New standards and systems
New data standards and systems are in development. These include:
- water markets data standards – improving the transparency and availability of water markets information provided to the Bureau
- water data hub – a digital platform to store and access water markets information
- water markets website – allowing access to near real-time water market updates.
These changes are part of the Australian Government's water market reforms. For more about the reforms, see Reforms, standards and systems on this page.
Latest updates
Water markets survey now open
Anyone with an interest in Murray–Darling Basin water markets can have a say in our annual water markets information survey.
Submissions close on 30 June 2026.
Take the 2026 Water Markets Information Survey.
Water Data Hub information sessions and registration
Data providers can attend Water Data Hub information sessions in May and June 2026.
The sessions are an opportunity to:
- watch a demonstration of how to submit details about water markets decisions
- find out how this information will be published.
Organisations preparing for new reporting obligations can register for the hub from early June 2026. Obligations to report water markets decisions start from 1 July 2026.
To register for an information session, contact us.
Regulations finalised for water markets decisions
From 1 July 2026, government agencies and irrigation infrastructure operators must either:
- provide water markets decision to the Bureau for publication
- announce the decisions before providing details to the Bureau.
This applies to:
- Commonwealth and state government agencies
- public and private infrastructure operators.
The Water Amendment (Water Markets Decisions) Regulations 2026 are now available on the Federal Register of Legislation.
The requirements were established by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
Information to support agencies and operators providing data to the Bureau will be available soon. For more details about this change, see Water markets decisions on this page.
Water markets information required from 1 July 2027
The Government has delayed the start of new water markets information obligations for data providers until 1 July 2027. This does not apply to water market decisions, which must be reported from 1 July 2026.
Final data standards and regulations will be released by 1 July 2026. This gives data providers clear requirements and 12 months to prepare processes and systems.
Data schemas now available
Water data providers planning to provide information by API, SFTP or manual file upload can now access standard schemas.
The schemas define the structure and format of data in a way that systems can understand and process automatically. They are the machine-readable representation of the data standard and essential for integration. For a copy of the schemas, contact us.
We are also developing an option for providers to submit data in an online form.
Water markets data standards
Data elements nearly complete
The data to be given to the Bureau under the water markets data standards has been separated into data elements. Key stakeholders and data providers have contributed to the list of the data elements. For the list of data elements, contact us.
Engagement
We are working closely with the:
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW)
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
- Inspector-General of Water Compliance (IGWC)
- stakeholders affected by the new water markets data reporting requirements in the Murray–Darling Basin.
We have completed 4 rounds of engagement. Our engagement with data providers continues as we finalise the water markets data standards.