Water Amendment (Indigenous Authority Member) Act 2019

No. 80, 2019

An Act to amend the Water Act 2007 in relation to the membership of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, and for related purposes

Contents

1 Short title 1

2 Commencement 2

3 Schedules 2

Schedule 1—Amendments 3

Water Act 2007 3

An Act to amend the Water Act 2007 in relation to the membership of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, and for related purposes

[Assented to 2 October 2019]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:
1 Short title

This Act is the Water Amendment (Indigenous Authority Member) Act 2019.
2 Commencement 1

Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.
Commencement information Commencement information Commencement information
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
Provisions Commencement Date/Details
1. The whole of this Act The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent. 3 October 2019

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

 2

Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.
3 Schedules

Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.
Amendments

Water Act 2007

 1 Paragraph 177(b)

Repeal the paragraph, substitute:

 b

(b) an Indigenous person (in this Subdivision called the standing Indigenous Authority member);

 c

4 other members.

 2 Section 177 (note)

Omit “Note:”, substitute “Note 1:”.

 3 At the end of section 177

Add:

Note 2: For Indigenous person, see subsection 4(1).

 4 Subsection 178(2)

After “Authority member”, insert “(other than the standing Indigenous Authority member)”.

 5 After subsection 178(2)

Insert:

 2A

To be eligible for appointment as the standing Indigenous Authority member, an individual must be an Indigenous person who, at the time of appointment:

 a

has a high level of expertise in Indigenous matters relevant to Basin water resources; and

 b

is not a member of the governing body of a relevant interest group.

 6 Subsection 180(3)

After “other than the Authority Chair”, insert “or the standing Indigenous Authority member”.

 7 Subsection 180(3) (note 2)

After “this subsection”, insert “, or subsection 178(2A) or subsection (3A) of this section,”.

 8 After subsection 180(3)

Insert:

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 4 July 2019

Senate on 12 September 2019]

(118/19)

 3A

An individual is not eligible for appointment to act as the standing Indigenous Authority member unless the individual is an Indigenous person who has a high level of expertise in Indigenous matters relevant to Basin water resources.