❓ A member of parliament questions the introduction of a new administration fee for water bores, citing concerns about fairness and the reasons behind the charge. The minister responds by outlining the need for better water management due to a drying climate and explains that the fee applies statewide to offset administrative costs.
AnsweredQoN 339Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
WATER BORES - ADMINISTRATION FEE
I refer to the charging of an administration fee for bores. (1) What is the reason for the $200 charge, given that people have had bores for years without having incurred a charge? (2) What areas in Western Australia will be charged this so-called administration fee? (3) Will the fee apply to city areas? (4) If not, why is the government discriminating against country people? Hon KIM CHANCE
I refer to the charging of an administration fee for bores. (1) What is the reason for the $200 charge, given that people have had bores for years without having incurred a charge? (2) What areas in Western Australia will be charged this so-called administration fee? (3) Will the fee apply to city areas? (4) If not, why is the government discriminating against country people? Hon KIM CHANCE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(1) What is the reason for the $200 charge, given that people have had bores for years without having incurred a charge? (2) What areas in Western Australia will be charged this so-called administration fee? (3) Will the fee apply to city areas? (4) If not, why is the government discriminating against country people? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(2) What areas in Western Australia will be charged this so-called administration fee? (3) Will the fee apply to city areas? (4) If not, why is the government discriminating against country people? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(3) Will the fee apply to city areas? (4) If not, why is the government discriminating against country people? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(4) If not, why is the government discriminating against country people? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(4) Not applicable.
(1) What is the reason for the $200 charge, given that people have had bores for years without having incurred a charge? (2) What areas in Western Australia will be charged this so-called administration fee? (3) Will the fee apply to city areas? (4) If not, why is the government discriminating against country people? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(2) What areas in Western Australia will be charged this so-called administration fee? (3) Will the fee apply to city areas? (4) If not, why is the government discriminating against country people? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(3) Will the fee apply to city areas? (4) If not, why is the government discriminating against country people? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(4) If not, why is the government discriminating against country people? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
I thank Hon Robyn McSweeney for some notice of this question. (1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(1) Western Australia is experiencing a drying climate, which has required us to become more focused on how we use water. We must ensure greater security for those whose businesses are reliant on water. New major water policies and administrative arrangements are being put in place to give security of supply to those people who rely on water for their businesses. One aspect of these reforms is the introduction of water licence administration fees, which the Western Australian government announced in early 2007. This fee will offset the Department of Water’s licence administration costs and will apply from 1 July 2007. The annual fee structure was determined from the amount of effort to administer licences with different water entitlements. It is more complex and time consuming to manage a water licence that has a large water entitlement than it is to manage a smaller one, and the range of fees reflects that. The range of processes applied in administering a water licence, which includes checking compliance with licence conditions, maintaining licence databases, managing appeals and community awareness, is complex and exhaustive. These functions directly relate to the creation and protection of water users’ valuable entitlements. (2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(2)-(3) All people with water licences, whether they are in the city or country, pay an application fee for that licence and an annual administration fee depending on the volume that the licence entitles. (4) Not applicable.
(4) Not applicable.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.