Tasmanian Irrigation is Committed to Environmental Excellence

Tasmanian Irrigation is committed to complying with all environmental legislative permit conditions across all operations.

Tasmanian Irrigation proactively self-reported five minor non-conformances with Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 permit conditions on the Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme.

The breaches were largely administrative in nature, such as failing to publish a strategy on the website within 20 days of permit approval. Tasmanian Irrigation confirms that no environmental harm occurred as a result of the breaches, and no threatened species were impacted.

However, the breaches were treated very seriously, and corrective actions were immediately implemented.

Tasmanian Irrigation Chief Executive Officer Mike Sylvester said the Company has an outstanding record in developing major infrastructure projects around Tasmania.

“We are absolutely committed to abiding by permit conditions put in place by regulatory authorities,” Mr Sylvester said.

“However, we recognise that there have been several instances where our permit conditions were not fully complied with and we immediately put up our hand to report these breaches.

“We have made several improvements in our project oversight, specifically relating to communication between our head contractor and their subcontractors, to minimise opportunities for any further breaches to the 58 permit conditions in place for the Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme.”

The $217.9 million Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme remains on track to deliver up to 25,500 megalitres of high-surety irrigation water for the 2026/27 irrigation season, enabling farmers to boost productivity, intensify operations and diversify into high-value enterprises, providing the Tasmanian economy with annual returns estimated at $54 million.

The project is jointly funded by the Australian and Tasmanian Governments and irrigators.