{"id":"natural-resources-management-noora-prescribed-wells-area-regulations-2017","name":"Natural Resources Management (Noora Prescribed Wells Area) Regulations 2017","slug":"natural-resources-management-noora-prescribed-wells-area-regulations-2017","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":236225,"registerId":"sa-natural-resources-management-noora-prescribed-wells-area-regulations-2017-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-06","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Natural Resources Management (Noora Prescribed Wells Area) Regulations 2017","content":"South Australia\nNatural Resources Management (Noora Prescribed Wells Area) Regulations 2017\nunder the Natural Resources Management Act 2004\n\nContents\nPreamble\n1\tShort title\n2\tCommencement\n3\tInterpretation\n4\tNoora Prescribed Wells Area—revocation of declaration as prescribed water resource\nLegislative history\n\n\nPreamble\n1\tA proclamation was made in accordance with section 41 of the Water Resources Act 1976 (the 1976 Act) declaring an area of the State to be the Noora Proclaimed Region for the purposes of that Act (see Gazette 09.01.1986 p19).\n2\tSchedule 3, clause 2 of the Water Resources Act 1997 (the 1997 Act) provides that a proclamation under section 41 of the 1976 Act in force immediately before the commencement of the 1997 Act continues in force as if it were a regulation under section 8(1) of the 1997 Act.\n3\tSchedule 4, clause 54(2) of the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 provides that a regulation in force under section 8 of the 1997 Act (including such a regulation in force by virtue of the operation of Schedule 3 of the 1997 Act) will continue in force and effect as if it were a regulation made under section 125 of the Natural Resources Management Act 2004.\n4\tIt is now appropriate to make a regulation under section 125(3) of the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 revoking the declaration of the Noora Proclaimed Region as a prescribed water resource.\n\n1—Short title\nThese regulations may be cited as the Natural Resources Management (Noora Prescribed Wells Area) Regulations 2017.\n2—Commencement\nThese regulations will come into operation 4 months after the day on which they are made (see Subordinate Legislation Act 1978 section 10AA).\n3—Interpretation\nIn these regulations, unless the contrary intention appears—\nAct means the Natural Resources Management Act 2004;\nNoora Prescribed Wells Area means the Noora Proclaimed Region under the proclamation referred to in clause 1 of the preamble;\nrelevant regulation means the regulation in force as if it were a regulation made under section 125 of the Act by virtue of the operation of Schedule 3, clause 2 of the Water Resources Act 1997 for the purposes of the continuation of the declaration of the Noora Prescribed Wells Area as a prescribed water resource.\n4—Noora Prescribed Wells Area—revocation of declaration as prescribed water resource\nIn accordance with section 125(3) of the Act, the relevant regulation is revoked.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal regulations\nYear\nNo\nReference\nCommencement\n2017\n211\nGazette 1.8.2017 p3060 \n1.12.2017: r 2\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument does not expand or repurpose regulatory powers; it solely revokes the continued regulation declaring the Noora area as a prescribed water resource (preamble cl.4; r.4). The scope remains limited to that revocation and its timing (r.2)."},"complexity_factors":["Single, narrow substantive change: revocation of one continued proclamation (preamble cl.4; r.4)","Legal continuity requires tracing the proclamation through three Acts and schedules (Water Resources Act 1976 → Water Resources Act 1997 sch.3 cl.2 → Natural Resources Management Act 2004 sch.4 cl.54(2)) as noted in the preamble","Minor temporal complexity: delayed commencement four months after making (r.2)","Low operational complexity: no new regulatory duties, licences or substantive operational rules introduced","Practical impact requires external fact-finding (who used the prescribed wells regime and how obligations shift) not resolved in the instrument"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations formally remove the Noora Proclaimed Region’s status as a prescribed water resource by revoking the earlier regulation that continued the 1986 proclamation (s.4; preamble). They take effect four months after being made (r.2). \n\nPractically, the rule change alters which legal regime governs groundwater in the Noora area, affecting landholders, water users and water managers by removing the specific compliance and permitting framework that applied while the area was a prescribed wells area (see r.3 and s.4)."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation performs exactly the limited, technical function described in its title and preamble — revoking a single prescribed water resource declaration. There is no scope creep; it is a straightforward deregulatory instrument."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short — only 4 substantive clauses plus preamble","Only 3 defined terms in the interpretation section","Single operative provision (clause 4) that does one thing: revoke a previous regulation","Heavy reliance on legislative history in preamble to explain context, but this doesn't add legal complexity","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","No cross-references to other parts of the Act beyond the single empowering provision (section 125(3))"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese regulations **remove special water management controls** from an area in South Australia called the Noora Prescribed Wells Area.\n\n**Background:**\n- Back in 1986, the government declared the \"Noora Proclaimed Region\" under old water laws. This meant the area was a **prescribed water resource** — a special legal status that lets the government control who can take water, how much they can take, and what they can use it for.\n- That old declaration kept going through various law changes in 1997 and 2004.\n- Now, the government has decided this area no longer needs these special controls.\n\n**What changes:**\n- The regulations **revoke** (cancel) the declaration that made Noora a prescribed water resource.\n- This means water users in this area will no longer need permits or licences under the *Natural Resources Management Act 2004* to take water from wells.\n- General water laws still apply, but the specific, stricter rules for prescribed areas are removed.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Landholders, farmers, and anyone with wells in the Noora area (near the Victorian border in South Australia's south-east).\n- People who previously held water licences for this area.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n- Reduces **red tape** for water users — no more permits needed for taking water.\n- Suggests the government believes water resources in this area are no longer under stress or don't need active management.\n- Part of a broader trend of \"de-prescribing\" areas where water extraction is no longer seen as risky."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on the regulation title alone, there is no indication the scope changed from its original intent. Prescribing a wells area is a standard, targeted regulatory mechanism — its purpose (controlling groundwater extraction in a defined zone) appears consistent with what such regulations are designed to do. No amendments or scope expansions could be identified due to the inaccessible source text."},"complexity_factors":["The full legislative text was inaccessible due to a broken URL, limiting analysis to title and regulatory context only","Prescribed wells area regulations typically involve cross-referencing with the parent Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (SA) and associated water allocation plans","Geographic boundary definitions can be technically complex, requiring maps or coordinates to interpret","Licensing and extraction limit provisions may involve technical hydrological thresholds not easily understood by laypersons","Interaction with broader Murray-Darling Basin water management frameworks adds a layer of complexity for affected users"],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation designates the Noora Prescribed Wells Area in South Australia, bringing groundwater extraction in that zone under formal government control. It affects landowners, farmers, businesses and anyone drilling or pumping wells there by imposing licensing, extraction limits and management to protect the aquifer.\n\nNote: the full text wasn’t available, so this teaser is based on the instrument’s title and the usual framework for prescribed wells areas."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/natural-resources-management-noora-prescribed-wells-area-regulations-2017","history":"/api/acts/natural-resources-management-noora-prescribed-wells-area-regulations-2017/history","analysis":"/api/acts/natural-resources-management-noora-prescribed-wells-area-regulations-2017/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/natural-resources-management-noora-prescribed-wells-area-regulations-2017/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/natural-resources-management-noora-prescribed-wells-area-regulations-2017/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/natural-resources-management-noora-prescribed-wells-area-regulations-2017/documents"}}