Water resource compliance
The department is responsible, under the Water Act 2000, for sustainable management of Queensland’s water resources and for ensuring the rights of all water users are protected.
To protect these rights the department helps water users comply with the law and minimise the unlawful take or use of water, using a targeted and transparent approach for compliance activities.
The department is undertaking research to understand better why some people do the right thing and others don’t - the drivers and the barriers for complying with water resource regulations and entitlement conditions.
The department is also ensuring it has the right tools and officers to educate water users, to monitor water take effectively, and to ensure compliance with water resource regulations.
A best-practice education program is being implemented and we have increased the numbers of regional officers responsible for monitoring and assessing people’s compliance with the Water Act 2000.
To focus our compliance efforts in the right areas, water resources across the state have been assessed and categorised for risk. Monitoring levels will be greater in areas where the pressure on the water resource is the greatest.
Queensland legislation will be assessed and amended where needed, to support nationally consistent best practice compliance, and to ensure water resources laws are consistent with Queensland’s wider environment and natural resource management laws.
The department will assess and update, if necessary, the procedures, policies and training to support its water compliance activities.
We will publish annual compliance statistics, and compliance strategies and plans.
This approach is consistent with the Council of Australian Governments’ National Framework for Compliance and Enforcement Systems for Water Resource Management, which Queensland has signed .
Queensland’s implementation will further secure water entitlements, and help Queensland prevent and respond to illegal activities, such as the unlawful take of rural water.
Statistics of offences under the Water Act 2000
- Statistical compliance report 2010-11 (PDF, 61K)*
* Requires Adobe Reader
Last updated 12 March 2012