Consultation on the draft Water Industry (Third Party Access) Amendment Bill has recently begun, with submissions welcome from all interested parties.
Water Minister Ian Hunter says the draft Bill is a further step in the continuing reform of the State’s water industry, which began with the passage of the Water Industry Act last year.
“The Act also committed the Government to the establishment of a state-based third party access regime for water and sewerage infrastructure,” Mr Hunter said.
“It’s expected the new access regime will initially only fully apply to SA Water’s bulk water transport infrastructure.
“The access regime proposed in the draft Bill adopts an approach which enables parties to negotiate access in good faith and without the direct involvement of the regulator. This approach also provides arbitration if the negotiations break down.
“There are mechanisms built into the proposed regime so that as the water industry develops and demand for access grows, the access regime can be reviewed and adjusted.”
Mr Hunter says the draft Bill has been tabled to give the community and industry an opportunity to consider the provisions, and to allow time to assess any implications of the Productivity Commission’s review of the national access regime (to be completed by the end of October), and negotiate over provisions regarding the Commonwealth Water Act following the Federal election.
“All interested parties are invited to provide written comments on the draft Bill and the explanatory paper, which are available on the Department of Treasury and Finance website.”
Submissions close on Friday 29 November 2013.