Australian Water Summit22 February 2006 - Melbourne: Australian Water Summit 22 February 2006 - Melbourne Ken Matthews Chairman and CEO National Water Commission


Outline: How does the NWI work? What’s happened since signature of the NWI? Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund Seven doubtful claims about water management Work priorities for the NWC in 2006 Two challenges for modern water management water accounting improved environmental water management Outline


Outline: How does the NWI work? What’s happened since signature of the NWI? Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund Seven doubtful claims about water management Work priorities for the NWC in 2006 Two challenges for modern water management water accounting improved environmental water management Outline


How does the NWI work?: How does the NWI work? NWI drafted NWI signed NWC accredits Plans NWI Parties prepare Implementation Plans NWC established NCP signatories prepare NCP submissions NWC assesses progress against NCP commitments NWC reports to Australian Government Parties implement NWI commitments NWC reports to COAG NWC assesses parties’ implementation


How are NWI commitments being delivered?: State-specific commitments Commitments applicable to some parties (eg Southern MDB States) Commitments requiring a common or national approach (eg compatible water registries) Obligations on NWC (eg to monitor impacts of interstate trade) How are NWI commitments being delivered? States and Territories Groups of relevant states NRM Ministerial Council NWC


Outline: How does the NWI work? What’s happened since signature of the NWI? Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund Seven doubtful claims about water management Work priorities for the NWC in 2006 Two challenges for modern water management water accounting improved environmental water management Outline


What’s happened since signature of the NWI?: What’s happened since signature of the NWI? Jun 2004 Mar Aug 2004 Oct 2004 Dec 2004 Feb 2005 Apr 2005 Jun 2005 Aug 2005 Dec 2005 Oct 2005 Feb 2006 NWI signed at COAG 9 Oct – Federal Election 10 Mar – NWC Commissioners announced States commence preparing NWI Implementation Plans 2 Jun – Tasmania signs NWI States commence submissions for NCP assessment NWI workplan endorsed by Natural Resources Ministers NWC advice to Australian Government on NCP assessment WA commits to sign NWI


What’s happened since signature of the NWI?: 17 Dec – Commencement of the NWC Act 24 Jun – First Victorian WSA projects announced by PM - NCP Water Reform Assessment Framework released 7 Oct – First South Australian WSA projects announced by PM 28 Oct – Further Qld WSA projects announced by PM 4 Nov – First Tasmanian WSA project announced 9 Jun – First NSW WSA project announced by PM - Guidance on NWI Implementation Plans released 19 Apr – Guidelines released and applications invited for WSA programme 22 Mar – First meeting of NWC Commission Design of Raising National Water Standards Programme approved by PM 19 May – First 3 WSA projects announced by Prime Minister in Queensland - Tender awarded for NWI Baseline Assessment of Australia’s water resources 10 Mar – Appointment of NWC Commissioners What’s happened since signature of the NWI? 4 May – Commission Meeting 02/05 8 June – Commission Meeting 03/05 6 July – Commission Meeting 04/05 4 August – Commission Meeting 05/05 31 August – Commission Meeting 06/05 6 October – Commission Meeting 07/05 3 November – Commission Meeting 08/05 7 December – Commission Meeting 09/05


Outline: How does the NWI work? What’s happened since signature of the NWI? Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund Seven doubtful claims about water management Work priorities for the NWC in 2006 Two challenges for modern water management water accounting improved environmental water management Outline


Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund: Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund Water Smart Australia No. of projects approved to date 12 $ value of projects approved $866 million AGWF contribution $364 million


Slide11: Water Smart Australia – some feature projects Macalister Irrigation District Mackay Wastewater Recycling Plant Gold Coast Pressure Reduction Mt Lofty Ranges Sustainable Water Resource Management Tasmanian Catchment Planning Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund … continued


Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund … continued: Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund … continued Raising National Water Standards Programme Purpose: practical assistance to improve water management in Australia Principles: advance water reform and the NWI national activities leadership from Australian Government leadership from NWC co-funding requirement


RNWS Strategic Investment Areas: Implementing the National Water Initiative Water accounting: investments in national systems, practices and standards for data collection, metering, monitoring and accounting of water, including hydrological modelling Emerging water markets: investments to improve the specification, registration and trading of titles, water pricing and service provision in water markets Water planning and management: investments to achieve more effective planning and management on the ground, including greater involvement by the community in water planning in rural / regional and metropolitan areas RNWS Strategic Investment Areas


RNWS Strategic Investment Areas…continued: 2. Improving Integrated Water Management across Australia Irrigation and other rural water: investments to achieve more effective and efficient management of irrigation water, including irrigation system water and on-farm water, and other rural water Water-dependent ecosystems: investments to achieve more effective and efficient management of environmental water, including the conservation of high value water ecosystems Integrated urban water management: investments to achieve more effective and efficient approaches to urban water demand management and supply planning, including water sensitive urban design RNWS Strategic Investment Areas …continued


