4610.0 - Water Account, Australia, 2014-15 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 25/11/2016   
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STATE AND TERRITORY SUMMARIES

WATER ACCOUNT AUSTRALIA 2014-15

New South Wales
  • New South Wales households and industry consumed 6,329 gigalitres (GL) of water in 2014-15, a decrease of 15.7 per cent (or 1,179 GL) from 2013-14.
  • Water consumption in New South Wales was the highest of any state or territory in 2014-15, representing 36.4 per cent of total Australian consumption.
  • The decrease in New South Wales water consumption was driven by the Agriculture industry, which consumed 4,120 gigalitres in 2014-15 compared to 4,983 gigalitres in 2013-14, a decrease of 17.3 per cent. The reduction across several agricultural sectors in New South Wales saw its share of total state water consumption fall from 66.4 per cent in 2013-14 to 65.1 per cent in 2014-15.
  • The main contributor to this decrease was 'Other crop growing', which fell by 667 gigalitres (or 41.6%) from 2013-14.
  • The Agriculture industry that recorded the biggest percentage movement of water consumption in New South Wales was 'Other Livestock Farming' with water consumption up 12 gigalitres or 58.3 per cent.
  • Water use productivity (or Gross State Product per kilolitre of water consumed) was $80 per kilolitre (kL) in New South Wales, an increase of $14 from 2013-14. This amount was below the Australian average of $93 per kilolitre.
  • The average price of water paid by New South Wales households in 2014-15 was $2.77 per kilolitre, an 8.6 per cent increase from $2.55 per kilolitre in 2013-14, and remains below the Australian average of $2.99 per kilolitre.
  • Total water consumption per capita decreased from 999 kilolitres in 2013-14 to 831 kilolitres in 2014-15, above the Australian average of 730 kilolitres.
  • The gross value of irrigated agricultural production (GVIAP) in New South Wales in 2014-15 was approximately $3.1 billion, a decrease of 13.5 per cent from 2013-14. This accounted for 20.2 per cent of total Australian GVIAP.
  • The Manufacturing industry consumed 122 gigalitres of water in 2014-15 (a 5.2% decrease from 2013-14). The Mining industry recorded a decrease of 23 per cent from 2013-14, consuming 85 gigalitres.
  • New South Wales revenue for total water sales and services was $4.3 billion in 2014-15. This was the second highest of all states and territories and accounts for 25.7 per cent of the Australian total.
  • In 2014-15, there were 74,366 gigalitres of soil water supply in New South Wales. This accounted for 22.5 per cent of Australia's total supply of soil water, the second-highest of all states and territories.
Victoria
  • Victorian households and industry consumed 4,215 gigalitres of water in 2014-15, an increase of 5.7 per cent (or 228 GL) from 2013-14. This increase was driven by change in the Agriculture industry, which consumed 166 gigalitres (or 6.5%) more water than in 2013-14.
  • Water consumption in Victoria was the second highest of any state or territory in 2014-15, representing 24.3 per cent of total Australian consumption.
  • Estimated household water consumption for Victoria was 367 gigalitres, a 0.3 per cent increase from 2013-14. This accounted for 8.7 per cent of the state's total water consumption.
  • Water use productivity in Victoria was $84 per kilolitre in 2014-14, a decrease of $3 from 2013-14. This amount was below the Australian average of $93 per kilolitre.
  • Estimated final household water consumption per household was 162 kilolitres in 2014-15, a slight decrease from 2013-14 when each household consumed an estimated 164 kilolitres.
  • The estimated average price of water paid by households in Victoria in 2014-15 was $2.73 per kilolitre, a decrease of 20.9 per cent from 2013-14 and just below the Australian average of $2.99 per kilolitre.
  • The Agriculture industry was the highest consumer of water in Victoria, responsible for the consumption of 2,738 gigalitres. Agricultural water consumption increased by 6.5 per cent from 2013-14. Agriculture's share of total water remained relatively stable, increasing from 64.5 per cent in 2013-14 to 65.0 per cent in 2014-15.
  • Dairy cattle farming remained the biggest water consuming activity, increasing by 3.7 per cent and accounting for half of all consumed used by Agriculture and 32.5 per cent of total consumption in Victoria. However the agricultural industry that recorded the biggest percentage movement of water consumption was 'Other crop growing', which increased by 190.5 per cent. 'Fruit and tree nut growing' recorded the biggest fall, decreasing 21.1 per cent from 2013-14.
  • The GVIAP in Victoria was about $4.9 billion in 2014-15, 32.7 per cent of the total GVIAP in Australia.
  • Total revenue from water sales and services in Victoria in 2014-15 was about $4.4 billion, the highest of all the states and accounting for 26.1 per cent of the Australian total.
  • Water supplied by soil in Victoria was estimated at 23,571 gigalitres; this represented 7.1 per cent of total soil water.

