Amendments to the Water Market Rules 2009 and the Water Charge (Termination Fees) Rules 2009 came into effect on 17 October 2012, after being registered by the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. You can view the rule amendments online at http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2012L02043 and http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2012L02044.

The amendments address technical issues with the water rules identified during the transitional period and are based on advice from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). A copy of the ACCC’s final advice to the Minister on the amendments is available on the ACCC website.

To assist operators to understand the amendments to the water rules, the ACCC has published a Guideline on the amendments which is available below. The Guideline summarises the changes to the Water Market Rules and Water Charge (Termination Fees) Rules and provides guidance on the steps operators should take to ensure they comply with the amended water rules.

This Guideline is part of a series of guidance material issued by the ACCC to help operators understand specific aspects of the water rules. The ACCC has also updated the Guides to the WMR and WCTFR, both will be made available online shortly.