New South Wales Consolidated Regulations

WATER SHARING PLAN FOR THE NSW GREAT ARTESIAN BASIN GROUNDWATER SOURCES 2008 - REG 27

27 Changes to total share components

(1) After the first year of this Plan the share component of each aquifer access licence in the Eastern Recharge and Southern Recharge Groundwater Sources may be reduced in accordance with a process to be determined by the Minister and specified in the Implementation Program for the Plan, to ensure that the total share component of all access licences excluding supplementary water access licences in those groundwater source is equal to:

(a) the net recharge specified in clause 12 (2) for each groundwater source,

(b) minus the amount of net recharge reserved for the environment specified in clause 15 (1) for each groundwater source,

(c) minus basic landholder rights requirements for each groundwater source.

(2) Those aquifer access licence holders who have their share component reduced under subclause (1) will be granted a supplementary water access licence with a share component equal to the difference between their aquifer access licence share component and their history of extraction that existed prior to the commencement of this Plan as determined by the Minister.

(3) The share component of each supplementary water access licence in the Eastern and Southern Recharge Groundwater Sources will be reduced to 0ML/yr after year 9 of this Plan and no.

(4) The share component of each domestic and stock (conveyance) access licence in the Surat, Warrego and Central Groundwater Sources will be reduced to 0 ML/yr after completion of the capping and piping of the approved work, which is nominated on the licence.

(5) If reductions are required to share components of aquifer access licences under subclause (2) the Minister should establish a committee, which will include:

(a) representatives from the Great Artesian Basin Advisory Group and water utilities, and

(b) representatives of the irrigation and other industry and domestic and stock rights groundwater users in each water source in which share component reductions are required,

to advise on the process for share component reduction having regard to the requirements of subclause (8).

(6) In determining the process for entitlement reduction under subclause (1) the Minister should consider the advice of the committee established under subclause (6).

(7) The share component reduction process established under subclause (1) should recognise:

(a) water dependent investment made by licence holders prior to 1 July 2007, and

(b) that all groundwater entitlements, whether or not they have been used to extract water, have a value.

Note: When domestic and stock (conveyance) access licences have their share component reduced to 0 ML/yr they may be cancelled under the Act on the basis that the purpose for which the licence no longer exists. All supplementary licences will be cancelled after year 9 of this Plan as the Plan will at that point cease to make provision for the extraction of water under these access licences.