The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched a review of water charge rules in the Murray-Darling Basin.

The consumer watchdog has put out an issues paper that includes a call for submissions on potential changes to national water charge rules.

The ACCC’s review will consider issues including:

  • the consistency of water charging regimes across the Murray-Darling Basin;
  • the appropriateness of the tiered regulatory approach for infrastructure charges;
  • how the water charge rules could apply to any charges imposed by intergovernmental entities such as the Murray-Darling Basin Authority;
  • opportunities to improve regulatory clarity and efficiency; and
  • opportunities to reduce costs to industry and governments.

“The ACCC is seeking input from irrigators, infrastructure operators, Basin States, and other interested parties. By making a submission on the questions set out in the issues paper, interested parties can help inform our review of the rules and our advice on possible amendments” ACCC Commissioner Cristina Cifuentes said.

Opportunities for feedback are accessible here.

South Australia’s Renmark Irrigation Trust says it welcomes the review.

The irrigation trust's presiding member, Peter Duggin, says cutting red tape should be a priority.

“We're a small fry in the scheme of this thing, so many of the obligations that are passed onto the bigger companies aren't borne by us but as I said as an industry we're certainly concerned at all the costs that are being shifted onto the end user, which is essentially ... the person that buys the water and uses the water for an agricultural purpose,” he told reporters.

“We believe there's large amounts of duplication.

“There's a lot of information being collected that we're pretty aware isn't being utilised.

“We're essentially saying these are all costs that are being passed onto our business and there's absolutely no benefit coming back to us.”