A key element of northern Australian development is more effective utilisation of water resources. However, disputes and lack of information over environmental, equity and economic benefit issues constrain water resource development. The Water Security in Northern Australia (WSNA) program is an initiative of the CRC for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA). It comprises 16 projects across 4 case study locations examining issues considered by regional stakeholders during an initial co-design phase, to be limiting sustainable water resource development in their catchments. The case study locations: lower Fitzroy (Qld), Gilbert (Qld), Daly (NT) and Ord (WA) have different contexts, are at different stages of development, and each has different priority issues that prevent or restrict beneficial water resource development. The projects co-designed in this program address one or more of these issues and are conducted in partnership with regional stakeholders.

Research priorities for each node are:
Gilbert - understanding constraints to new development via mapping environmental, cultural and soil carbon values across the catchment.
Lower Fitzroy, based on the new Rookwood Weir - identifying new agricultural technology, optimising cost-effective water quality monitoring, prospects for high value crops and more efficient supply chains.
Daly - surface water/groundwater allocation, climate impacts on future resource availability and improved understanding of barriers to change in management practices and cropping systems.
Ord - water use efficiency, understanding the economic values of water, and measuring agricultural runoff water quality.

This presentation will outline how this integrated research program is reducing barriers to new developments and new cropping systems, reducing costs of compliance water quality monitoring, reducing risk in water allocation, providing greater economic returns from the use of water resources, evaluating the costs and benefits of water use efficiency and providing greater Indigenous benefit from water resources.