{"id":"F2019L01232","name":"Water Act (Wimmera-Mallee (groundwater) Water Resource Plan) Accreditation Decision 2019","slug":"water-act-wimmera-mallee-groundwater-water-resource-plan-accreditation-decision-2019","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":440247,"registerId":"F2019L01232-fast-fetch-1775955947692","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Water Act (Wimmera-Mallee (groundwater) Water Resource Plan) Accreditation Decision 2019","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nWater Act (Wimmera-Mallee (groundwater) Water Resource Plan) Accreditation Decision 2019\n\nI, David Littleproud, Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management, make the following accreditation decision.\n\nDated  19 September  2019  \n\nDavid Littleproud\n\nMinister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Accreditation of Wimmera-Mallee (groundwater) Water Resource Plan\n\n \n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Water Act (Wimmera-Mallee (groundwater) Water Resource Plan) Accreditation Decision 2019.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n  This instrument commences the day after registration.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under section 63 of the Act.\n\n4  Definitions\n\nNote: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in section 4 of the Act, including the following:\n\n(a) Authority;\n\n(b) Basin Plan.\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Water Act 2007.\n\n5  Accreditation of Wimmera-Mallee (groundwater) Water Resource Plan\n\n  The Wimmera-Mallee (groundwater) Water Resource Plan that is set out, or identified, in accordance with section 10.04 of the Basin Plan, in the document titled Wimmera-Mallee Water Resource Plan that was given to the Authority by Victoria under subsection 63(1) of the Act on 3 July 2019, is accredited.\n\n \n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument performs exactly the narrow function it was designed for: accrediting a specific water resource plan under section 63 of the Water Act 2007. There is no scope creep — it does not expand beyond the single accreditation decision described in its title."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short instrument — only 5 sections spanning 2 pages","Minimal defined terms — only one explicit definition ('Act'), with two terms referenced from parent legislation","Single operative provision (section 5) with straightforward accreditation language","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","No cross-references beyond basic citations to the Water Act 2007 and Basin Plan","Essentially a ministerial signature block with legislative dressing"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a formal decision by the federal Water Minister to approve (accredit) a specific water management plan for the Wimmera-Mallee region in Victoria.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Accredits** (officially approves) Victoria's plan for managing groundwater in the Wimmera-Mallee area\n- This plan becomes part of how Australia meets its obligations under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Farmers, irrigators, and landholders in the Wimmera-Mallee region who rely on groundwater\n- The Murray-Darling Basin Authority (the federal body overseeing water management)\n- Victorian water authorities who must now follow this accredited plan\n\n**Why it matters:**\n- Without this federal accreditation, Victoria's local water plan wouldn't have legal force under national water law\n- It ensures groundwater extraction in this region is managed sustainably and consistently with the broader Basin Plan\n- It affects water allocations — who can take how much water, and under what conditions"},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument does not alter the scope of water management powers; it only recognises (accredits) the Wimmera‑Mallee (groundwater) Water Resource Plan submitted by Victoria (s5). It sets the legal effect and timing of accreditation (s2, s3, s5) but contains no substantive changes to regulatory obligations beyond giving the submitted plan formal federal recognition."},"complexity_factors":["Single-purpose administrative decision: instrument only accredits a single water resource plan (s5).","Statutory decision-maker: made under explicit statutory authority (Water Act 2007, s63) (s3).","Cross-instrument reference: identifies the plan by reference to the Basin Plan (s10.04) creating an interpretive link to another legislative instrument (s5).","Definitions imported from the Water Act (reliance on s4 of the Act) increase interpretive dependence on the parent Act (s4).","Commencement linked to registration (s2) — simple timing/administrative effect rather than operational detail.","No operational or substantive regulatory rules in the instrument itself — implementation and obligations reside in the accredited plan, not in this instrument."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument, made by the Minister under section 63 of the Water Act 2007, formally accredits the Wimmera‑Mallee (groundwater) Water Resource Plan that Victoria gave to the Authority on 3 July 2019. It takes effect the day after registration and makes that state plan the recognised federal framework for managing groundwater in the Wimmera‑Mallee region, affecting regional water users and regulators by placing the accredited plan at the centre of compliance and administration."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/water-act-wimmera-mallee-groundwater-water-resource-plan-accreditation-decision-2019","history":"/api/acts/water-act-wimmera-mallee-groundwater-water-resource-plan-accreditation-decision-2019/history","analysis":"/api/acts/water-act-wimmera-mallee-groundwater-water-resource-plan-accreditation-decision-2019/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/water-act-wimmera-mallee-groundwater-water-resource-plan-accreditation-decision-2019/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/water-act-wimmera-mallee-groundwater-water-resource-plan-accreditation-decision-2019/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/water-act-wimmera-mallee-groundwater-water-resource-plan-accreditation-decision-2019/documents"}}