The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has said regulated water markets are behaving relatively predictably despite big differences from state to state.
In its annual Water Monitoring Report for 2021-22, released this week, the ACCC found there was a wide variation in water charges between different states within the Murray-Darling Basin, but said these differences could largely be easily understood.
"In Queensland we saw discounts and rebates to irrigators, given as part of drought relief, keep prices lower, particularly for horticulturalists," said ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh.
"This is in contrast to NSW where the ending of NSW drought relief has led to substantial increases in bills," he said.
Mr Keogh said one common theme across the MDB was the solid availability of water following good run-off into storages.
The real price of water in both Victoria and South Australia fell, with price rises less than inflation.
Good rainfall stymied demand for irrigation water.
The annual report focuses on regulated water charges, compliance with the water rules by infrastructure operators, and 'transformation' arrangements that allow irrigators to convert an irrigation right into a standalone water access entitlement, held by the irrigator or traded to another person.
"The aim of this report is to continue to keep stakeholders informed of the changes in regulated water charges and the irrigation market in the Basin, the largest and most complex river system in Australia."
As part of its water monitoring, the ACCC prepares 'typical bills' which estimate the annual charges that irrigators pay for different water entitlement and delivery scenarios from on-river (bulk) operators and irrigation infrastructure operators.
He said the report was structured by state and highlights that regulated water charges differ substantially between different Basin states, and that state government policies have a significant impact on on-river typical bills.