Water efficiency and demand management
Water demand management is an important part of ensuring water security for all Territorians. The Northern Territory currently has the highest per-capita water consumption in Australia and in many cases, uses twice as much as other parts of Australia with a similar climate.
As our population and economy grows over time, this places pressure on our existing public water supply systems. The Northern Territory Government is working to ensure that we are making the most of our water supply in the most efficient way possible, while we investigate options to increase our water supply into the future.
Government leading the way
Everyone has a part to play in water efficiency, and the Northern Territory Government is doing its bit to reduce its water use. It has released the Northern Territory Government water demand management strategy 2024-2028, which is focused on reducing Northern Territory Government water use by 20% by 2027-28 across the greater Darwin region.
This is a whole-of-government water efficiency initiative led by the Office of Water Security in partnership with Power and Water Corporation.
In addition to a global baseline target of a 20% reduction in Northern Territory Government water usage by 2027-28, agency-specific demand management plans will be developed for each of the government’s 16 largest water-use agencies and will outline water reduction targets, water savings measures, roles and responsibilities, and monitoring, evaluation and reporting frameworks. Agencies will report publicly on their performance against their plans in their annual reports.
The new strategy will initially focus on Northern Territory Government water use in the greater Darwin region, before being expanded across the Territory.
Read the Northern Territory water demand management strategy PDF (1.7 MB).
Policy measures to improve water efficiency
The strategy is underpinned by key policy measures designed to support agencies in meeting their water efficiency targets:
- a global baseline target to reduce NT Government water use by 20% by 2027-28
- mandated annual reporting for agencies in their annual reports
- embedding water efficiency into government procurement practices
- accelerating the rollout of smart water meters
- providing comprehensive water efficiency training for all key agency staff.
How we will implement the strategy
The Office of Water Security and Power and Water Corporation will support agencies to lead the development and implementation of their agency-specific demand management plans. Plans will be customised to fit the unique operational needs of each agency, starting with those in the greater Darwin region and expanding across the Territory.
The NT Government is committed to upholding accountability and transparency throughout the implementation of the strategy. Progress against our policy measures will be monitored through the Territory water plan’s annual reports.
Learn more about how the NT Government is supporting wise water use
Discover more about how the Northern Territory water demand management strategy fits into our broader efforts to deliver water security for all Territorians by reading the Territory water plan PDF (3.4 MB).