A river system where no major dams or weir structures have been built to regulate the supply, or extraction, of water for consumptive use.

A fee that does depend on the volume of water used.

See also fixed charges.

A dispute resolution service which hears and determines a wide range disputes.

These include sale and ownership of real property, use or flow of water between properties, local council land valuations and planning permits, and disciplinary proceedings across professions and industries.

The legislation that governs the way surface water and groundwater entitlements are issued and allocated in Victoria.

It defines water entitlements, establishes the mechanisms for managing Victoria's water resources and relates to the governance and operation of rural and urban water corporations.

The legislation that established the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to manage the Basin’s water resources and prepare the Basin Plan.

It also established the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to manage the Commonwealth’s environmental water, charged the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to develop and enforce water charge and water market rules and gave the Bureau of Meteorology powers to collect and publish water information.

An arrangement under which a water corporation supplies water to a customer in its water district, under terms and conditions set by the corporation.

Now called water corporations, although sometimes referred to as authorities in their role as a licensing authority.

Organisations charged with supplying water to people in towns, farmers and other water users across Victoria for urban, industrial and commercial use.

They administer the diversion of water from waterways and the extraction of groundwater.

The corporation must provide the service of delivering water to the owner or occupier of each serviced property in its irrigation district at the volumes and for the periods determined by the corporation.

A right to receive water allocations, depending on resource availability.

An unbundled water entitlement is a water share.

A bundled water entitlement may be one of several types; most commonly take and use licences, water allowances, and supply by agreements.

Generally, a shorthand way of referring to a take and use licence.

This can be confusing, as there are other types of water licences – for example, works licences and water-use licences, which are very different entitlements.

It is better to use the name of the entitlement type.

The Water Register is a public register that records water-related entitlements in Victoria.

It holds water shares recorded by the Water Registrar, together with mortgages and limited term transfers (leases) relevant to these water shares, records of licences to take and use surface water and groundwater, and records of works-related licences.

The register also holds records of water allocations available in the current season and tracks and reconciles volumes of water entitlements by water system and trading zone.

It generates statistics and reports on levels of use, directions of trade, and prices paid.

Victoria's Water Registrar records transactions on water shares including transfers, mortgages, limited term transfers and discharges of mortgage.

The Registrar is also responsible for the Water Register system and the accuracy, reliability and accessibility of records.

A water share is a legally recognised, ongoing entitlement to a share of the water available in a defined water system.

It gives the owner a right to a share of water in the dams.

The volume of a water share is defined as a maximum amount of allocation that can be made against it each year.

Features of a water share include
its water system, such as the Goulburn, Murray or Macalister;
its reliability, which can be high or low, and the volume, e.g. 100 megalitres (ML).

The transfer of ownership of a water share. When you buy water share you are not also buying the allocation. Transferring the water share does not transfer the allocation account (ABA) or any water in it.
The buyer only receives new allocation announced to the water share after the Water Registrar has recorded
the transfer.

An area declared under the Water Act 1989 to protect the groundwater or surface water resources by developing a management plan.

A body of water which is managed as a unit for the purposes of supplying water users.

River basin or groundwater management unit from where the water is sourced for regulated and unregulated systems.

Types include regulated, unregulated, groundwater, recycled, stormwater, managed aquifer recharge and wetlands.

A licence that authorises the use of water for the purposes of irrigation on the land specified in that licence.

An authorisation to use water for purposes other than irrigation.