Development of advice on water charge rules—water planning & management

On 16 July 2010, the Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water (the minister) signed the Water Charge (Planning and Management Information) Rules under the Water Act 2007 (the Water Act). These rules commenced on 24 July 2010.

The rules relate to water planning and management charges in the Murray-Darling Basin, and require information on these charges to be published.

These rules will contribute to achieving the Basin water charging objectives and principles in the Water Act. The rules will require that wherever a Basin government or agency sets a charge to recover the costs of water planning and management activities, the government or agency must:

• publish detailed information about the charge, and
• disclose the process and basis for setting the charge.

The rules were made based on advice from the ACCC. The minister amended the draft rules prepared by the ACCC to allow for an extension to the transitional period during which governments and agencies will prepare material to comply with these rules. From 1 July 2011 government entities that determine water planning and management charges will need to publish information in accordance with the requirements of these rules.

The ACCC has released a guide to these rules. This can be accessed below.

Development of ACCC advice

In December 2007, the minister wrote to the ACCC requesting advice on the water charge rules relating to water planning and management charges, as required under s.93(1) of the Water Act 2007.

The ACCC engaged in extensive stakeholder consultation in formulating its advice. It released a series of consultation documents including an issues paper, a position paper and the draft advice, including draft rules. Copies of the issues paper, the position paper and draft advice are available below.

In total the ACCC received 34 submissions in the course of its consultation process. The ACCC also met with stakeholders, including all jurisdictional governments in the Murray-Darling Basin. In preparing its advice on the water planning and management charge rules the ACCC considered and assessed matters raised by stakeholders during consultation.

Public submissions