1st October 2025
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC) has welcomed the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal's (IPART) final operating expense determination for the Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (WAMC), which has secured funding of $443 million over the next four years. This amount will ensure that the NSW water regulators can meet their legally binding environmental and compliance obligations.
"This is a positive outcome for rivers, wetlands and communities right across the state," NCC Water Campaigner Mel Gray said.
"IPART has recognised the growing costs of implementing and complying with the Water Management Act 2000, and has made sure WAMC has the resources it needs to deliver on its obligations to protect our environment and manage water efficiently and sustainably."
The final determination represents a 46% increase in funding compared with the previous period, with WAMC able to recover all efficient costs it incurs in meeting environmental obligations through water pricing and government contributions.
"Properly funding WAMC is essential to ensure strong and fair regulation of water - without it, we risk over-extraction, degraded rivers, and communities losing confidence in the system.
"This funding will enable better water rules to be developed. We all want to see an end to the big fishkills, and for water theft to be properly policed," Ms Gray said.
While WAMC's full request was not granted, IPART's decision will ensure unjustified and duplicative costs will not be incurred while confirming that the resources necessary for efficient water delivery is secure.
"This determination shows that protecting the environment is not optional - it's central to good water management and to ecologically sustainable development, as required by law. We welcome IPART's recognition of that," Ms Gray said.
