PARLIAMENT PASSES WILD RIVER LAW CHANGES

The Queensland Parliament today passed amendments to the State’s wild rivers legislation and introduced changes requiring businesses that are large water users to prepare new water management plans.

Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace said amendments to the Wild Rivers Act 2005 delivered on the government’s commitments to stakeholders in July after extensive community consultation.

Changes to the Water Act 2000 will require Queensland businesses that are large water users to compile new Water Efficiency Management Plans (WEMPS) for the first time.

Mr Wallace said water service providers could require non-residential water users to prepare, implement and report on their WEMPS.

WEMPS demonstrate how businesses plan to reduce the amount of water they use.

“WEMPS are about non-residential users getting serious about saving water,” Mr Wallace said.

“Up until now, domestic users have borne the brunt of achieving water savings.

“It is now up to businesses to take up the challenge and do more.”

Currently businesses can voluntarily enter into a WEMP.

The maximum penalty for businesses contravening a water restriction, including not preparing a WEMP, will rise from $15,000 to $125,000.

Mr Wallace said the amendments to the Wild Rivers Act 2005 ensured the Government’s 2004 State election commitment to protect the natural values of Queensland's pristine rivers for future generations was honoured.

“Following the proclaimation of the Act, the Government nominated Settlement Creek, Morning Inlet and the Gregory and Staaten rivers in the Gulf region and Hinchinbrook and Fraser Islands for declaration as wild rivers,” he said.

“During the consultation period on these nominations, a number of issues were raised by the community and stakeholders.

“The Government acted on these issues and on 24 July this year it announced a ‘balanced approach’ on the declaration on wild rivers following extensive talks with the environmentalists, indigenous landholders, miners and graziers.”

Mr Wallace said the main focus was to preserve these wild river systems by having a buffer, called a high preservation area, between future development and the river and any significant offstream features such as floodplain wetlands.

The key principles of the July agreement, implemented by the amendments, are to:

·permit low impact minerals exploration in high preservation areas;

·open pit mining will be prohibited in these areas, but the Bill allows miners to only mine beneath them subject to strict environmental conditions set through an environmental impact statement;

·allow pastoralists to be able to establish new fodder crops outside high preservation areas as of right without approvals, provided they use species that present a low risk of becoming an environmental weed in the rivers and wetlands;

·permit a range of services essential for communities, in urban areas, such as water and sewage treatment, motor mechanic and fuel storage, even if the urban area is located in a high preservation area.

·remove constraints on fuel storage and access to quarry materials for rural homesteads, outstations and resort complexes to allow these developments to occur; and

·clarify where wild river requirements will apply to future developments outside high preservation areas.

Mining exploration is already not permitted on Fraser and Hinchinbrook Islands.

Media inquiries: Paul Childs, Craig Wallace’s office, on 0407 131 654.