Concerns have been raised over the new draft National Water Agreement Principles, leading Shadow Water Minister, Perin Davey to urge stakeholders, river managers and state governments to take notice.
Speaking in Parliament, Senator Davey reminded the Chamber that the June meeting of Water Ministers, held to discuss replacing the National Water Initiative with a new National Water Agreement (NWA), went for only one hour.
“The renewed NWA will be crucial for Australia’s water management future, yet the Albanese Government wants to rush it through without proper consultation,” she said.
“Stakeholders and State Water Ministers alike deserve more of an effort by this Government to genuine consultation and collaboration.”
The Senator later identified the draft NWA principles introduce significant changes to river management, which is the responsibilities of states, including treating rivers as “living entities” with “legal personhood”, incorporating international agreements, and applying a new “precautionary approach” to water allocations.
“These concepts need clear explanations to key stakeholders, including state governments, which have yet to engage or clarify their positions on the more than 300 principles outlined in the draft,” she said.
“The lack of details around how it would be implemented means the governments need to go back to the drawing board and explain what adopting these principles would actually mean for communities and water managers.
“These principles need to be more than a vibe. They must be implementable, and the government must take the time to get this important agreement right, actively engaging states in the process.” Senator Davey said.
ENDS