Under s 157(4)(b) of the Water Act 1989 (Vic), a water authority seeking to reduce its proportionate liability must plead and prove the legal liability of other parties for the same loss; it is not sufficient to allege that other parties or natural causes factually contributed to the loss. The word 'responsibility' in s 157(4)(b) connotes legal liability, not mere factual causation. Natural causes cannot be relied upon under s 157(4)(b) to reduce the authority's liability, though they may be relevant to the anterior question of liability under s 157(1).
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