Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:C2024C00557:section:86ad
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:C2024C00557
Segment Type: section
Provision Reference: s 86AD
Character Range: 296230–298808

86AD  Purposes of the Water for the Environment Special Account
 (1) This section sets out the purposes of the Water for the Environment Special Account.
 (2) Amounts standing to the credit of the Water for the Environment Special Account may be debited for any of the following purposes:
 (a) making payments in relation to projects whose aim is to contribute to the integrated management of the Basin water resources in a way that promotes the objects of this Act and has a substantial aim of furthering the object of this Part, for example by doing one or more of the following:
 (i) improving the water efficiency of the infrastructure that uses Basin water resources for irrigation;
 (ii) improving the water efficiency of any other infrastructure that delivers, stores or drains Basin water resources for the primary purpose of providing water for irrigation;
 (iii) improving or modifying any infrastructure (including bridges and roads) that constrains the delivery of environmental water to the environmental assets of the Murray‑Darling Basin in order to ease or remove those constraints;
 (iv) better utilising existing dams and storages to deliver environmental water to the environmental assets of the Murray‑Darling Basin;
 (v) entering agreements to acquire an interest in, or in relation to, land (including easements) to facilitate environmental watering of the environmental assets of the Murray‑Darling Basin;
 (vi) improving the rules, policies, practices and procedures in relation to the use and management of the Basin water resources;
 (b) purchasing water access rights in relation to Basin water resources for the purpose of increasing the volume of the Basin water resources that is available for environmental use by 450 gigalitres;
 (c) making any other payments to address any detrimental social or economic impact on the wellbeing of any community in the Murray‑Darling Basin that is associated with a project or purchase referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) so as to offset any such impact;
 (d) meeting the expenses of administering the Account.
 (2A) To avoid doubt, a project mentioned in subsection (2) may contribute to the integrated management of the Basin water resources in a way that promotes the objects of this Act, and has a substantial aim of furthering the object of this Part, whether the project satisfies both, or only one of, paragraphs 86AA(3)(a) and (b).
 (3) For the purposes of this section, the expenses of administering the Water for the Environment Special Account do not include the cost of salaries of the Department.