The Western Australian government signed the National Water Initiative in April 2006. This has made the reform of the state’s water legislation more urgent. Consequently, the government has released a blueprint for reform. The following aspects have been highlighted:
Changing the water entitlement system
- Water management plans should be developed to identify the environmental and public benefit outcomes to be achieved and the management strategies to meet the outcomes. Also, water available for consumptive use should be identified as well as processes for calculating seasonal or short-term changes to the pool including rules for water trading
- A system of licences and share-based access entitlements should be introduced and should last for 40 years
- A use approval will have to be applied for separately from the access entitlement, and
- Access entitlements will be registered on a Torrens-style register.
Facilitating water trading
Water trading will be encouraged, especially in the southwest of WA, but not until water use is comprehensively licensed, metered and allocation limits are set.
Implementing water metering
- Water metering should be undertaken, especially where new water allocations are issued and for existing allocations above 50 ML, and water users should contribute to the costs of water metering, and
- There should be increased self-management whereby local groups could be contracted to read water meters.
Recovering water resource management costs
- A water licence administration fee should be introduced and, if a system is adopted nationally, a water resource management charge should be applied.
Invest in water use efficiency
- A combination of measures will be used to encourage water efficiency, including subsidies, market mechanisms and price settings while water trading is seen as a primary mechanism.
