Information on Regulatory Responsibilities
As a rural water corporation, we regulate water-related activities under the Water Act 1989 and related legislation. This includes administering licences and approvals, monitoring compliance, and taking enforcement action when required.
Our regulatory responsibilities include:
- taking and using water from waterways, groundwater and declared systems
- compliance with licence and permit conditions
- metering and water take monitoring
- unlawful works, such as illegal dams, bores or unauthorised interference with meters and infrastructure
- declared recreational areas and houseboats on Lake Eildon
Water and Catchments Regulatory Framework
Our approach is guided by the Water and Catchments Regulatory Framework which supports consistent, transparent and fair regulation across Victoria’s water sector.
Strategy
Our approach to compliance and enforcement is risk-based and responsive, so our actions reflect the seriousness of the offence. GMW has a Compliance and Enforcement Strategy which sets out how GMW investigates and acts on any non-compliance quickly and in a transparent and consistent manner.
GMW is continuing to invest in modern metering and telemetry to improve monitoring of groundwater and surface water use. For more information please refer to our Metering Action Plan.
Your rights and obligations
You must comply with the Water Act 1989, related regulations, by-laws, licence conditions and any restrictions or bans. Before you take and use water, undertake works, access regulated recreational areas or operate a houseboat, make sure you:
- have the right authorisations
- have enough water available in your entitlement and allow enough time for Temporary or Permanent Trades to be processed
- check your meter reading and water usage against your licenced volume
- check if restrictions and/or bans apply
Report suspected non-compliance
If you suspect unauthorised take of water, unlawful works, meter interference or another possible breach of the Water Act 1989 or related legislation, please contact us by:
You can remain anonymous when submitting information, but please keep in mind that your decision for anonymity may limit our ability to conduct a complete investigation.
Targets and reporting
We report our compliance and enforcement activities each year in our Annual Report. This supports transparency, accountability and continuous improvement.
GMW has adopted state-wide targets for unauthorised take. We aim for:
- no more than one per cent of volume of total water taken is above authorisation, and
- no more than three per cent of accounts are to be in negative at any time.
More information
Further information and links
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action resources: