Legislative Reform
The Minister for Water Resources is responsible for the conservation, protection and management of water resources through the Department of Water, which has assumed the functions and role of the Water and Rivers Commission. The Government is committed to substantial reform within the water industry, including wide-ranging legislative changes.
The new Water Resources portfolio and the establishment of the Department of Water as the lead portfolio agency have provided a focus for the sustainable management of water within the State.
The first phase of the reform process involves legislative changes necessary to support these administrative and institutional reforms. To this end, the Water Resources Legislation Amendment Bill 2006 was introduced into Parliament on 17 May 2006.
The second phase of reform will consist of more wide-ranging legislative reform to modernise and consolidate water resource management legislation and water services legislation.
