Water Management Act 2000

The Governor may, by order published in the Gazette, establish a State Water Management Outcomes Plan for the development, conservation, management and control of the State’s water resources in furtherance of the objects of this Act.

The objects of a State Water Management Outcomes Plan are as follows—

to set the over-arching policy context, targets and strategic outcomes for the management of the State’s water sources, having regard to—

relevant environmental, social and economic considerations, and

the results of any relevant monitoring programs,

to promote the water management principles established by this Act,

to give effect to any State government policy statement in relation to salinity strategies.

The State Water Management Outcomes Plan must be consistent with—

government obligations arising under any inter-governmental agreement to which the government is a party, such as the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement set out in Schedule 1 to the Water Act 2007 of the Commonwealth, and

government obligations arising in connection with any international agreement to which the government of the Commonwealth is a party, and

State government policy, including State government policy in relation to the environmental objectives for water quality and river flow.

For the purposes of this section, State government policy includes such matters as are declared by the regulations to be State government policy.

The regulations may make provision for or with respect to the public consultation procedures to be complied with in relation to the establishment or amendment of a State Water Management Outcomes Plan.

A State Water Management Outcomes Plan has effect for the period of 5 years commencing on the date on which it is published in the Gazette.