Queensland
  • Queensland households and industry consumed 3,748 gigalitres of water in 2014-15, a decrease of 9.6 per cent (or 397 GL) from 2013-14. There was considerable variation in consumption movements across industries with Agriculture decreasing by 18.5 per cent and Manufacturing increasing by 34.4 per cent from the previous year.
  • Water consumption in Queensland was the third highest of any state or territory in 2014-15, representing 21.6 per cent of total consumption in Australia.
  • Water use productivity in Queensland was $80 per kilolitre in 2014-15, an increase of $8 from 2013-14. This amount was below the Australian average of $93 per kilolitre.
  • In 2014-15, the average price of water paid by Queensland households was $3.50 per kilolitre, the second highest in Australia. The average household water price in Australia was $2.99 per kilolitre.
  • Queensland households recorded $1.2 billion of expenditure on urban distributed water, the second highest expenditure of all state and territories.
  • The Agriculture industry consumed the most water in Queensland in 2014-15 with 2,250 gigalitres, or 60 per cent of the total water consumption in Queensland. This was an 18.5 per cent decrease since 2013-14.
  • The GVIAP in Queensland was $3.6 billion in 2014-15, the second highest in Australia. This was an increase of $81 million, or 2.3 per cent, from 2013-14.
  • The Water supply, sewerage and drainage services industry consumed the second highest amount of water in Queensland in 2014-15. The industry consumed 393 gigalitres of water, or 10.5 per cent total water consumption in Queensland, a 0.3 per cent increase since 2013-14.
  • The Mining and Manufacturing industries consumed an estimated 167 gigalitres (an increase of 12% from 2013-14) and 187 gigalitres (an increase of 34.4%) of water respectively in 2014-15.
  • Queensland had the highest level of soil water supply of all the states and territories, estimated at 99,630 gigalitres, or 34 per cent greater than the next highest state or territory (New South Wales).
South Australia
  • Total South Australian water consumption 2014-15 was 1,031 gigalitres, a decrease of 4.2 per cent (or 46 GL) from 2013-14. This amount represented 5.9 per cent of all Australian water consumed in 2014-15.
  • The Agriculture industry was the largest consumer of water in South Australia in 2014-15, consuming 709 gigalitres. This was 68.7 per cent of the total water consumption in South Australia.
  • Total consumption per capita was 607 kilolitres, 16.8 per cent lower than the Australian average of 730 kilolitres per capita.
  • Water use productivity in South Australia was $96 per kilolitre in 2014-15, an increase of $6 from 2013-14. This amount was just above the Australian average of $93 per kilolitre.
  • The average water price paid by households was $4.46 per kilolitre in 2014-15. This was the highest average water price in Australia and well above the Australian average of $2.99 per kilolitre.
  • South Australian urban households spent an estimated total of $555 million on distributed water, increase of 4.5 per cent from 2013-14.
  • The GVIAP in South Australia was $1.8 billion in 2014-15, an increase of 17.3 per cent from 2013-14.
  • The Manufacturing industry in South Australia consumed 46 gigalitres of water, or 4.5 per cent of total water consumption for the state. Mining consumed 25 gigalitres of water, while the 'Electricity and Gas Supply' industry consumed only two gigalitres.

Western Australia
  • Western Australian households and industry consumed 1,484 gigalitres of water in 2014-15, an increase of 12.7 per cent (or 167 GL) from 2013-14. This amount represents 8.5 per cent of all Australian water consumed in 2014-15.
  • The largest contributors to Western Australian consumption were the Mining industry and households, with 452 and 326 gigalitres respectively in 2014-15. Households and Mining together accounted for 52.4 per cent of total water consumption in Western Australia.
  • Estimated water consumption (by industry and households) per capita was 573 kilolitres, 21.5 per cent lower than the Australian average of 730 kilolitres.
  • Water use productivity in Western Australia was $186 per kilolitre in 2014-15, a decrease of $17 from 2013-14. This amount was twice the Australian average of $93 per kilolitre, and the second highest of all states and territories.
  • The average water price paid by Western Australian households was $2.40 per kilolitre, the lowest among the states and territories and well below the national average of $2.99 per kilolitre.
  • On average, each household in Western Australian consumed 328 kilolitres in 2014-15, the second highest of all states and territories and was 60.8 per cent above the national average of 204 kilolitres.
  • The GVIAP was $887 million in 2014-15, a 10.7 per cent increase from $801 million in 2013-14.
  • The Agriculture industry consumed 308 gigalitres of water in Western Australia in 2014-15, a slight increase from 2013-14. Agriculture accounted for 20.7 per cent of total water consumption in Western Australia in 2014-15.
  • The Manufacturing industry consumed 61 gigalitres (4.1% of the total water consumption for the state) and the 'Electricity and Gas Supply' industry consumed 27 gigalitres (1.8% of the total water consumption in Western Australia) in 2014-15.

