Robust compliance

We have strengthened our compliance framework to give Queenslanders confidence that our water resources are being managed fairly, consistently and responsibly.

We have reviewed how we approach compliance to:

• identify opportunities for improvements
• address the recommendations from the independent audit
• meet Queensland’s commitments in the Murray-Darling Basin Compliance Compact.

The department’s regulatory role is to ensure that water is managed fairly and responsibly, and to make best use of our water resources by delivering sustainable, safe, secure and affordable water to all Queenslanders. To ensure we have a consistent and fair approach across the state, we:

• are transparent about our regulatory approach and publish a compliance plan each year which outlines our areas of focus
• deliver proactive compliance activities targeted towards areas of highest risk
• report our compliance activities and undertake analysis to track performance and identify opportunities for improvement
• continually review and update our compliance policies, procedures and guidelines.

We will continue to strengthen our approach to compliance. Deliverables under the Rural Water Futures Program and the Australian Government’s Hydrometric Networks and Remote Sensing (HNRS) Program provide access to information, tools and systems to enhance how we deliver our regulatory role.

We have also developed a performance excellence framework to enable us to assess and report on our performance as a non-urban water resource manager.

Read the Rural Water Futures progress report (PDF, 3.3MB) to find out what the program has delivered in 2022-23.

Projects and timelines

More information

• Read about our role as a water regulator and our regulatory strategy.
• Read our Progress report 2023 (PDF, 3.3MB)
• Read our progress and performance report 2021 (PDF, 1.5MB)
• Read our progress and performance report 2020 (PDF, 1.4MB).
• Read our performance review report 2019 (PDF, 1.2MB).