WATER SHARING PLAN FOR THE NSW BORDER RIVERS REGULATED RIVER WATER SOURCE 2009 - APPENDIX 3
WATER SHARING PLAN FOR THE NSW BORDER RIVERS REGULATED RIVER WATER SOURCE 2009 - APPENDIX 3
Appendix 3
STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
FOR AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN
NEW SOUTH WALES AND QUEENSLAND
FOR WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE BORDER RIVERS
The Border Catchments Ministerial Forum agrees that an Intergovernmental Agreement based on the following principles will ensure that the Border Rivers catchment will be managed sustainably for its environmental, social, cultural and economic values.
| 1. Whole-of-Catchment Approach | The states will manage all aspects of water and related natural resource activities on a water catchment basis so as to balance water resource use and protection of ecosystems. |
| 2. State Cooperation | The states will recognise the Border Rivers as a special case and customise their individual policies to meet its unique requirements. |
| The states' agencies will ensure that policies and legislation pertaining to the Border Rivers are not in conflict. | |
| The management of the Border Rivers will take into account each state's commitment to the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement. | |
| 3. Community Support | Proposals to put to the wider community will be developed by government in partnership with stakeholders. |
| The states will engage the community to seek community understanding, support and ownership of the Agreement. | |
| 4. Environmental Protection | Agreed-upon environmental outcomes will enhance and sustain identified environmental values. These outcomes will be protected against impact from increases in water use. |
| The states will develop coordinated joint access management rules for the common streams and will ensure rules on other streams will support the agreement outcomes. | |
| 5. Water Sharing and Access | Water sharing arrangements between the states will recognise the current water sharing arrangements. Access to water entitlements will be in accordance with the states' planning and legislative frameworks. |
| Management of access by water users in one state will not impact on the allowed access by water users in the other state. | |
| 6. Accounting | The states will implement transparent and freely available accounting procedures, consistent with trading rules. |
| All current and future water entitlements within the entire catchment will be accounted for on a volumetric basis to meet the agreed environmental and water use targets. | |
| 7. Interstate Trading | The states will establish systems for interstate trading of water to allow water to move to its highest value use, while ensuring minimal impact on other users and on the environment. |
| 8. Monitoring | The states will establish an integrated cost-effective monitoring and measurement program to support the ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of the Agreement. |
| 9. Management Review | An adaptive and transparent approach will be used for extraction and environmental flow management, and this will include regular formal reviews. |
| Management responses will be tailored to the issues identified by the monitoring program. | |
| 10. Auditing and Reporting | Data, analysis and policy information will be openly exchanged between the states and the community. |
| All usage and compliance with management rules will be subject to regular reporting and auditing. |