Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management Plan

Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management Plan

A new Strategic Management Plan (the plan) for the Great Artesian Basin will be developed in 2016by the Australian and state/territory governments in consultation with the Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee (the Committee), national organisations, landholders and water users.

The Committee will play a key role in engaging with stakeholders during the development of the new plan. Committee members will be discussing with their sectors the key issues in water management of the Great Artesian Basin.

Since the development of the original plan further significant changes have occurred in terms of addressing water management issues in the Great Artesian Basin. These changes include:

• Advances in our knowledge of the Great Artesian Basin
• Advances in policy, regulation and planning frameworks for groundwater access and management
• Roll-out of the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative
• Development of the mining and extractive industry sectors within the Great Artesian Basin
• Changes in institutional and governance arrangements relating to Great Artesian Basin management
• Changing delivery capacities of key state and territory agencies in terms of the Strategic Management Plan implementation.

The community members of the Committee consider the following issues as being important to address in the development of the new Strategic Management Plan:

• Achievements in Basin water management to date:changes in culture, achievements under the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative programme, benefits of improved water management in the Basin and the role of the Committee.

• Ongoing issues for consideration: further changes in culture towards water management, better understanding of social, economic and environmental values of Basin water resource, uncontrolled discharge from artesian bores and associated pressure decline,bore infrastructure maintenance and management, continued commitment to cross border management, more research on basin water resources and consistent water rights and protections for all water users and industries.

• New Issues for consideration: whole of basin monitoring of water use that includes all industries, stock and domestic and co-produced water, coordinated collection of GAB resource data including pressure levels, water temperatures and quality, emergence of new industries and impacts on current water use,connections between the GAB water resources and other adjoining basins, alignment with other state and basin water plans, climate change, indigenous interests, tourism sector impacts, resourcing of coordinated management and compliance.

Improved Governance

Governance arrangements are being reviewed to develop an appropriate structure to deliver the new plan. The Committee has asked governments to consider the following issues as part of this process.

• Great Artesian Basin matters should be represented by a Committee and represent all sectors, landholders and water users
• The role and responsibilities of the Committee should reflect the new Strategic Management Plan
• The Committee should have direct access to governments and play an advisory role in policy development and implementation
• The governance structure should allow for the implementation of the new Strategic Management Plan including improved funding for cross border activities, increased reporting within the Great Artesian Basin, consideration of surface water management issues and interaction with ground water management and development of key performance indicators.

Background to the Review

The original Plan was released by the then Great Artesian Basin Consultative Council in September 2000 and was the first whole of Basin management plan adopted by Australian and state/territory governments. It brought together a range of views and needs from across the Basin and provided a comprehensive framework within which Australian, state and territory governments could coordinate the management of Basin water resources.

A review of the Plan, Future Directions for the Management of the Great Artesian Basin, was completed in August 2015. In 2006 the Committee performed a mid-term review of the Plan that led to the development of two complimentary documents, the Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management Plan: Progress and Achievements to 2008 and Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management Plan: Focus and Prospects 2008-2015.

The outcomes from these reviews will be considered in the development of the new plan. The review reports are available on the Committee’s website.

Further Information

Consultation on the new plan will occur in early 2017. Consultation will include targeted regional meetings in the basin, stakeholder discussions, an online survey and various information material distributed to communities.

To provide comments on issues that should be considered in the development of the new plan email or contact the committee at .

Further information on the development of the Strategic Management Plan for the Great Artesian Basin or the Committee is available at