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Murray Darling Basin water theft cases increase in NSW, fall in Victoria in 2020-21

The number of water theft offences in the Murray Darling Basin catchment areas has increased. See the breakdown of cases in NSW and Victoria.

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More water theft offences were detected in NSW’s Murray Darling Basin catchment areas in the 2020-21 financial year compared to 2019-20, despite the basin emerging from its most severe drought on record.

An analysis by The Weekly Times of records kept by NSW and Victorian water regulators found enforcement actions against water theft increased in NSW in the 2020-21 financial year, while in Victoria prosecutions for water theft increased while total water theft went down.

In NSW, the Natural Resources Access Regulator issued 186 penalty notices and 110 statutory notices – which include stop work orders – across eight major Murray Darling Basin catchment areas in 2020-21 for offences ranging from the construction of unauthorised water management works to water theft. Of those, nine have proceeded to the courts.

This number was a sharp increase on the 63 penalty notices and 87 statutory notices issued by NRAR in 2019-20.

A spokesperson said the regulator did not have access to the total amount of water stolen in each region.

NRAR chief regulatory officer Grant Barnes in a statement said the regulator inspected a record 5000 pumps and bores during the 2020-21 financial year and found about 70 per cent compliance across 2623 sites.

Most of the cases did not proceed to court.

The regulator in a statement said a prosecution “will only be commenced if legal advice indicates there are reasonable prospects of conviction”.

Of the cases that did proceed to court, the largest fine was issued to a cotton growing enterprise in the Moree area, which was fined a total of $252,000 for 43 charges relating to water theft from the Gwydir River. The company has appealed the severity of the fine.

A drought that crippled the Menindee Lakes on the Darling River broke in early 2021. Picture: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images
A drought that crippled the Menindee Lakes on the Darling River broke in early 2021. Picture: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

In Victoria, the total amount of water stolen from the Murray River fell significantly in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20, and fewer formal warnings were issued.

In the Upper and Central Murray, the amount of water stolen more than halved from 10,191ML in 2019-20 to 4388ML in 2020-21. While in the lower Murray, the amount of water stolen dropped from 1370ML in 2019-20 to 957ML in 2020-21.

Meanwhile Goulburn Murray Water stepped up its prosecution of water offences, finalising 25 matters in the courts and taking another 14 matters to court – a sharp increase on 2019-20 when just four matters were finalised in court.

The majority of cases taken to court did not result in a conviction. Fines for individuals ranged from $600 to $2500, while one company – Brownport Almonds – was ordered to pay court costs of $20,000 and donations to charities of $27,500.

GMW water use compliance and enforcement co-ordinator Chris Dalton in a statement said the company had “increased inspections to detect water theft, including checking customers whose usage exceeded their entitlement in the previous irrigation season”.

“The detection of even small volumes of water theft has led to a swift compliance and enforcement response,” Mr Dalton said.

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Original URL: https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/water/murray-darling-basin-water-theft-cases-increase-in-nsw-fall-in-victoria-in-202021/news-story/13a91e12403a29310412cdb58320dfe5