Draft water market rules and advice to the minister on the draft water market rules

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has released its draft water market rules and its advice to the Minister for Climate Change and Water on the draft water market rules for public consultation. The minister has requested final advice from the ACCC by December 2008, consistent with s. 98(2) of the Water Act 2007.

The purpose of the water market rules is to free up the trade of water access rights within the Murray-Darling Basin. The rules will ensure that policies or administrative requirements of irrigation infrastructure operators holding a group water access entitlement on behalf of their member irrigators do not prevent or unreasonably delay trade.