Changes to WIC Act
See important information regarding changes to the Water Industry Competition Act on 1 March 2024.
Current regulatory framework
The Water Industry Competition Act 2006 (WIC Act) has been amended by the Water Industry Competition Amendment Act 2021, with changes commencing on 1 March 2024. The WIC Act, among other things, sets out when approvals and licences are required, the procedures for applying for an approval or licence, how application fees and annual licence fees are determined, and how licences are audited and enforced. The WIC Act is supported by the Water Industry Competition (General) Regulation 2024 (WIC Regulation) which sets out additional infrastructure to which the Act applies, infrastructure that is excluded from the Act, the standard approval and licence conditions, provider of last resort provisions including contingency planning and the deemed customer contract.
The regulatory instruments applicable to the water licensing regime established by the WIC Act are set out below.