❓ A WA parliamentary question probes the Minister about the estimated costs ($130-200 million) of Western Australia signing up to the National Water Initiative (NWI) and the specific actions required. The Minister's response details the potential impact of redirected federal funding and outlines the major work involved in the NWI.
AnsweredQoN 3037Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) As reported in the latest newsletter of the Australian Water Association (AWA), did the Minister advise a recent lunch meeting of AWA members that ‘we conservatively estimated that it would cost $130 million over ten years to meet the Commonwealth’s time frames’ if Western Australia had signed up to the National Water Initiative (NWI)?
(2) If yes, exactly what actions costing $130 million would the State have been required to undertake if Western Australia had signed up to the NWI?
(2) If yes, exactly what actions costing $130 million would the State have been required to undertake if Western Australia had signed up to the NWI?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
11 November 2004
Responded by
Minister for the Environment
Response time
86 days
(2) The estimated cost to implement the NWI over ten years ranged from $130 million to over $200 million. The member will note that in the recent Federal Election campaign, the Prime Minister announced funding to support the National Water Initiative - but this funding was a redirection of competition policy payments the State and Territory Governments expected to receive, rather than any new funding. This decision to redirect competition policy payments was viewed by the States and Territories that had entered into the Agreement as an effective termination of the Agreement. In these circumstances I can see little prospect of the Intergovernmental Agreement being implemented. However, my Government has not waited for a national agreement to address difficult water issues, and we will continue to pursue improvements to water management in this State for the benefit of water users and the environment. Nonetheless the major work within the NWI IGA included: · upgrading water resource monitoring and assessment; · comprehensive water resource allocation planning, including setting environmental water requirements, sustainable yields and strategies to adapt to changing climate; · providing increased information to water users and the community; · consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
In these circumstances I can see little prospect of the Intergovernmental Agreement being implemented. However, my Government has not waited for a national agreement to address difficult water issues, and we will continue to pursue improvements to water management in this State for the benefit of water users and the environment. Nonetheless the major work within the NWI IGA included: · upgrading water resource monitoring and assessment; · comprehensive water resource allocation planning, including setting environmental water requirements, sustainable yields and strategies to adapt to changing climate; · providing increased information to water users and the community; · consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
Nonetheless the major work within the NWI IGA included: · upgrading water resource monitoring and assessment; · comprehensive water resource allocation planning, including setting environmental water requirements, sustainable yields and strategies to adapt to changing climate; · providing increased information to water users and the community; · consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· upgrading water resource monitoring and assessment; · comprehensive water resource allocation planning, including setting environmental water requirements, sustainable yields and strategies to adapt to changing climate; · providing increased information to water users and the community; · consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· comprehensive water resource allocation planning, including setting environmental water requirements, sustainable yields and strategies to adapt to changing climate; · providing increased information to water users and the community; · consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· providing increased information to water users and the community; · consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
In these circumstances I can see little prospect of the Intergovernmental Agreement being implemented. However, my Government has not waited for a national agreement to address difficult water issues, and we will continue to pursue improvements to water management in this State for the benefit of water users and the environment. Nonetheless the major work within the NWI IGA included: · upgrading water resource monitoring and assessment; · comprehensive water resource allocation planning, including setting environmental water requirements, sustainable yields and strategies to adapt to changing climate; · providing increased information to water users and the community; · consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
Nonetheless the major work within the NWI IGA included: · upgrading water resource monitoring and assessment; · comprehensive water resource allocation planning, including setting environmental water requirements, sustainable yields and strategies to adapt to changing climate; · providing increased information to water users and the community; · consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· upgrading water resource monitoring and assessment; · comprehensive water resource allocation planning, including setting environmental water requirements, sustainable yields and strategies to adapt to changing climate; · providing increased information to water users and the community; · consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· comprehensive water resource allocation planning, including setting environmental water requirements, sustainable yields and strategies to adapt to changing climate; · providing increased information to water users and the community; · consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· providing increased information to water users and the community; · consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· consultation and community partnership initiatives; · metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· metering water use; · upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· upgrading the water right register and transferring it to the Department of Land Information; · auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· auditing water resource use and environmental criteria; · introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· introducing water resource charges; · legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· legislative reform; and · reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
· reporting on progress to the National Water Commission.
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