WA to consolidate six water Acts into one

The Western Australian Government has announced the drafting of the Water Resources Management Bill, claimed by Water Minister Mia Davies to deliver the most significant change to the state’s water management framework in more than 100 years.

Davies stated that WA’s current laws are “not sufficient to manage water resources in the 21st century”. The new legislation, which will replace six water Acts with one, will be “simpler to understand and easier to administer”, according to the minister.

The Water Resources Management Act comes after consultation with major water users and advisory groups, and learnings from water reform activities in other states. It has been welcomed by the Australian Water Association (AWA), which believes the Act is vital to ensure the effective management of water resources in WA in the 21st century.

AWA CEO Jonathan McKeown said the new Act should establish a legislative basis for implementing the key aspects of the National Water Initiative in WA, while recognising the differences between WA’s water resources and maintaining the flexibility within local climactic conditions. He said the association looks forward to collaborating with Davies, the Department of Water and industry stakeholders to see the legislation come to fruition.