The Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) has released a report on its first year of operations, setting up priorities for the next two years.
Chair of NRAR, Craig Knowles said the first year of NRAR’s operations had been about building on good legislation, investing in compliance staff and ensuring the NRAR’s work was respected by the community.
“We are achieving our mandate to deliver effective and transparent regulation on behalf of all our stakeholders, and re-establishing trust with our communities,” Mr Knowles said.
“NRAR will be using new technologies and intelligence to focus compliance activities on hot spots for potential water law breaches, and working with our officers to get more out of every minute they spend in the field.”
He said the Progress Report 2018/19 outlined NRAR’s priorities moving forward including targeting unauthorised water extractions and focussing on locations which have high ecological and hydrological value such as coastal surface water and groundwater systems.
“Priority activity will also include protecting environmental flows, addressing compliance issues for legacy mining projects, working with irrigation corporations to review unapproved structures, and ensuring compliance with new non-urban water metering requirements,” Mr Knowles said.
He said that in the past 14 months the NRAR had received over 5,500 hotline enquiries; finalised over 800 investigations; maintained a caseload of nearly 600 active cases; conducted more than 320 property inspections; undertook monitoring campaigns; and utilised technology to enhance capability and efficiency.
The NRAR’s 68-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
