Water charge (infrastructure) rules: advice development

The ACCC has released its position paper seeking submissions on the development of bulk water charge rules. The paper presents the ACCC’s preliminary positions on water charge rules for irrigation infrastructure operators (access charges) and bulk water operators within the Murray‑Darling Basin.

To date, the ACCC’s development of advice on water charge rules has progressed through separate consultation processes relating to rules for charges payable to irrigation infrastructure operators and rules relating to bulk water charges. The ACCC has released two issues papers for consultation:

• an issues paper on water charge rules for charges payable to irrigation infrastructure operators on 30 May 2008
• an issues paper on bulk water charge rules on 7 July 2008.

The two consultation processes have been brought together as a result of changes that are to be made to the Water Act 2007 (the Act) following the Intergovernmental Agreement on Murray-Darling Basin Reform agreed by the MDB states on 3 July 2008. As a result of the proposed changes to the Act, the same regulatory options will be available for water charges payable to both bulk water service providers and to irrigation infrastructure operators. The position paper brings together these two processes and is the next step in the consultation process following the issues papers.