{"id":"sr:water-drillers-licences-regulations-2022","name":"Water (Drillers' Licences) Regulations 2022","slug":"water-drillers-licences-regulations-2022","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"vic","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":183370,"registerId":"vic-sr:water-drillers-licences-regulations-2022-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Water (Drillers' Licences) Regulations 2022","content":"Version No. 001\n\n**Water (Drillers' Licences) Regulations 2022**\n\n**S.R. No. 48/2022**\n\nVersion as at  \n27 June 2022\n\n**TABLE OF PROVISIONS**\n\n*Regulation Page*\n\n1 Objectives 1\n\n2 Authorising provision 1\n\n3 Commencement 1\n\n4 Revocation 1\n\n5 Definition 1\n\n6 Application fee for licence 1\n\n7 Board may require applicants to sit test 2\n\n8 Renewal fees 2\n\n═════════════\n\nEndnotes 3\n\n1 General information 3\n\n2 Table of Amendments 5\n\n3 Explanatory details 6\n\n**Version No.** **001**\n\n**Water (Drillers' Licences) Regulations 2022**\n\n**S.R. No. 48/2022**\n\nVersion as at  \n27 June 2022\n\n\t1 Objectives\n\nThe objectives of these Regulations are—\n\n(a) to prescribe fees relating to applications for the grant or renewal of drillers' licences; and\n\n(b) to provide for tests that may apply to an applicant for a driller's licence.\n\n\t2 Authorising provision\n\nThese Regulations are made under section 324 of the **Water Act 1989**.\n\n\t3 Commencement\n\nThese Regulations come into operation on 27 June 2022.\n\n\t4 Revocation\n\nThe Water (Drillers' Licences) Regulations 2012[[1]](#endnote-1) are **revoked**.\n\n\t5 Definition\n\nIn these Regulations,  ***the Act*** means the **Water Act 1989**.\n\n\t6 Application fee for licence\n\nFor the purposes of section 311(2) of the Act, the prescribed fee is 11 fee units.\n\n\t7 Board may require applicants to sit test\n\nFor the purposes of section 312(1) of the Act, the Drillers' Licensing Board may require an applicant for a driller's licence to undergo, at a time and place to be determined by the Board, an oral, written or practical test with respect to—\n\n(a) water bore materials and design; and\n\n(b) drilling and bore construction method and techniques; and\n\n(c) an understanding of the relevant parts of the Act.\n\n\t8 Renewal fees\n\nFor the purposes of section 315 of the Act, the prescribed fee is 11 fee units.\n\n═════════════\n\nEndnotes\n\n1 General information\n\nSee [www.legislation.vic.gov.au](http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au) for Victorian Bills, Acts and current Versions of legislation and up-to-date legislative information.\n\nThe Water (Drillers' Licences) Regulations 2022, S.R. No. 48/2022 were made on 21 June 2022 by the Governor in Council under section 324 of the **Water Act 1989**, No. 80/1989 and came into operation on 27 June 2022: regulation 3.\n\nThe Water (Drillers' Licences) Regulations 2022 will sunset 10 years after the day of making on 21 June 2032 (see section 5 of the **Subordinate Legislation Act 1994**).\n\nINTERPRETATION OF LEGISLATION ACT 1984 (ILA)\n\nStyle changes\n\nSection 54A of the ILA authorises the making of the style changes set out in Schedule 1 to that Act.\n\nReferences to ILA s. 39B\n\nSidenotes which cite ILA s. 39B refer to section 39B of the ILA which provides that where an undivided regulation, rule or clause of a Schedule is amended by the insertion of one or more subregulations, subrules or subclauses the original regulation, rule or clause becomes subregulation, subrule or subclause (1) and is amended by the insertion of the expression \"(1)\" at the beginning of the original regulation, rule or clause.\n\nInterpretation\n\nAs from 1 January 2001, amendments to section 36 of the ILA have the following effects:\n\n• Headings\n\nAll headings included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after  \n1 January 2001 form part of that Statutory Rule. Any heading inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Statutory Rule.  \nThis includes headings to Parts, Divisions or Subdivisions in a Schedule; Orders; Parts into which an Order is divided; clauses; regulations; rules; items; tables; columns; examples; diagrams; notes or forms.  \nSee section 36(1A)(2A)(2B).\n\n• Examples, diagrams or notes\n\nAll examples, diagrams or notes included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after 1 January 2001 form part of that Statutory Rule. Any examples, diagrams or notes inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, form part of that Statutory Rule. See section 36(3A).\n\n• Punctuation\n\nAll punctuation included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after  \n1 January 2001 forms part of that Statutory Rule. Any punctuation inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Statutory Rule.  \nSee section 36(3B).\n\n• Provision numbers\n\nAll provision numbers included in a Statutory Rule form part of that Statutory Rule, whether inserted in the Statutory Rule before, on or after  \n1 January 2001. Provision numbers include regulation numbers, rule numbers, subregulation numbers, subrule numbers, paragraphs and subparagraphs. See section 36(3C).\n\n• Location of \"legislative items\"\n\nA \"legislative item\" is a penalty, an example or a note. As from 13 October 2004, a legislative item relating to a provision of a Statutory Rule is taken to be at the foot of that provision even if it is preceded or followed by another legislative item that relates to that provision. For example, if a penalty at the foot of a provision is followed by a note, both of these legislative items will be regarded as being at the foot of that provision. See section 36B.\n\n• Other material\n\nAny explanatory memorandum, table of provisions, endnotes, index and other material printed after the Endnotes does not form part of a Statutory Rule. See section 36(3)(3D)(3E).\n\n2 Table of Amendments\n\nThere are no amendments made to the Water (Drillers' Licences) Regulations 2022 by statutory rules, subordinate instruments and Acts.\n\n3 Explanatory details\n\n1. Reg. 4: S.R. No. 72/2012.\n\n  ——\n\n  **Fee Units**\n\n  These Regulations provide for fees by reference to fee units within the meaning of the **Monetary Units Act 2004**.