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New-look water rights in Victoria
28 Aug 2003
The Victorian Government may allow water rights to be held without owning land. The proposal includes capping water holdings by non-irrigators to 5 per cent of the water rights in any regulated system, to avoid speculation by water barons.
The plan is included in a government discussion paper on water reform in the state, which aims to make better use of urban and irrigation water and to improve river health.
Water Minister, John Thwaites, said water reform will go ahead in Victoria in 2004 regardless of the outcome of discussions on water policy at tomorrow's Council of Australian Governments meeting.
Other points in the Victorian proposal include permanent water restrictions for regional towns; giving a legal right for environmental flows in the state's rivers; a cap on drawing more water from seven "sick" rivers south of the Great Dividing Range; introducing seasonal peak and off-peak pricing to encourage water conservation.
Australian Financial Review, 28/8/03.
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