Changes to the Aboriginal Water Reserve 2025

Minister for Water Resources, Joshua Burgoyne has introduced the Water Amendment (Aboriginal Water Reserves) Bill 2025 (Water Amendment Bill) in Parliament last week. The changes will cut red tape to provide simpler and streamlined approval processes so that water can be used for Aboriginal economic development. These amendments will empower Aboriginal landowners to have a more active role in decision-making on water activation for the economic benefit of Aboriginal people and the Territory.

The changes are:

• Clarifying the relationship between eligible Aboriginal land and the water resource being managed under a water allocation plan
• clarifying and streamlining consultation requirements
• removing the need for prescriptive consent regulations
• enabling the Controller of Water Resources to grant a water extraction licence if he or she are satisfied that the applicant:
  • is an eligible Aboriginal person or
  • has an agreement with the eligible Aboriginal people.

These changes remove the NT Government’s role in prescribing a consent process. This allows eligible Aboriginal people to determine how and who gives consent for a person to apply for a water licence from the reserve.

To read more about this visit the Departments information regarding changes to water legislation.