More time to have your say on bushfire water

Farmers and landholders will have more time to share their views on proposed changes to water laws that would give property owners and farmers across the state improved access to water for firefighting.

The public consultation period has been extended by nearly two weeks to the 17 May to enable more people to have their say.

The NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has been listening carefully to stakeholder groups which is why we are giving farmers and landholders across the state extra time to respond.

The Water for Bushfire Preparedness and Firefighting Proposed Approach Paper outlines changes that would make it easier for NSW landholders to lawfully take small volumes of water to fight bushfires that threaten their properties.

It includes a potential new exemption that could be introduced quickly. If implemented, this would be reviewed after a few years to determine whether it should transition to a basic landholder right under the Water Management Act 2000.

The current laws allow rural fire brigades and their officers to take water from a water source to extinguish or control a fire without a licence. But landholders themselves are only exempt if there is an emergency and they have received a lawful direction from an authorised officer.

There are no provisions at the moment for farmers or landholders to extract water from rivers or aquifers to help them prepare for imminent bushfires or fight active fires on their own land without holding water licences that can cost many thousands of dollars.

It’s why the government set up a technical advisory group to review and address this issue. A range of policy options have been assessed and the department is now proposing a new regulatory framework that is simpler and more accessible to landholders, while still being enforceable

To view the documents and share your views, go to Water for bushfire preparedness and firefighting.

A What We Heard report will be published mid-year.

Executive Director Strategy and Policy – Water, NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Kaia Hodge said:

“Community consultation plays a critical role in shaping the way water is managed across the state which is why we take the views of stakeholders seriously.

“We received a request from NSW Farmers to extend the consultation period to give people more time to respond, which is why we have pushed the deadline out to 17 May.

“I encourage everyone to use this time to share their feedback on the proposed changes for water for bushfire preparedness and firefighting because every submission counts.”