2019

The Parliament of the

Commonwealth of Australia

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Presented and read a first time

Water Amendment (Indigenous Authority Member) Bill 2019

No.      , 2019

(Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management)

A Bill for 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................................................................................... 1

3............ Schedules............................................................................................ 2

Schedule 1—Amendments                                                                                                3

Water Act 2007                                                                                                            3

A Bill for an Act to amend the Water Act 2007 in relation to the membership of the Murray‑Darling Basin Authority, and for related purposes

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.

Note:          This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted.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                   Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

Water Act 2007

1  Paragraph 177(b)

Repeal the paragraph, substitute:

                     (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:

          (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.