COAG Communique on Water Reform

The Council of Australian Governments (or COAG) held its 28th meeting in Brisbane on 7th December, 2009. Among the issues considered by the Council, the progress of water reform was discussed, particularly in light of the National Water Commission's Biennial review. COAG is the peak intergovernmental forum in Australia.

COAG comprises the Prime Minister, State Premiers, Territory Chief Ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). The then Prime Minister, Premiers and Chief Ministers agreed to establish COAG in May 1992. It first met in December 1992. The Prime Minister chairs COAG. The role of COAG is to initiate, develop and monitor the implementation of policy reforms that are of national significance and which require cooperative action by Australian governments, including water reform.

On Water Reform

COAG agreed to redouble its efforts to accelerate the pace of reform under the National Water Initiative (NWI). It further committed to:

completing NWI consistent water-sharing plans for all significant water resources;
a National Framework for Non-urban Water Metering to improve the accuracy of water metering;
a National Water Skills Strategy to address skills shortages in the water industry; and
the in-principle endorsement of a National Framework for Water Compliance and Enforcement to combat water theft.

The National Framework for Water Compliance and Enforcement will respond to the real threat to the recovery of water and the integrity of water trading posed by water theft. The Framework will form the basis for implementation plans developed in each State guided by the principle of cost-effective regulation. The plans and the final Framework will be considered by COAG in mid-2010. The Commonwealth has committed $60 million to improve water compliance and enforcement activities nationally. COAG has also tasked the Water Reform Committee to provide advice to it in 2010 on addressing the main findings of the National Water Commission’s Second Biennial Assessment of Progress in Implementation of the National Water Initiative report. As a priority the Committee will focus on measures to achieve:

an end to all over-allocation and overuse;
improved environmental conditions and management of water for the environment;
the removal of barriers to water trade; and
better engagement with communities and other key stakeholders on the implementation of water reforms.

COAG welcomed recent progress under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Murray-Darling Basin Reform (IGA), which committed governments to a new culture and practice of Basin-wide management and planning through new governance structures and partnerships. Commonwealth State Water Management Partnership Agreements have been, or are about to be completed shortly, while early work on critical infrastructure projects is underway in each State. COAG also affirmed State commitments to deliver all business cases for priority infrastructure projects under the IGA, including timeframes for their commencement and completion, by June 2010. Read the full COAG Communique here...