Irrigation Australia

Attend Our Session: When Water Meets The Ground

What happens after the water leaves the pipe and meets the ground shapes soil health, plant performance and water efficiency. Delivered by Head Trainer Stuart Alexander, this practical workshop explores how water interacts with soil and plants in real landscape settings, and how to solve runoff, dry spots and overspray. Designed for landscape and horticulture professionals.

Wednesday 5 August 2026, 12:30 to 2:30pm
Room 2, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
$95, includes a Certificate of Attendance

https://lnkd.in/errEvYUg

https://expertiseevents.eventsair.com/green26/ep/Site/Register

Big things are also taking shape in Western Australia.

As Irrigation Australia continues on a path of stabilisation and re-engagement, our focus on practical training and stronger member connection is opening up a new opportunity.

We have the chance to deliver apprenticeships in WA.

When we are ready, we will open our doors for expressions of interest. In the meantime, we would love to know what would make this apprenticeship a win for you or your business?

Member spotlight: Smithtek — a Perth family's 12-year build

When Dan Smith arrived in Australia from the UK in 2012, his first role was remote maintenance for an Aboriginal Corporation servicing 13 remote communities. The existing telemetry systems had failed. Replacement options were either too expensive, too complex, or unsuited to Australian conditions.

So Dan started building.

Smithtek was registered in 2014 and has spent 12 years advancing irrigation control through long-range telemetry, automation, and IoT. The company's PLC and PassPort Gateway products serve growers, mines, parks, and remote operations across Australia, with a new Solaris product launching later this year.

Dan's wife Hayley joined the business full-time in 2025, after a career in the dental industry. Their kids Oliver and Lily occasionally pop into the workshop. The family even has Hayley's parents nearby to help.

"A lot of our customers are growers. We focus on the fundamentals — where the water comes from, how it's delivered, where it's stored, and how it's distributed."

Smithtek's full story is the Irrigation Technology feature in Journal Autumn 2026 (Vol 42 No. 1).

→ irrigationaustralia.com.au/the-journal

Open role with Hunter Industries for Perth-based irrigation pros 🛠

Irrigation Technical Services Representative I, remote and Perth-based.

It's a customer-facing technical role helping distributors, contractors, and end-users work through controller, valve, and hydraulic queries across Hunter's product range. Phone, email, and support-content authoring.

Strong fit if you have hands-on irrigation experience: service techs, retail-counter operators, design-and-install backgrounds, or trade-school graduates comfortable with solenoids, drippers, and field wiring.

Hunter is one of our Irrigation Futures program sponsors and a steady supporter of the Australian industry. Roles like this keep local knowledge inside our sector.

If this fits you or someone in your network, the application link is below.

Apply: https://irrigationcareers.org.au/irrigation-careers-jobs-board

Member spotlight: Rochelle Firth, The Watershed Water Systems 🌱

13 years ago Rochelle joined her dad Colin's Perth irrigation business. She came in from marketing and hospitality, knowing "nothing about irrigation, what a riser was, what a pop-up was."

Today she manages The Watershed's busy Subiaco store. Customers ask for her by name and follow her between stores. The business has earned two LDI Awards (WA's highest irrigation accolade) and six water-use efficiency awards.

"There is definitely space for women, and we need more of them."

Read Rochelle's full story in Journal Autumn 2026 → irrigationaustralia.com.au/the-journal

The autumn allocation snapshot 📉

South Australian River Murray irrigators are projected to open the 2026-27 water year at 62% allocation — that's 1,246 gigalitres against an annual Entitlement Flow of 1,850 GL.

Two consecutive years of low rainfall and low inflows into Basin storages have driven the cautious opening, with the MDBA's worst-case water-availability scenario underpinning the projection.

The good news: most Basin inflows historically occur between July and October, so allocations often lift through the year.

For Murray-Darling irrigators planning the 2026-27 season, this is the number to track.

Read the full statement → environment.sa.gov.au

The May intake of the Certificate III in Irrigation Technology is open across NSW, QLD, SA and WA.

