Queensland’s Phantom Water Fees: How a $38 Million Tech Flop Became Every Farmer’s Burden

Bureaucratic Bungle Forces Queensland Irrigators to Shoulder Skyrocketing Water Costs, Sparking Outrage—and New Fears for Australia’s Food Security

For Queensland’s irrigators, July 2025 brought a rude awakening: water prices are surging by as much as 60% for some growers. But these increases aren’t just about supply or drought—they’re rooted in a failed government IT project that never delivered, yet is now being “recovered” from the very farmers it was meant to serve.