Question Without Notice No. 559 asked in the Legislative Council on 14 August 2018 by Hon Robin Scott
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
559. Hon ROBIN SCOTT to the minister representing the Minister for Water:
I refer the minister to a letter, reference DWERT1550, distributed on or around 17 May 2018.
(1) Will the minister confirm that the assessment fee for a 5C licence to take water has increased from zero to $5 357 or $7 143 or $8 929 depending on whether the risk is assessed as low, medium or high, and that this fee is payable irrespective of the quantity of water used?
(2) Will the minister arrange relief, an exemption or a waiver for small miners and prospectors who seek only small quantities of water and who would be unfairly treated by paying the same fee as a major company that may consume 100 or more times as much water?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question. The Minister for Water has provided the following information.
(1) There are currently no fees for assessing a 5C licence to take water. The incoming fees for new water licences applicable for the mining and public water scheme supply sectors are correctly stated based on the risk to the water resource.
(2) No. All licence applications are the subject of an assessment required under the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914, and the fees reflect the level of effort for that assessment based on the level of risk.