Northern Territory Water Regulatory Reform: Trading Licensed Water Entitlements

The Minister for Environment and Natural Resources released the Northern Territory Water Regulatory Reform Directions Paper in October. This was also made available via the Have Your Say website with comments closing at the end of March 2019.

The Directions Paper indicated that a trade policy would be the subject of public consultation in the early stages of the water regulatory reform program.

Trade of water entitlements is a key tenet of the National Water Initiative and is recognised internationally as an effective means to move water resources to higher-value uses and to provide for water-dependent development to occur in systems that are otherwise fully allocated. Trading of licensed water entitlements promotes a more efficient use of water entitlements by allowing licence holders to trade water that they do not intend to use. Trading is currently possible in water allocation plan areas.

As trading guidelines are established by water allocation plans and demand and competition for water resources increases, the demand for trade will increase.

To facilitate the operation and establishment of an efficient water trading system, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has drafted a trade policy in accordance with the current Water Act 1992 and the proposed Water Legislation Miscellaneous Amendments Bill 2019 introduced into the Legislative Assembly in March 2019. A draft trade application form has also been prepared by the department for review.

Under the Northern Territory Government’s water regulatory reform process which is going to be progressed with community and industry input, there could be further changes to the Water Act 1992 to enhance water trading opportunities in the future.

The department has identified a number of discussion points relating to water trading that might be considered in developing a water licence trading environment for the future. The department is interested in your feedback on these discussion points. Responses to the discussion points and any other issues raised by respondents will help guide development of future water trading policy and identify how the Water Act 1992 may be reformed to better reflect the needs and wishes of the community, industry, licence holders and the environment.

Contributions to this consultation are now closed for evaluation and review.