NWI Policy Guidelines for Water Planning and Management
National Water Initiative (NWI) is Australia's enduring blueprint for water reform. Through it, governments across Australia have agreed on actions to achieve a more cohesive national approach to the way Australia manages, plans for, measures, prices, and trades water.
These policy guidelines were commissioned in 2008 by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The objective of these guidelines is to assist all jurisdictions' water planners, policy makers and interested stakeholders in developing and implementing NWI-consistent water planning and management arrangements.
COAG endorsed the policy guidelines on 5 April 2012.
Further information on NWI consistent water sharing plans can be found at:
National Water Planning Report Card 2011 : The inaugural National Water Planning Report Card 2011 provides a summary of the status of water plans across Australia
Status of incomplete water plans in Australia: States and territories are also developing schedules for the priority completion of NWI-consistent entitlement reform.
Guideline Case studies
To further assist water planners, policy makers and stakeholders in using the policy guidelines, supplementary information in the form of case studies and stand-alone modules have been developed.
- Case Study 1: Millstream environmental water
- Case Study 2: Managing intercepted groundwater by mining as a product in the Pilbara
- Case Study 3: Monitoring linked to management – South West Groundwater Areas Allocation Plan
- Case Study 4: The Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy
- Case Study 5: Process for dealing with an over-allocated groundwater resource
- Case Study 6: Managing complex existing user issues and different user groups for groundwater and surface water
- Case Study 7: Mining groundwater sustainably in the Mallee Region
- Case Study 8: Indigenous consultation and engagement in the Daly River catchment, Northern Territory
- Case Study 9: Mining aquifers - Alice Springs Water Resource Strategy 2006-2015
- Case Study 10: Managing interception activities - hillside farm dams in New South Wales
- Case Study 11: Thresholds application to unregulated surface water planning in New South Wales
Guideline Modules
See also:
- Council of Australian Governments water reform
- COAG Water Reform Work Program
- National Water Initiative Reforms
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