Who: Minister for Water, rural water corporations, catchment management authorities.

Timeframe: 2013.

The Minister for Water will propose changes to the Water Act 1989 to enable section 51 take and use licences to be issued for up to 20 years.

Rural water corporations may renew and/or issue a licence for up to 20 years provided the proposed extension to the term of a licence on a particular system, including the potential benefits and risks associated with the proposed extension, has been discussed and determined as part of the process to prepare, review or amend a local management plan.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment, in consultation with rural water corporations and catchment management authorities, will investigate the potential to convert section 51 take and use licences into groundwater water shares where:

• resource assessments and management have shown that the groundwater system has significant storage and the rate of recharge is good; and
• the benefits of establishing groundwater water shares are likely to outweigh the administrative costs.