21General basis on which Basin Plan to be developed

21  General basis on which Basin Plan to be developed

Basin Plan to implement international agreements

 (1) The Basin Plan (including any environmental watering plan or water quality and salinity management plan included in the Basin Plan) must be prepared so as to provide for giving effect to relevant international agreements (to the extent to which those agreements are relevant to the use and management of the Basin water resources).

 (2) Without limiting subsection (1), the Basin Plan must:

 (a) be prepared having regard to:

 (i) the fact that the use of the Basin water resources has had, and is likely to have, significant adverse impacts on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; and

 (ii) the fact that the Basin water resources require, as a result, special measures to manage their use to conserve biodiversity; and

 (b) promote sustainable use of the Basin water resources to protect and restore the ecosystems, natural habitats and species that are reliant on the Basin water resources and to conserve biodiversity.

Note 1: See Articles 7 and 8 of the Biodiversity Convention.

Note 2: The Basin Plan must also be prepared having regard to critical human water needs (see Part 2A).

 (3) Without limiting subsection (1), the Basin Plan must also:

 (a) promote the wise use of all the Basin water resources; and

 (b) promote the conservation of declared Ramsar wetlands in the Murray‑Darling Basin; and

 (c) take account of the ecological character descriptions of:

 (i) all declared Ramsar wetlands within the Murray‑Darling Basin; and

 (ii) all other key environmental sites within the Murray‑Darling Basin;

  prepared in accordance with the National Framework and Guidance for Describing the Ecological Character of Australia’s Ramsar Wetlands endorsed by the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council.

Note 1: See Article 3 of the Ramsar Convention.

Note 2: A copy of the National Framework and Guidance for Describing the Ecological Character of Australia’s Ramsar Wetlands may be found on the Department’s website.

Basis on which Basin Plan to be developed

 (4) Subject to subsections (1), (2) and (3), the Authority and the Minister must, in exercising their powers and performing their functions under this Division:

 (a) take into account the principles of ecologically sustainable development; and

 (b) act on the basis of the best available scientific knowledge and socio‑economic analysis; and

 (c) have regard to the following:

 (i) the National Water Initiative;