Goulburn-Murray Water Connections Program project management

This initiative funds project management and governance of the Goulburn-Murray Water Connections Program.This will ensure that the program is delivered in accordance with the agreed/approved Business Cases.

Total project investment: $1.95 m

2013-14 expenditure: $0.1271 m 
2014-15 expenditure: $0.7899 m 
2015-16 expenditure: $1.0350 m

Progress

The project has met its core objective in providing Government oversight of the Connections project. The Connections Program is the largest irrigation modernisation project in Australia. An investment of $2 billion funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments  seeks to create a more efficient automated water delivery network in the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District (GMID) to deliver improved customer service levels.

The GMID upgrade takes in northern Victoria between Swan Hill and Cobram, and the Goulburn and Murray systems. The GMW Connections Project is automating much of the water delivery network, as the modernisation project replaces the majority of our ageing irrigation infrastructure, while reducing the GMID footprint and making water use sustainable for future challenges and opportunities.

During the three years of the initiative, DELWP's project management and governance activities have:

• facilitated the transfer of water shares to the Commonwealth Government;
• provided governance and policy advice to Goulburn-Murray Water and the Government to aid delivery of the project;
• undertaken financial audits;
• reviewed project reports (monthly, quarterly and yearly);
• paid funds based on achievement of milestones;
• ensured the project was being delivered in accordance with Department of Treasury and Finance High Value, High Risk process; and
• provided oversight of the benefit realisation of the project.