One of Australia’s biggest water traders, Adelaide based Waterfind, has been given nearly $800,000 in Federal funding, to help develop a software program for an American state.
Funds from the Accelerating Commercialisation grant would be used to develop the Water Agency Management Platform (WAMP) – described as a data intelligence, communication, reporting and billing software product – for Californian authorities.
The decision has met with a mixed reaction from other water brokers, one saying it appeared “a little odd.”
Waterfind Holdings chief executive Tom Rooney said the company had to match the $790 702 grant.
“This started about three years ago – we receiving a lot of delegations into our organisation from overseas and we thought it was worth our while to think about international expansion,” Mr Rooney said.
“We thought America had the best promise for us, so we looked at a research project.
“In water terms, it was a very big country, there are some states that deliver as much - or more water - than the whole of Australia.”
The software addressed an immediate need among water agencies and irrigators in California to comply with the regulations of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which became law in 2014.
The law placed a significant burden on agencies and irrigators to manage groundwater use across the state, and the WAMP would allow them to do so in a cost effective and timely manner.
“While the first application of this product will be in California, Waterfind believes Australia’s water industry will also benefit from the success of the WAMP,” Mr Rooney said.
“With the increasing availability and complexity of data to measure and manage water, the WAMP will be a foundation for software solutions delivered to private irrigation districts in Australia.
“These districts require components of the WAMP and additional functionality necessitated by a more mature water market, in which they operate.”
The WAMP’s system would be developed in Australia, with a licencing fee coming back here.
“It is an export of technology,” Mr Rooney said.
He said it was not money which would have gone directly to irrigation projects.
“This is general innovation funds, delivered through and Australian innovation package – we had a couple of goes at it, it’s a hard grant package to get through.”
Other Federal grants were issued to organisations working projects as diverse as the control of plant diseases and insect pests, video streaming, a hammer augur and screw piling tool and smart wheels for golf buggies.
Australian Water Brokers Association (AWBA) vice president Duncan McDonald said while he admired Waterfind’s innovation and enthusiasm, “it does seem a little odd - but good luck to them.
“He is a goer, Tom, I admire his innovation and enthusiasm and anything that helps create more efficient, transparent, well-functioning markets is a good thing.
“It’s great and gutsy, going to America to try and sort their job out.”
But Mr McDonald, who is also National Water Brokers, chief executive said it appeared the funding would help American authorities.
It would also help Waterfind to make money.
“It does seem incredible they (the government) would give a commercial enterprise a huge cash grant,” he said.
“At AWBA we have had talks with different departments to gain some funding, but nothing has happened at this stage.”
And Wilks Water’s Tom Wilks expressed similar reservations.
“I applaud his enthusiasm and energy in trying to do that – the grant seems to be for selling Australian products onto the world stage,” Mr Wilks said.
“But he is setting up a business in America, for Americans – the only Australian part is that is where he comes from.”
Mr Mooney said Waterfind had a strong research and development focus, and would continue to develop the market.
“These are competing smaller brokers, I would encourage them to spend as much time effort and money as we have spent in developing the Australian water market,” he said.