The ACCC has released guides that provide information about the water market rules and the various water charge rules. The ACCC has also released a series of guidelines on specific aspects of the water market rules and water charge rules. The guidance materials on this page address the compliance requirements for operators under each set of rules.
Please note that while these guides were developed to assist you to understand your obligations under the rules, they do not constitute legal advice.
This technical guide provides compliance information to operators on the water market rules and information that may be useful for drafting water delivery contracts.
Where can I find more information about these rules?
The ACCC guides are not intended to subsitute reading the rules or obtaining legal advice. Copies of the rules and explanatory statements can be accessed through the link below.
The fair trading provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (the CCA) and similar state / territory legislation state that businesses and individuals—including irrigation infrastructure operators—must not:
engage in misleading or deceptive conduct
make false or misleading representations
accept payment if they are unable to deliver
engage in unconscionable conduct
use harassment or coercion.
In some situations, the CCA also gives customers certain warranties about the quality of services offered by irrigation infrastrucutre operators. For more information on these situations and the fair trading requriments of the CCA see the 'for businesses' section of the ACCC website.
Periodically the minister may request advice from the ACCC on amendments to the Water Act or the water market rules and water charge rules. In preparing this advice, the ACCC will seek public submissions from operators and other interested stakeholders. Click on the text below to see the current projects for which the ACCC is seeking public submissions.
The ACCC has responsibility for monitoring compliance of the water market rules and the water charge rules. This section sets out the monitoring arrangements for operators as well as providing the information generated through this process.
ACCC policy advice on water market rules and water charge rules
Under the Water Act, the ACCC was required to prepare advice for the minister (currently the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) on water market rules and water charge rules now in force. Further information on the ACCC's final advices to the minister can be accessed on the link below.
Level 35, The Tower
360 Elizabeth Street
Melbourne Central
Melbourne VIC 3000
Postal address
GPO Box 520
Melbourne VIC 3001
Phone and fax
Ph: (03) 9290 1800
Fax: (03) 9290 3699
If you would like to be placed on the distribution list to receive updates on developments in this area, please send your email contact details to: water@accc.gov.au
