Water Compliance Report 2014-15

The framework requires each jurisdiction to collect and annually publish compliance statistics based on these categories:

• Alleged compliance breaches reported;
• Advisory letters issued;
• Formal warnings issued specifying the relevant section and Act;
• Administrative sanctions specifying the relevant section and Act;
• Criminal charges and proceedings brought, specifying the relevant section and Act;
• Civil enforcement actions in the courts and the outcomes; and
• Licence suspensions specifying the relevant sections and Act.

The relevant Act in Victoria is the Victorian Water Act 1989. As the Act does not provide for civil enforcement actions or licence suspensions, this data has not been reported.

Alleged compliance breaches reported in non-urban systems across Victoria

There were 382 alleged Water Act 1989 breaches reported from 1 July, 2014, to 30 June, 2015, and 350 cases were finalised during this period.  Three prosecutions for breaches of the Water Act were initiated in 2014-15, one of which was completed.

Table 1 shows the reasons for finalisation of reported breaches, excluding those breaches prosecuted.

Table 2 shows Water Act 1989 prosecutions commenced between 1 July, 2014, to 30 June, 2015.

Table 3 shows outcomes of Water Act 1989 prosecutions finalised in the reporting period (including those commenced before 1 July, 2014, if finalised in this reporting period).

Table 1: Alleged compliance breaches and relevant sections of the Water Act * finalised during 1 July 2014 – 30 June 2015 based on National Framework reporting criteria.

*Summaries of Water Act sections are indicative only. See the Water Act 1989 for full description.

Table 2: Prosecutions commenced under the Water Act 1989 for 1 July 2014 – 30 June 2015

Table 3: Outcomes of completed prosecutions under the Water Act 1989 for 1 July 2014 – 30 June 2015.