Water resource planning

In Victoria, water is shared and managed in a way that provides both certainty and flexibility in an increasingly variable climate.

Secure rights to water and a responsive planning framework will enable us to adapt to the changing values and uses of water, as well as protect the environment.

Water is critical for cities and towns, farm businesses and industry. Secure rights to water enable agricultural production and future industry growth.

What we will do:

• Ensure a strong and responsive water entitlement system;
• Provide greater flexibility and choice for license holders;
• Investigate increased flexibility for taking water under winter-fill licenses;
• Better record and report on emerging significant uses of water;
• Ensure a modern compliance regime that works;
• Commence the long-term water resource assessment process;
• Commence sustainable water strategy reviews;
• Align the sustainable water strategy and long-term water resource assessment processes;
• Improve rural water supply planning;
• Provide clear information about water resources to the community; and
• Improve water resource information to support planning and decisions.

Our robust water entitlement and water resource planning frameworks provide certainty of legal rights and obligations, and flexibility for entitlement holders to manage their own risks and make decisions about how they use water to meet their needs.

The strength of our water entitlement and planning frameworks was reinforced during the Millennium Drought. Together with the water market and water supply infrastructure, these entitlement and planning frameworks provide security and create confidence for communities, the environment, and business, industry and investment growth.

We need to understand, manage within, and plan for changing water availability, and patterns of demand and use. We will find better ways to share information and data, including climate change scenarios, to improve how we plan and manage water.