NRAR to focus on mining, metering and irrigated agriculture in 2022-23

The Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) has released its regulatory priorities for 2022-23, highlighting three annual priorities and four enduring priorities.

NRAR’s Chief Regulatory Officer Grant Barnes said these priorities identify and target areas of non-compliance with the potential to cause harm.

“NRAR was established in April 2018 to provide NSW independent water regulation,” Mr Barnes said. “Our regulatory priorities identify and target problem activities, areas and industries that may have high levels of non-compliance with water laws or the potential to cause harm to the environment or surrounding community.

“The regulatory priorities make a clear statement to the regulated water community about NRAR’s intended focus for the coming year and puts them on notice to ensure their activities are compliant. Ignorance will be no excuse when our officers get out on-farm to inspect water management practices.

“Our priorities represent an evidence and risk-based approach to compliance. We collect data from the field, spatial observation, public reports and expert advice, which is analysed to establish where we need to focus our efforts”.

Annual priorities 2022-23

Water metering with a spotlight on duly qualified persons (DQPs)

The non-urban water metering reforms are one of the most significant changes to water management in NSW over the last few decades and will improve accountability of water use and the ability to enforce the law.

Over the next 12 months, NRAR will continue to check compliance with remaining works in the Northern Inland that needed to comply by 1 December 2021.

The regulator will soon start checking compliance with works in the Southern Inland that need to comply by 1 December 2022.

DQP’s are an integral component to implementation of the metering reforms and NRAR will continue to support and monitor the scheme to ensure its effectiveness.

Water use for irrigated agriculture

Water entitlements in NSW are worth about $29 billion and irrigated agriculture contributes around $3-4 billion annually to the NSW economy¹. Around 60% of all licensed water use in NSW is for irrigated agriculture².

These factors highlight the significance of this type of water use – both for the high harm potential due to high volumes of water use and the important economic contribution that water makes.

NRAR seeks to ensure the lawful use of water for irrigated agriculture to protect this valuable asset for the environment, community and entitlement holders to ensure all get their fair share.

The regulator focused on water used for irrigated agriculture in the Hunter region last year, and this year will move to the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Far North Coast.

Mining

NRAR is aware of inconsistencies in how water take is measured and reported across the state’s mining operations and extractive industries. Accurate measurement, accounting and reporting of this water take is important to ensure transparent and fair access to water for all water users and the environment.

NRAR will focus on establishing a standardised reporting framework to show compliance with water regulations to ensure that water take is accurately measured, modelled and accounted for.

Enduring priorities

NRAR’s enduring priorities represent more complex or enduring issues that the regulator will focus on over a number of years. NRAR’s four enduring priorities remain unchanged from last year:

• accurate water measurement
• aboriginal cultural and spiritual values in water regulation
• unlawful activities that cause significant harm to the environment and other water users
• unauthorised structures that prevent water from getting to where it should on the flood plain.

“We are in the process of finalising the plans for our compliance programs to deliver on these priority areas, which will involve a wide range of both field and desktop work. We look forward to our continuous work with water users across the state and thank them for their ongoing cooperation and willingness to follow the rules,” said Mr Barnes.

For more information about NRAR’s regulatory priorities visit nrar.nsw.gov.au/regulatory-priorities