Water reform plan scrapped after 17 years

The government will not go ahead with a plan first announced in 2006 to consolidate legislation governing the state’s water resources management system, following feedback from stakeholders.

The Water Reform Bill was being developed by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and designed to consolidate the state’s six water resource management acts.

Under the current system, water management is governed by the Country Areas Water Supply Act 1947; the Metropolitan Arterial Drainage Act 1982; the Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Act 1909; the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914; the Water Agencies (Powers) Act 1984; and the Waterways Conservation Act 1976.

The state’s long-held plan was to consolidate the Acts into new legislation – an idea first floated in 2006 through a draft blueprint for water reform released by then Water Resources Minister John Kobelke.

Work towards water policy reform was subsequently undertaken by water ministers in Coalition and Labor governments. 

The government’s commitment to the Water Reform bill was affirmed in Parliament as recently as the end of August, when opposition leader Shane Love suggested it had the potential to replicate the kind of uncertainty caused mid-year by the botched rollout of the now-repealed Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021.

But the state’s current Water Minister Simone McGurk today revealed the state would adopt a “more practical” approach to water resource management.

"As Water Minister for the past 12 months, I have assessed the need and implications for legislative change, and it has become clear this is not required,” she said.

"This has been a long process that is creating some uncertainty. The current laws are workable, and therefore legislative change is not required when there are other immediate, practical avenues to improve water security.

"I want to thank the stakeholders for their feedback over the past 12 months and look forward to continuing to work with them on important water matters in the future."

Ms McGurk said the state would instead prioritise timely support for licence application processing and investigations, and helping the community preserve water resources.

All existing water licensing agreements and conditions will be maintained, as well as the approaches for the trading and transfer of water licences currently in place.

The Water Corporation’s planned Alkimos seawater desalination plant was singled out as another key priority for the water portfolio.

Business News yesterday reported the contract for design and build of the project had been awarded to Spanish firm ACCIONA, according to multiple industry sources.

Ms McGurk yesterday revealed former Energy Resources of Australia boss Andrea Sutton would be the new chair of the Water Corp, as it embarks on its $2.8 billion desalination plan.