Call for submissions on review of Australian water reform

The National Water Commission has released a discussion paper as the first stage of its 2011 Biennial Assessment of water reform in Australia. The discussion paper invites stakeholders and other interested parties to make a submission to assessment process. The assessment will report on recent progress in implementing the National Water Initiative (NWI), and will comprehensively review the NWI including the extent to which it has improved the sustainable management of Australian water resources, contributed to the national interest, and had an impact on regional, rural and urban communities.

The Intergovernmental Agreement on a National Water Initiative (NWI), established in 2004, sets out objectives, outcomes and agreed actions to be undertaken by governments. These actions work to improve the management of Australia's water resources.

The NWI requires the National Water Commission to make biennial assessments of progress in the implementation of the NWI. Two assessments have already been undertaken in 2007 and 2009. The objectives of the biennial assessments are to:

report to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) on progress of implementation of the NWI
advise COAG on matters to better realise the objectives and outcomes of the NWI.

For the 2011 biennial assessment, the NWI also requires the National Water Commission to comprehensively review the NWI and assess:

the extent to which actions under the NWI have improved the sustainable management of Australian water resources and have contributed to the national interest
the impact of the implementation of the NWI on regional, rural and urban communities.

The newly released discussion paper invites stakeholders and other interested parties to make a submission to the 2011 biennial assessment.

The paper gives the background to the biennial assessment and provides guidance on how to make a submission. Issues are presented generically, but submissions addressing specific examples would be most welcome. The Commission also welcomes submissions that raise issues beyond those identified in this paper.

The Commission will use public submissions provided by stakeholders and other interested parties to inform the assessment of implementation of the NWI.

The 2011 Biennial Assessment is due to be released in mid-2011.