Hands-on. Nationally recognised. Funded options for eligible candidates.

This is the qualification that turns capable installers into the technicians clients ask for by name.

Block 3 is delivered February 2026. Apply before May intake closes.

Enrol → https://irrigationaustralia.com.au/training-upcoming-courses

The Autumn 2026 edition of the Irrigation Australia Journal is out now.

Volume 42, No. 01 brings together the technical, sustainability, and people stories shaping irrigation across the country.

Inside this edition:

- Class A recycled water on elite sports turf in Victoria. Built by Pitchcraft, with pump and control design by Brown Brothers Engineers Australia using Lowara pumps, Hydrovar drives, and CADSULT consultancy.

- A solar powered bore for Hamilton's Run in Mount Gambier, delivered by Water Dynamics Mt Gambier and Solar Pumptec.

- A major irrigation upgrade at the NT's Katherine Research Station, commissioned by Water Dynamics Darwin with Hunter controls and a Grundfos pump system.

- The Smithtek story, a family business with a new six-channel solenoid controller developed with Rain Bird.

- Why irrigation bores fail, by David Bennett of Aquabiotics Industrial. Drilling deeper is rarely the answer.

- Rochelle Firth's journey from newcomer to store manager at The Watershed Water Systems in Perth.

A big thank you to our Irrigation Futures sponsors: Rivulis, Plasson, Nelson Irrigation, Grundfos, and Vinidex. Your support makes this work possible.

Read it in full: https://publuu.com/flip-book/994767/2432028

The irrigation industry is growing, and so is the demand for qualified professionals.

Irrigation Australia (RTO 91313) has a packed training calendar for 2026 with courses running nationally.

Upcoming highlights include:

🗓 24 Mar - Certified Meter Installer and Validator (Queensland)
🗓 13 Apr - Certificate III in Irrigation Technology (Paterson, NSW)
🗓 4 May - Certified Irrigation Installer (Western Australia)
🗓 15 Jun - Certificate III in Irrigation Technology (South Australia)

Our courses combine hands-on face-to-face training with interactive virtual classrooms, and designed to get you field-ready with nationally recognised qualifications.

Whether you're new to the industry or looking to formalise your expertise, there's a pathway for you. 🌱

The future of sustainable water management depends on a skilled workforce. Let's build it together.

🔗 View all courses and dates: irrigationaustralia.com.au/training-upcoming-courses

Certificate III in Irrigation Technology – Block 3 Delivery at Morris Buzacott Reserve, Melville

Irrigation Australia recently delivered Block 3 of the Certificate III in Irrigation Technology, conducted by Irrigation Australia (RTO 91313), through an intensive, hands-on delivery hosted at the Melville City Hockey Club facility at Morris Buzacott Reserve in Western Australia.

The course welcomed 16 students and was delivered by Karl Clively and Stuart Alexander, with Peter Madden of Nelson Irrigation Corporation of Australia Pty Ltd attending as subject matter expert, and bringing real-world industry knowledge directly into the classroom.

Throughout the block, participants engaged in both theory-based learning and practical hands-on workshop activities, working with industry-standard equipment including Hunter Irrigation & Water Solutions components and controllers.

This delivery was made possible thanks to the generous support of Western Irrigation, who sponsored the venue hire and resources to support training. Their commitment to growing a skilled irrigation workforce in WA is greatly appreciated.

Special thanks to: 👏 Peter Madden (Nelson Irrigation) 👏 Western Irrigation
..and the wider teams at Nelson Irrigation and Western Irrigation for their continued support of irrigation training and workforce development in Western Australia.

By combining nationally recognised training with strong industry collaboration, deliveries like this help build capability, consistency and confidence across Australia's irrigation workforce.

🎓 Interested in enrolling?
New intakes are now scheduled in NSW and SA.

View all upcoming courses and register your interest at: https://irrigationaustralia.com.au/training-upcoming-courses

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