Policy and reform in the area of urban water
COAG work program on urban water reforms
At the 29 November 2008 meeting the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to a work program on water, which includes a range of actions to progress urban water reforms.
The work program provides a renewed approach to national urban water reform and addresses key challenges in urban water. The Australian Government together with the states and territories is progressing the urban water actions within the work program.
Progress to date
National Urban Water Planning Principles
The Council of Australian Governments has adopted the National Urban Water Planning Principles.
The Principles provide Australian governments and water utilities with the tools to better plan the development of urban water and wastewater service delivery in a sustainable and economically efficient manner. Proper planning will facilitate a balance in supply and demand and build community confidence in diverse sources of water supply.
National Water Initiative (NWI) pricing principles
The Australian Government, in collaboration with state and territory governments, is seeking comments on the National Water Initiative (NWI) pricing principles and the consultation regulation impact statement for the NWI pricing principles.
The NWI pricing principles have been drafted to provide a set of guidelines or road map for pricing practices and to assist jurisdictions to implement the NWI water pricing commitments in a consistent way.
The NWI pricing principles are comprised of four sets of principles, covering:
- recovery of capital expenditure
- setting urban water tariffs
- cost recovery for water planning and management activities
- pricing for recycled water and stormwater reuse.
Centres of excellence in desalination and water recycling
Hosts for a Centre of Excellence in Desalination in Perth and a Centre of Excellence in Water Recycling in Brisbane have been announced. The Australian Government is providing $20 million in funding for each centre over five years.
National clearing house for urban water
The proposal to establish a national clearing house to facilitate best practice urban water management was investigated by the Australian Government and state and territory governments. The investigation found that information sharing mechanisms are already in place and are facilitating best practice within the urban water industry. Websites run by governments, industry associations and research organisations provide extensive information on urban water management.
A national system for reporting urban water consumption
The Australian Government and state and territory governments considered the proposal for a national system for reporting urban water consumption. The investigation found that work being undertaken by the Bureau of Meteorology and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, combined with other mechanisms including the Water Efficiency Opportunities program will provide data on urban water use.
History of urban water reform
National Water Initiative (2004)
The National Water Initiative is Australia's blueprint for water reform and represents a shared commitment by governments to increase the efficiency of Australia's water use, leading to greater certainty for investment and productivity, for rural and urban communities, and for the environment.
The National Water Initiative was signed at the 25 June 2004 Council of Australian Governments meeting. The Tasmanian Government joined the Agreement in June 2005 and the Western Australia Government joined in April 2006. The National Water Initiative aims to achieve the following outcomes:
- provide healthy, safe and reliable water supplies
- increase water use efficiency in domestic and commercial settings
- encourage the re-use and recycling of wastewater where cost effective
- facilitate water trading between and within the urban and rural sectors
- encourage innovation in water supply sourcing, treatment, storage and discharge
- achieve improved pricing for metropolitan water
COAG Water Reform Framework (1994)
Water reform in the urban sector was a significant element of the 1994 Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Water Reform Framework. Reforms such as the introduction of two-part tariffs in which users pay a delivery charge as well as a charge for the amount of water used has encouraged more efficient and significantly lower water use per person in urban areas.
See also
Key
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