New safe drinking water laws

Overview

The Northern Territory (NT) Government is developing new safe drinking water legislation to improve protection of drinking water quality.

NT Health and Power and Water have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place to help ensure that drinking water supplied to over 90% of the NT’s population adheres to water quality parameters set out in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. More information is available on the Power and Water website.

However the NT does not have a standalone drinking water law in place.

Priority Action 1 under the Territory Water Plan is a commitment for the NT Government to introduce safe drinking water legislation by 2024.

Drivers for change

Everyone has the right to safe and secure water for drinking and sanitation. The NT Government has heard that communities want to know more about their water, including knowing about how water quality is managed and tested.

Increased regulation of drinking water quality will help reduce the risk of public health impacts caused from drinking poor quality water.

A new Safe Drinking Water Act

NT Health is drafting a Safe Drinking Water Bill which will be ready for introduction to the Legislative Assembly by the end of 2024.

If passed into law, commencement of the Safe Drinking Water Act will be likely staged over 1-3 years.

It will apply to providers who supply drinking water to the public. This includes Power and Water, and other providers who supply water to towns and communities like Jabiru and Nhulunbuy.

It will not apply to domestic self-supply of water.

As the regulator, NT Health will be able to set and enforce standards for all public water supplies in the Territory.

The new legislation will provide drinking water providers with directions on how to ensure the safety of drinking water, including testing and monitoring of drinking water supplies.

NT Health will work with drinking water providers to help them understand any new requirements. NT Health is consulting with drinking water providers, as well as public health and Aboriginal representative groups throughout drafting of the Bill.

For more information about the proposed legislation email NT Health envirohealth.THS@nt.gov.au