I will be very interested in the outcome of your enquiries,...

I will be very interested in the outcome of your enquiries, Occam Logic, but will not be making any changes to my investment decisions just yet.

The ABC article was all about the TFC project receiving "Major Project Status". This is NOT approval. The project will still need to go through the full approval process with stakeholder consultation and environmental (and other) assessments. It is a common process for most State Governments for those projects likely to bring substantial economic benefits to the State. It is also common for interest groups to start making their point early, so I am not surprised about the ABC article. I would not read too much into this yet. The project timeframe is a long one. TFC also obtained access to 1000 more hectares in the Ord Irrigation area late last year, and could use this while water rights in NT are considered and debated.

The issue of water availability and security will be addressed during the approval process. Normally, governments want to ensure that limited water supplies are used in a way which maximises the economic benefit while protecting the environment. Any other use would be a waste of scarce water resources.

I trust TFC management to fully consider the risks involved in proceeding with this project. Water rights, like property rights, are not likely to be taken away from the legitimate owner by any government, even after a change of government. TFC has experience over more than 15 years in managing water resources for their forests. They are not about to make a mistake now after all they have learnt.