Assessing progress
Biennial assessments - reporting to COAG
The National Water Commission is required to advise the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) on progress towards national water reform and implementation of the National Water Initiative through biennial assessments.
- First biennial assessment - 2007
- Update in progress on water reform
- Second biennial assessment - 2009
- Third biennial assessment - 2011
Continuing assessment and reporting functions
Under the Water Act 2007, the Commission acquired a Murray-Darling Basin audit function, making it responsible for auditing the effectiveness of the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and associated water resource plans.
In December 2009 the Commission was delegated responsibility by COAG Reform Council under the intergovernmental Agreement on Murray-Darling Basin Reform for assessing the performance of Murray-Darling Basin states in achieving reform outcomes in the Commonwealth-State Water Management Partnership Agreements.
In 2011, the Commission was tasked with reporting progress on the development and implementation of water plans in all water resource systems. The Commission's Water Planning Report Card 2011 was published on behalf of COAG in December 2011. A web tool based on this report is also available.
In addition to these assessments, the Commission also prepares regular reports and position statements on specific water management issues to progress water reform. These include reports on the performance of urban and rural water utilities, water markets, environmental water management, and impacts of water trading.
Initial assessments
To provide a baseline for evaluating progress on improved water management, the Commission produced Australian Water Resources 2005. This provides a snapshot of Australia's water availability, water use, and river and wetland health at the start of the NWI reform journey.
Having been charged with undertaking National Competition Policy assessments of governments' progress with implementing COAG's water reforms, the Commission's first report was released in 2006, with follow-up assessments in 2007.