{"id":"F2010L00626","name":"Water Act 2007 - Accreditation of amendment of transitional water resource plan - River Murray Prescribed Watercourse Water Allocation Plan","slug":"water-act-2007-accreditation-of-amendment-of-transitional-water-resource-plan-river-murray-prescribe","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":123719,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2010L00626-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Water Act 2007 - Accreditation of amendment of transitional water resource plan - River Murray Prescribed Watercourse Water Allocation Plan","content":"Commonwealth of Australia\n    Water Act 2007  \n    Section 65\n    Accreditation of amendment of transitional water resource plan – River Murray Prescribed Watercourse Water Allocation Plan\n\n    I, PENELOPE YING YEN WONG, Minister for Climate Change and Water, under subsection 65(5) of the Water Act 2007, hereby accredit the amendments to the River Murray Prescribed Watercourse Water Allocation Plan that were made under s 89(2)(f) of the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (SA) on 15 July 2009. The River Murray Prescribed Watercourse Water Allocation Plan is a transitional water resource plan under item 7 of the table in Schedule 4 to the Water Act 2007.\n    This accreditation will come into force on the day after this instrument is registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.\n    Dated this 11th February 2010\n\n    Penelope Ying Yen Wong\n\n    PENELOPE YING YEN WONG  \n    Minister for Climate Change and Water","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument performs exactly the function intended by the Water Act 2007 — accrediting amendments to a transitional water resource plan. It does not expand beyond the statutory framework established for ministerial accreditation decisions."},"complexity_factors":["Single operative provision: one ministerial accreditation decision under a specific subsection (s 65(5))","No defined terms within the instrument itself — relies entirely on external statutory references","Minimal conditional logic: straightforward trigger (amendments made on specific date) leading to accreditation","Short length: approximately 150 words of operative text","Clear cross-references to parent Act (Water Act 2007) and state legislation, but no nested or ambiguous references"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a formal approval (accreditation) by the federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, Penny Wong, of changes made to South Australia's water management rules for the River Murray.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Approves amendments** (changes) to the *River Murray Prescribed Watercourse Water Allocation Plan* — a state-level plan that governs who can take water from the River Murray in South Australia and how much they can take.\n- These amendments were made by South Australia on 15 July 2009 under its own *Natural Resources Management Act 2004*.\n\n**Why federal approval was needed:**\n- Under the *Water Act 2007* (Commonwealth/federal law), the Murray-Darling Basin water system is managed through a national framework. State water plans that existed before this federal system are called \"transitional water resource plans.\"\n- Before these state plans (or changes to them) can legally operate under the national system, the federal Minister must formally accredit (approve) them.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Water users in South Australia** who rely on the River Murray — particularly irrigators, communities, and industries along the river.\n- **State water managers** in South Australia, who must now operate under the accredited (federally approved) version of their plan.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n- This accreditation ensures South Australia's River Murray water rules are recognised under national law, allowing the state to continue managing water extractions while remaining compliant with the broader Murray-Darling Basin Plan.\n- Without this accreditation, the state's amendments might not have legal effect under the federal water framework, potentially creating uncertainty for water rights holders."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The instrument accredits amendments made on 15 July 2009 to the River Murray Prescribed Watercourse Water Allocation Plan (the instrument \"hereby accredit[s] the amendments\"). That accreditation alters the legal status of those amendments by bringing them within the scope of Commonwealth recognition under the Water Act 2007 (instrument references s 65(5)). The instrument itself does not reproduce the substantive amendments, but its effect is to change the Plan’s recognised content as of the day after registration on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow, single-purpose instrument with a single administrative act (accreditation)","References to other legislation (Water Act 2007 s 65(5); Natural Resources Management Act 2004 s 89(2)(f); Schedule 4 item 7) require cross-referencing to understand full legal effect","No substantive regulatory text included—effect depends on the content of the amendments that are accredited","Simple commencement rule (effective day after registration) but dependent on external administrative step (registration on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments)"],"plain_english_summary":"The instrument records the Commonwealth Minister for Climate Change and Water formally accrediting state-made amendments (15 July 2009) to the River Murray Prescribed Watercourse Water Allocation Plan under subsection 65(5) of the Water Act 2007. It takes effect the day after registration on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.\n\nIt therefore gives federal recognition to those South Australian amendments; any practical impacts for water users depend on the substantive terms of the accredited amendments."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/water-act-2007-accreditation-of-amendment-of-transitional-water-resource-plan-river-murray-prescribe","history":"/api/acts/water-act-2007-accreditation-of-amendment-of-transitional-water-resource-plan-river-murray-prescribe/history","analysis":"/api/acts/water-act-2007-accreditation-of-amendment-of-transitional-water-resource-plan-river-murray-prescribe/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/water-act-2007-accreditation-of-amendment-of-transitional-water-resource-plan-river-murray-prescribe/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/water-act-2007-accreditation-of-amendment-of-transitional-water-resource-plan-river-murray-prescribe/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/water-act-2007-accreditation-of-amendment-of-transitional-water-resource-plan-river-murray-prescribe/documents"}}