\n\n  The amount of the fee is to be calculated, in accordance with section 7 of that Act, by multiplying the number of fee units applicable by the value of a fee unit.\n\n  The value of a fee unit for the financial year commencing 1 July 2021 is $15.03 and for the financial year commencing 1 July 2022 is $15.29. The amount of the calculated fee may be rounded to the nearest 10 cents.\n\n  The value of a fee unit for future financial years is to be fixed by the Treasurer under section 5 of the **Monetary Units Act 2004**. The value of a fee unit for a financial year must be published in the Government Gazette and a Victorian newspaper before 1 June in the preceding financial year. [↑](#endnote-ref-1)","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on the available metadata, the regulations appear consistent with their stated purpose of governing drillers' licences under water legislation. No evidence of scope expansion or contraction is visible from the provided content, though the full text was not available for thorough assessment."},"complexity_factors":["Limited substantive content was provided — only metadata and version history are visible, making detailed analysis impossible","Occupational licensing regulations typically involve moderate technical detail around eligibility criteria, application processes, and compliance obligations","Likely cross-references to parent Water Act legislation, adding interpretive layers","Technical groundwater/drilling industry terminology may be present in the full text","Straightforward licensing framework as a regulatory category keeps complexity relatively low"],"plain_english_summary":"These Victorian regulations govern who may legally carry out water drilling (bores/wells), setting licensing requirements, qualifications and administrative rules for drillers and businesses that provide drilling services, and penalties for non‑compliance. \n\nThey affect contractors, tradespeople, drilling companies and landowners who hire them — aiming to protect groundwater resources and public water supplies by ensuring drilling is done by competent, accountable operators."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose of setting fees and testing requirements for water drillers' licences, consistent with the authorising provision in the Water Act 1989."},"complexity_factors":["Only 8 regulations total, with minimal text","Single defined term ('the Act')","No cross-references between provisions within the instrument itself","Straightforward fee-setting with no conditional logic or exceptions","Simple procedural provision for testing with no nested requirements","No penalty provisions, offence sections, or enforcement mechanisms"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a short piece of Victorian subordinate legislation (regulations) that sets the rules for people who want to get or renew a licence to drill water bores (wells) in Victoria.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Sets fees**: It charges 11 \"fee units\" (a dollar amount set by another law, currently around $15–$16 per unit) for both new licence applications and renewals. So roughly $165–$170 per application.\n- **Allows testing**: It lets the Drillers' Licensing Board make applicants sit exams—oral, written, or practical—to prove they know about bore materials, drilling techniques, and water law.\n- **Replaces old rules**: It scraps the 2012 version of these regulations.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Anyone applying for a driller's licence in Victoria\n- The Drillers' Licensing Board (the body that issues licences)\n- People renewing existing licences\n\n**Why it matters:**\nDrilling water bores affects groundwater supplies, which farmers, towns, and ecosystems rely on. These rules ensure drillers are competent and help fund the licensing system that protects Victoria's water resources."},"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"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations implement fee-setting and testing mechanics under the Water Act and revoke the 2012 rules (reg 4). The instrument stays within the Water Act's delegated authority (reg 2) and does not, on its face, expand the statutory scope of licensing powers; dollar values remain variable through the Monetary Units Act."},"complexity_factors":["Short, focused instrument with 8 regulations limiting the number of operative rules.","Prescribed fees expressed as a fixed number of fee units (regs 6, 8) which requires cross-reference to the Monetary Units Act to calculate actual dollar amounts.","Board discretion to require tests and to set time/place/format introduces administrative variability (reg 7).","Operates by reference to specific sections of the Water Act (secs 311(2), 312(1), 315, 324), so legal effect depends on those statutory provisions.","Revocation of the 2012 Regulations (reg 4) and statutory sunset (endnotes) create lifecycle and transitional considerations.","Low volume of provisions reduces interpretive ambiguity; few definitional or procedural complexities within the text itself."],"plain_english_summary":"Mechanically, this instrument prescribes fees and testing rules for driller licences under the Water Act: it sets application and renewal fees at 11 fee units (regs 6, 8) and authorises the Drillers' Licensing Board to require oral, written or practical tests on bore materials, drilling methods and relevant parts of the Act (reg 7). It affects applicants and their businesses (they pay the fees and may need to pass tests), and gives the Board discretion over timing, place and test format; fee amounts vary with the Monetary Units Act."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/water-drillers-licences-regulations-2022","history":"/api/acts/water-drillers-licences-regulations-2022/history","analysis":"/api/acts/water-drillers-licences-regulations-2022/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/water-drillers-licences-regulations-2022/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/water-drillers-licences-regulations-2022/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/water-drillers-licences-regulations-2022/documents"}}