Tasmania
  • Tasmanian households and industry consumed 367 gigalitres of water in 2014-15, a decrease of 5.9 per cent (or 23 GL) from 2013-14. This decrease was spread evenly across most industries.
  • Water consumption in Tasmania was the third lowest of any state or territory in 2014-15, representing 2.1 per cent of total Australian consumption.
  • Total water consumption (by industries and households) in Tasmania was 710 kilolitres per capita, a slight decrease from 2013-14 (757 kilolitres per capita) and 2.7 per cent less than national consumption per capita of 730 kilolitres.
  • Water use productivity in Tasmania was $69 per kilolitre in 2014-15, an increase of $5 from 2013-14. This amount was below the Australian average of $93 per kilolitre, and the lowest of all states and territories.
  • In 2014-15, 34,846 gigalitres of water were extracted from the environment for use in Tasmania, but nearly all of this was by the 'Electricity and Gas Supply' industry (33,676 GL) for hydro-electric power generation, which is an in-stream or non-consumptive use.
  • Tasmanian households paid an average price of $2.78 per kilolitre for water in 2014-15, below the Australian average of $2.99 per kilolitre. This was a 4.5 per cent increase from 2013-14.
  • The Agriculture industry in Tasmania was the largest water consumer in 2014-15, accounting for 228 gigalitres or 62.2 per cent of the total state water consumption. The Manufacturing industry consumed 38 gigalitres or 10.3 per cent of total state water consumption.
  • Total revenue from sales of urban distributed water in Tasmania in 2014-15 was $126 million, increasing slightly from $121 million in 2013-14. Revenue from waste water and other water related services was estimated at $130 million, up from $117 million in 2013-14.

Northern Territory
  • Northern Territory households and industry consumed 153 gigalitres of water in 2014-15, a decrease of 8.5 per cent (or 14 GL) from 2013-14. This decrease was spread evenly across most industries, with the only consumption increases of note being in the Agriculture and Water supply, sewerage and drainage services industries.
  • Water consumption in Northern Territory was the second lowest of any state or territory in 2014-15, representing 0.9 per cent of total Australian consumption.
  • Water use productivity in the Northern Territory was $147 per kilolitre in 2014-15, an increase of $25 from 2013-14. This amount was above the Australian average of $93 per kilolitre.
  • Households in the Northern Territory consumed about 35 gigalitres of water in 2014-15, accounting for 22.9 per cent of the territory's total water consumption. This was a 5.8 per cent decrease from 2013-14 (37 GL).
  • Total consumption of water per capita for 2014-15 was 627 kilolitres. This represents an 8.7 per cent decrease from 687 kilolitres in 2013-14 and is lower than the Australian average of 730 kilolitres per capita.
  • The average price of water paid by Northern Territory households in 2014-15 was $3.10 per kilolitre, higher than the Australian average of $2.99 per kilolitre. This was an increase of 41.6 per cent from 2013-14 when it was $2.19 per kilolitre.
  • The Agriculture industry was the highest consumer of water in the Northern Territory, consuming 56 gigalitres of water in 2014-15. This was 36.7 per cent of total water consumption in the Northern Territory and a 12.5 per cent (6 GL) increase from 2013-14.
  • Water use by the Mining industry dropped by 32.8 per cent since 2013-14 to 21 gigalitres (from 31 GL).
  • 32,255 gigalitres of water was supplied as soil water in the Northern Territory, 9.8 per cent of Australia's total soil water supply.

Australian Capital Territory
  • Households and industry in the Australian Capital Territory consumed 48 gigalitres of water in 2014-15, a decrease of 9.8 per cent (or 5 GL) from 2013-14.
  • Water consumption in the Australian Capital Territory was the lowest of any state or territory in 2014-15, representing 0.3 per cent of total Australian consumption.
  • The largest consumer of water in the Australian Capital Territory was households, accounting for 61.8 per cent (or 29 GL) of total consumption in 2014-15. However, this is the lowest household consumption out of all states and territories.
  • The industry group with the highest proportion of water consumption in the Australian Capital Territory was Other Industries. These industries consumed 11 gigalitres of water in 2014-15, accounting for 23.1 per cent of total consumption.
  • Total water consumption (industries and households) per capita was 123 kilolitres, which is the lowest of all the states and territories and well below the Australian average of 730 kilolitres.
  • Water use productivity in the Australian Capital Territory was $726 per kilolitre in 2014-15, an increase of $77 from 2013-14. This amount was above the Australian average of $93 per kilolitre, and the highest of all states and territories.
  • The Australian Capital Territory recorded an average water price for households at $3.16 per kilolitre in 2014-15, an increase of 3.6 per cent from 2013-14. This was above the Australian average of $2.99 per kilolitre.
  • Gross soil water supply in the Australian Capital Territory was 140 gigalitres in 2014-15, representing a 19.7 per cent increase from 2013-14 This was by far the lowest gross soil water supply by any state or territory, representing 0.04 per cent of total supply.