Public Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences
Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025
Independent BillLegislative Assembly
Legislative Council
Assent
Introduced by: Helen Dalton MP (IND)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Steph Cooke NAT
“I lead for the Opposition in debate on the Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025. I confirm from the outset that the Opposition supports this bill. We will be moving an amendment, with the support of the member for Murray, that strengthens the primary aim of the bill, which is to improve fairness and transparency in the water sector.”
Steve Whan ALP
“As previously indicated by the Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister in this place, the Government does not support the Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025. The reason for that is that most of the information that the bill seeks to obtain is already publicly available through established registers and reporting systems.”
Roy Butler IND
“I support the amendment in the Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025 that will require information about water owned by State and Commonwealth governments to be on a searchable public register. I note that recent changes would mean that information about water owned under a private access licence will be more accessible and easier to find.”
Clayton Barr ALP
“I make a contribution to debate on the Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025, introduced by the member for Murray. I acknowledge again that the member for Murray has had a deep, passionate and well‑informed position on water, which directly affects her entire community.”
Justin Clancy LIB
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to debate on the Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025, which was introduced by the member for Murray. I thank the member for Murray for bringing the bill before the House.”
Edmond Atalla ALP
“I make a brief contribution to debate and speak in opposition to the Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025. At the outset, I acknowledge the longstanding commitment of the member for Murray to water issues and her advocacy for greater transparency in water management.”
Karen McKeown ALP
“I oppose the Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025 and do so alongside my colleagues. I acknowledge the continued advocacy of the member for Murray, who brought this bill forward, as well as the leadership of the member for Blue Mountains in articulating the Government’s response.”
David Harris ALP
“I contribute to debate on the Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025. Let me say at the outset that transparency in water management matters. I lived in the Riverina for some years—in Griffith, Merriwagga and Hillston—and my wife’s family also comes from that area. I still have a lot of friends in that region, and we go back there often.”
Nathan Hagarty ALP
“I speak in opposition to the Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025. I highlight a critical truth: New legislation is not the solution here, especially when existing systems are already delivering effectively. I support the member’s goal of public transparency—”
“I thank the member for Leppington for mentioning the great mosquito epidemic of 2024. Today I address the Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025, specifically its alignment with public interest. Members from both sides of the House have spoken about a whole range of issues.”
Michael Kemp NAT
“I contribute to debate on the Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025. What is wrong with politics right now is that the supposed experts in water and growing fruit and vegetables are city-based members on the other side of the Chamber talking about things they know nothing about.”
Helen Dalton IND
“I thank the members representing the electorates of Cootamundra, Monaro, Barwon, Cessnock, Albury, Mount Druitt, Penrith, Blue Mountains, Wyong, Leppington, Liverpool and Oxley. Of course, some contributions were more valuable than others. Members know and understand that we have problems with water. Most members spoke to the complexity of the issues involved.”
News articles and press releases
Water Management Amendment (Register of State and Commonwealth Water Access Licences) Bill 2025
Mrs HELEN DALTON, Member for Murray — 2025-06-27
The bill forces the Minister for Water, the Hon. Rose Jackson, to set up a public register showing every licence, including the tracking of rules‑based water, held by the New South Wales or Commonwealth governments, including how much is owned, where it is from, what it is used for and how it is traded. The register must be online, easy to find, easy to understand and located in one department area. Why does this matter? It matters because, as of December 2022, governments held over 2.5 million megalitres, which is 2,505 gigalitres, of water licences across New South Wales yet there is no central, transparent record of what has been done with it. There is no way to track trades. There is no consistency in the data. There is no way for the public or irrigators to check whether rules are being followed. Some licences are not even marked as environmental.