The Water Act

Generally water is issued to individual users by the relevant water corporation, via a water share or a licence. In addition to the licences that are formally issued, the Water Act enables users to take water for domestic and stock purposes from a range of surface water and groundwater sources without a licence. These stock and domestic rights are defined in Section 8 of the Water Act 1989.

Rights to water under the Water Act 1989

Rights to water are defined in the Water Act 1989 as:

Section 7 provides that the Crown has the right to the use, flow and control of all water in a waterway and all groundwater;
Section 8 provides for an individual's rights to water;
Section 9 sets out rights of water corporations to water.

Water entitlements

The Water Act 1989 governs entitlements to water issued by the Minister for Water, including:

Part 4 regarding bulk entitlements and environmental entitlements;
Part 3A regarding water shares;
Section 51 regarding water licences.

Page last updated: 14/05/19