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Securing Western Australia's Water Future

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Securing Western Australia's Water Future Securing Western Australia's water future Position paper - reforming water resource management September 2013 Looking after all our water needs SCT_Online Print_Final_A4.indd 1 31/05/10 11:08 AM Securing Western Australia's water future Position paper - Reforming Water Resource Management Looking after all our water needs Department of Water September 2013 Department of Water 168 St Georges Terrace Perth Western Australia 6000 Telephone +61 8 6364 7600 Facsimile +61 8 6364 7601 National Relay Service 13 36 77 www.water.wa.gov.au © Government of Western Australia September 2013 This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Department of Water. ISBN 978-1-922248-11-4 (online) Acknowledgements The assistance of stakeholders in refining the policies in this paper is acknowledged. These include the Western Australian Farmers Federation, Pastoralists and Graziers Association of Western Australia, Water Cooperatives (represented by Harvey Water), vegetablesWA, Potato Growers Association of WA (Inc), Carnarvon Growers Association, Fruit West, Wines of Western Australia, Chamber of Minerals and Energy, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Irrigation Australia, Australian Drilling Industry Association, Conservation Council of Western Australia, the Urban Development Institute of Australia (Western Australia Division Inc), Water Corporation and the WA Local Government Association. For more information see the Opportunity to comment section of this report. Disclaimer This document has been published by the Department of Water. Any representation, statement, opinion or advice expressed or implied in this publication is made in good faith and on the basis that the Department of Water and its employees are not liable for any damage or loss whatsoever which may occur as a result of action taken or not taken, as the case may be in respect of any representation, statement, opinion or advice referred to herein. Professional advice should be obtained before applying the information contained in this document to particular circumstances. This publication is available at our website <www.water.wa.gov.au> or for those with special needs it can be made available in alternative formats such as audio, large print, or Braille. Securing Western Australia’s water future Minister’s foreword Few resources have been so extensively discussed in Western Australia over the past decades as water. Our water resources underpin our lifestyles and the productivity of industrial, mining, agricultural and urban development. As a result of Western Australia’s enviable growth, competition for groundwater and surface water resources is increasing and more of these resources are becoming fully-allocated. Changed climate patterns and reduced rainfall and the resultant water resource pressures affect our economy and lifestyles and, just as importantly, puts pressure on the environment and its water-dependent ecosystems. The Western Australian government has undertaken several initiatives to ensure effective water management and supply, including removing unnecessary regulation, encouraging efficiency, increasing investment in investigation, and desalination – all of which is greatly assisted by the community’s response to using water more wisely. The government also recognises that new legislative tools must be at hand to increase options to adequately respond to existing and future challenges and the changing needs of water users and the environment. As the attached position paper details, we are proposing changes to water resource management legislation and policy to meet 21st century challenges in Western Australia. This reform framework covers the way water resources are planned, allocated, managed and regulated. It will provide the government and water users with more flexible options from which to choose when making decisions about the best and most productive use of this essential resource. Importantly, the framework is based on a foundation of greater transparency and engagement with water users and other stakeholders. In developing the framework, we have continued to build on the consultation already done on water resource management reform in Western Australia over recent years. Government has indicated that it will not introduce cost recovery for water licences and maintain the existing licencing arrangements for farm dams. Water management is important to our community, and public consultation – giving everyone a chance to have a say – is an important part of our process. I encourage you to provide your views, which will inform the Liberal-National government in finalising positions on improvements to water resource management in Western Australia. Hon Terry Redman MLA Minister for Water Department of Water iii Securing Western Australia’s water future iv Department of Water Securing Western Australia’s water future Contents Minister’s foreword ....................................................................................................... iii Opportunity to comment .............................................................................................. vi 1 Paper at a glance .................................................................................................... 1 2 Executive summary ................................................................................................. 3 2.1 Policy drivers .................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Legislative confusion ........................................................................................................ 4 2.3 The current situation: building on previous stakeholder input ........................................... 4 2.4 What are we proposing in this position paper? ................................................................. 5 2.5 Who will these changes impact and what will they mean for you? ................................... 9 3 Changes in detail ................................................................................................... 10 3.1 Improved licensing .......................................................................................................... 11 3.2 Water access entitlement framework .............................................................................. 14 3.3 Improved planning framework ........................................................................................ 16 3.4 Linked policy considerations ........................................................................................... 25 Glossary ..................................................................................................................... 30 Department of Water v Securing Western Australia’s water future Opportunity to comment This paper encourages ongoing public involvement in guiding the future of water resource management in Western Australia. Written comments on this paper are sought from all stakeholders. You are encouraged to respond with your views on any aspect of these important reforms and supporting legislation. To ensure that your submission is as effective as possible, please: • clearly state your views and the sections you are referring to • support your response with evidence and your reasons • suggest alternatives to address any issues that you believe will result in a better outcome. Please be sure to attach a covering letter with the names and contact details of the person or organisation making the submission. Please note that, unless marked ‘confidential’, selected extracts from submissions may be published on the Department of Water website or cited in other public documents. The closing date for submissions is 31 December 2013. Please send your submissions in hard or electronic copy to: Policy submissions – Water Reform Policy and Innovation Directorate Department of Water PO Box K822 Perth WA 6842 email: [email protected] web: < www.water.wa.gov.au > have your say > open for public comment vi Department of Water Securing Western Australia’s water future 1 Paper at a glance This paper sets out a proposed legislative and policy framework to help deliver new water management solutions in Western Australia. It has been prepared to give water users and the community a clear understanding of the proposed reforms, their implementation, and benefits that can be expected. The framework provides Western Australia’s government and water users with more options for managing water, which include new mechanisms as well as improvements to those that are currently in existence. In essence, it provides ‘more tools in the toolbox’ to enable better water management for the 21st century. This is important for our state as we move increasingly to an environment of fully-allocated resources, greater demand and competition for water, and the effects of a drying climate. Our vision is for the people of Western Australia to benefit from secure access to water resources in the decades ahead; for our water management framework to maximise the productive value of water, minimise long term costs to water users, industry and government; and protect the water-dependent environment. We propose a flexible and adaptive framework
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