The Commission
The National Water Commission is responsible for driving progress towards the sustainable management and use of Australia's water resources under our blueprint for water reform - the National Water Initiative.
This intergovernmental agreement was signed by all governments at the June 2004 Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting, with the exception of Tasmania which signed the Agreement on 3 June 2005 and Western Australia which signed the Agreement on 6 April 2006.
Established under the National Water Commission Act 2004 , the Commission advises COAG and the Australian Government on national water issues and the progress of the National Water Initiative.
Under the Water Act 2007, the Commission has a new, ongoing function to audit the effectiveness of implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and associated water resource plans.
The Commission also has an assessment role for National Partnership Payments. This task is being undertaken under delegation from the COAG Reform Council.
Funding programs
The Commission manages 177 projects under the Raising National Water Standards Program.