Sustainable Water Use
Latest Update - May 2025:
Cairns Regional Council launches development of Water Efficiency Strategy 2026–2035
After three years of persistent advocacy, CAFNEC welcomes Cairns Regional Council’s decision to develop the new Water Efficiency Strategy 2026-2035. The announcement includes the formation of an Advisory Group to guide the process – and CAFNEC is proud to be named as an official stakeholder.
This is a major step forward for sustainable water management in the Cairns region. The strategy will address critical issues such as population growth, climate change, and increasing water demand – and we’ll be there to ensure environmental outcomes remain a top priority.
Read Council’s Media Release here.
About the Issue
Cairns' water security is at risk
It’s difficult to think that Australia’s Wet Tropics may be at risk of a water security crisis, but Cairns Regional Council has told us that we are at ‘real risk of a drinking water shortfall by 2026’. What they mean is that Cairns’ demand for water is projected to surpass our current supply of water. A crisis like this can be solved by lowering our demand for water or by increasing our supply of water.
Water usage in Cairns is higher than would be expected for our region
Both Cairns and Townsville have significantly higher rates of residential water usage compared to Mackay, South-east Queensland (SEQ), and the Queensland-wide average. Cairns residents use 57% more water than Mackay residents and 70% more than residents of South East Queensland.
Even when we take into consideration the likely influencing factors on our high water usage, such as rainfall data, water service charges, dwelling types and building approvals, our daily water use per person in Cairns is higher than would normally be expected. This indicates there may be significant untapped opportunities for demand management.
Based on the results of the Cairns Water Comparison Analysis (2022) report commissioned by CAFNEC, we can recommend the following policies to help reduce water usage in Cairns:
- Financial incentives to reduce demand;
- Community education to accompany the rollout of Smart Water Metres by Cairns Regional Council; and
- Rainwater tanks for household use.
Despite our high usage, Council has delayed progress on their Demand Management Strategy (2015)...
Cairns Regional Council has a Demand Management Strategy, but has neglected to make a start on 14 of the 19 actions outlined in the strategy since its inception in 2015. Council started a community water education program then promptly cut spending on it, allowing their water education team to fold. More recently, Council stopped including water usage data in State of Environment reports and delayed implementation of the smart water metre initiative in favour of the Esplanade development. Furthermore, CRC’s Demand Management Strategy (2015) outlines a goal for reducing water demand to 377 litres per person per day by 2025/26. This is only a 10% reduction over 10 years. For context, South East Queensland was able to reduce their water usage by 53% in just 3 years during the Millennium Drought.
Scorecard valid as of September 2022.
COMMUNITY WATER FORUM
On October 20, 2022, CAFNEC hosted a Community Water Forum at James Cook University to inform and consult key stakeholders, including Traditional Owners, and the broader community in how our water crisis is being addressed.
The event featured the following speakers and stakeholders:
-
Division 1 Councillor, Brett Moller & David Stevens, Executive Manager Major Projects, Cairns Regional Council (CRC)
-
Nigel Parratt, Water Policy Officer, Queensland Conservation Council (QCC)
-
Bruce Corcoran, Member of Mulgrave Landcare and Catchment Group (MLCG)
- Bronwyn Opie, Community Campaigner, Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC).
-
Steve McDermott, Manager at Dulabed and Malanbarra Yidinji Aboriginal Corporation
-
Dennis Ah-Kee, Wanjuru Elder of the Russell River catchment and owner of Jaragun Ecoservices
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Community Poll. Your insights have been invaluable and were shared with Cairns Regional Council.
Register for updates on our water campaign work
Stay Informed: Join our dedicated water campaign mailing list to receive updates on policy developments, community actions, and opportunities to get involved. Sign up here, or click the button.
More about the Problem
There has been an increasing push from federal and state governments to increase water infrastructure in Far North Queensland. These include
- Mulgrave River Water Harvesting Proposal
- Lakeland Irrigation Scheme
- The ‘New’ Bradfield Scheme
There are also water plan reviews that are happening in the region
-
- The Regional Water Supply Security Assessment for the Southern Atherton Tablelands
- The Barron River Water Plan Review