plateau | 1 307 | 26 | 59 611 | np | 3 714 | np |
| Australia | 154 681 | 44 826 | 434 925 | 2 546 | 10 737 364 | 4.2 |
|
| ^ estimate has a relative standard error of 10% to less than 25% and should be used with caution |
| - nil or rounded to zero (including null cells) |
| np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated |
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