RNWS Strategic Investment Areas…continued: 3. Improving Knowledge and Understanding of Australia’s water resources Groundwater: investments to improve understanding and management of groundwater resources and their connectivity with surface water Northern rivers: investments to improve understanding and management of Northern tropical rivers National assessment of water resources: investments to improve understanding of water resources across Australia and increase national capacity to assess the use, availability and state of these resources over time RNWS Strategic Investment Areas …continued


Outline: How does the NWI work? What’s happened since signature of the NWI? Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund Seven doubtful claims about water management Work priorities for the NWC in 2006 Two challenges for modern water management water accounting improved environmental water management Outline


Seven Doubtful Claims about Water Management in Australia: That recycled sewage will never be acceptable for potable use in Australia That additional urban water supplies should not be sourced through market purchases from irrigators That additional water for the environment should be sourced from the market only after all alternatives have been exhausted That urban water use restrictions introduced during the drought should continue indefinitely into the future That any water not abstracted for consumptive use is necessarily doing good to the environment That uniform water quality and pricing should be maintained across all urban water users including industrial users That water and sewerage are natural monopolies and should therefore be provided by governments Seven Doubtful Claims about Water Management in Australia Propositions for discussion only. These ideas merit thorough public debate.


Private Sector Involvement: Need to build the private sector into the water sector Need to build water into the infrastructure debate No fundamental reason why water should be a governments-only domain AGWF can leverage private sector funds into new projects Private Sector Involvement


Outline: How does the NWI work? What’s happened since signature of the NWI? Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund Seven doubtful claims about water management Work priorities for the NWC in 2006 Two challenges for modern water management water accounting improved environmental water management Outline


Work Priorities for the NWC in 2006: Establish nationally compatible national water accounting systems Further clarification of water access entitlements, including nationally consistent and clearer entitlements for urban and rural water Support the operation of effective water markets and across jurisdictions Sponsor a clear shared understanding across Australia of sustainable levels of water extraction and sustainable water management Further enhance the irrigation industry’s efficiency and sustainability Develop nationally consistent approaches to urban water resource planning and management that Provide for effective community engagement Include robust assessment of options to expand water supplies Encourage recycling and reuse of water, including improving community understanding of water reuse options Work Priorities for the NWC in 2006


Outline: How does the NWI work? What’s happened since signature of the NWI? Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund Seven doubtful claims about water management Work priorities for the NWC in 2006 Two challenges for modern water management water accounting improved environmental water management Outline


Challenges for modern water management: Water Accounting Clear and accurate water accounting is central to knowing how much water there is, where it is, what it is being used for and who is using it Adequate measurement, monitoring and reporting systems to support public and investor confidence in water information Vitally important to make decisions to use the resource in a sustainable way Challenges for modern water management


Challenges for modern water management: Water Accounting …continued NWI focus on: developing architecture for national water accounting systems closing gaps in measurement and accounting systems and improving accuracy improved information sharing and reporting arrangements Achieved through projects (led by the NWI Committee): benchmarking water providers’ accounting and registry systems to identify best practice applying national accounting and reporting standards applying national metering and measurement standards developing nationally consistent approaches to the collection water-related data Challenges for modern water management


Outline: How does the NWI work? What’s happened since signature of the NWI? Progress with the Australian Government Water Fund Seven doubtful claims about water management Work priorities for the NWC in 2006 Two challenges for modern water management water accounting improved environmental water management Outline


Slide25: Need to return over-allocated water systems to environmentally sustainable levels of extraction. Need to be clear and specific about desired environmental outcomes and provide statutory protection for them. Need to establish and equip environmental water managers to pursue the environmental outcomes. Need to enable environmental water managers to participate alongside other water users in regional water planning processes. What does the NWI seek in the area of environmental water use?


Slide26: Need to make environmental managers accountable for their use of water: including annual reporting on the rules for environmental water use, the volumes of environmental water used, and the achievement of the environmental outcomes originally set. Need to utilise the full range of available measures to deliver water for environmental purposes: including selecting among alternative measures on the basis of cost effectiveness. Need to identify water systems of unusually high conservation value and manage them to protect those values. What does the NWI seek in the area of environmental water use? ...continued


Slide27: Planning Regulation Markets How can we best advance these goals?


Slide28: Planning Regulation Markets How can we best advance these goals?


Slide29: How can we best advance these goals?


Summary: How does the NWI work What’s happened so far Some future issues Dealing with water accounting environment Summary