❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice from 2009 raises concerns about the Department of Water's compliance monitoring of water licenses, following an Auditor General's report highlighting inadequacies. The questions seek information on actions taken to improve compliance, proactive monitoring programs, recordkeeping, and trends in license numbers and compliance surveys.
AnsweredQoN 914Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the recent Auditor General’s report, Public Sector Performance - April 2009: Management of Water Resources, and in particular the findings regarding inadequacies in compliance monitoring in Western Australia (pp.17-18), and ask -
(1) What immediate and long-term actions has the Government taken to ensure the Department of Water, across all regions, systemises its approach to water license compliance monitoring?
(2) Given the Auditor General’s previous findings in 2003, which were reiterated in the 2009 report, what programs of proactive compliance monitoring will the Department of Water introduce statewide, across all water management areas?
(3) Will the Government now immediately introduce a statewide standardised, transparent, accountable and publicly viewable system of recordkeeping of compliance monitoring activities, follow-up actions and outcomes?
(4) How many water allocation licences issued under the
Rights in Water and Irrigation Act
, and for what volume of water, were current at the end of each year, -
(a) 2003-04;
(b) 2004-05;
(c) 2005-06;
(d) 2006-07;
(e) 2007-08; and
(f) 2008-09?
(5) How many licences issued under the
Rights in Water and Irrigation Act
, and for what volume of water, were subject to compliance surveys for each year, -
(a) 2003-04;
(b) 2004-05;
(c) 2005-06;
(d) 2006-07;
(e) 2007-08; and
(f) 2008-09?
(6) The Auditor-General found the level of Department of Water compliance monitoring activity has declined, what has the Government done to turn this disturbing trend around, and what assurances can the Minister give regarding future department compliance monitoring activity?
(1) What immediate and long-term actions has the Government taken to ensure the Department of Water, across all regions, systemises its approach to water license compliance monitoring?
(2) Given the Auditor General’s previous findings in 2003, which were reiterated in the 2009 report, what programs of proactive compliance monitoring will the Department of Water introduce statewide, across all water management areas?
(3) Will the Government now immediately introduce a statewide standardised, transparent, accountable and publicly viewable system of recordkeeping of compliance monitoring activities, follow-up actions and outcomes?
(4) How many water allocation licences issued under the
Rights in Water and Irrigation Act
, and for what volume of water, were current at the end of each year, -
(a) 2003-04;
(b) 2004-05;
(c) 2005-06;
(d) 2006-07;
(e) 2007-08; and
(f) 2008-09?
(5) How many licences issued under the
Rights in Water and Irrigation Act
, and for what volume of water, were subject to compliance surveys for each year, -
(a) 2003-04;
(b) 2004-05;
(c) 2005-06;
(d) 2006-07;
(e) 2007-08; and
(f) 2008-09?
(6) The Auditor-General found the level of Department of Water compliance monitoring activity has declined, what has the Government done to turn this disturbing trend around, and what assurances can the Minister give regarding future department compliance monitoring activity?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
9 September 2009
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister for Water
Response time
78 days
The Department of Water has provided the following response:
(1) The Department of Water (DoW) is implementing process improvements to improve our compliance monitoring.
(2) As part of its continuous improvement process to enhance compliance issues, the DoW has developed a performance indicator to measure proactive compliance monitoring with the target of spending not less than 10% of the resources allocated to the licensing function.
(3) No, but this information is captured in the DoW's complaints management system and the water licensing database.
(4) The data below indicates the number of inforce licences at the end of each year, generally with a annual water entitlement greater that 1500 kilolitres per annum:
(a) 2003-2004 - 25,652 licences
(b) 2004-2005 - 19,297 licences
(c) 2005-2006 - 17,589 licences
(d) 2006-2007 - 17,435 licences
(e) 2007-2008 -13,829 licences
(f) 2008-2009 - 13,792 licences
Note
: The decline in licence numbers can be attributed to a number of licences issued under the
Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Act 1909
being cancelled in 2005, the introduction of the Rights in Water and Irrigation Exemption and Repeal (Section 26C) Order 2007 and the amalgamation of a number licences.
(5) The data below indicates the number of licences that were subject to compliance surveys for each year, and generally for those licences with a water entitlement greater than 50,000 kilolitres per annum:
(a) 2003-2004 - 1254 compliance surveys
(b) 2004-2005 - 1173 compliance surveys
(c) 2005-2006 - 715 compliance surveys
(d) 2006-2007 - 577 compliance surveys
(e) 2007-2008 - 500 compliance surveys
(f) 2008-2009 - 428 compliance surveys
(6) Please refer to the response given for question 2.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
(1) The Department of Water (DoW) is implementing process improvements to improve our compliance monitoring.
(2) As part of its continuous improvement process to enhance compliance issues, the DoW has developed a performance indicator to measure proactive compliance monitoring with the target of spending not less than 10% of the resources allocated to the licensing function.
(3) No, but this information is captured in the DoW's complaints management system and the water licensing database.
(4) The data below indicates the number of inforce licences at the end of each year, generally with a annual water entitlement greater that 1500 kilolitres per annum:
(a) 2003-2004 - 25,652 licences
(b) 2004-2005 - 19,297 licences
(c) 2005-2006 - 17,589 licences
(d) 2006-2007 - 17,435 licences
(e) 2007-2008 -13,829 licences
(f) 2008-2009 - 13,792 licences
Note
: The decline in licence numbers can be attributed to a number of licences issued under the
Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Act 1909
being cancelled in 2005, the introduction of the Rights in Water and Irrigation Exemption and Repeal (Section 26C) Order 2007 and the amalgamation of a number licences.
(5) The data below indicates the number of licences that were subject to compliance surveys for each year, and generally for those licences with a water entitlement greater than 50,000 kilolitres per annum:
(a) 2003-2004 - 1254 compliance surveys
(b) 2004-2005 - 1173 compliance surveys
(c) 2005-2006 - 715 compliance surveys
(d) 2006-2007 - 577 compliance surveys
(e) 2007-2008 - 500 compliance surveys
(f) 2008-2009 - 428 compliance surveys
(6) Please refer to the response given for question 2.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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