NRAR’s regulatory priorities focus on areas, activities or industries that may not be compliant with water laws or could harm the environment or community. These priorities help us focus our efforts where they are needed most.
There are two types of priorities:
- Priority projects – These are short-term or urgent issues that need action.
- Enduring priorities – These are long-term issues that need ongoing attention and support.
Priority projects
NRAR’s priority projects focus on smaller, solvable problems that can cause serious harm if left unchecked. We aim to fix them by understanding the issue, helping people follow the rules, and enforcing the law when needed.
We use feedback from communities, learnings from past projects, and data to identify risks. Every quarter, we review these risks to decide if they should become a priority project. Project details are shared publicly before they begin.
How we decide on our priority projects
NRAR’s priority projects focus on the most important problems first. We use expert knowledge, data and new technology to find and fix issues.
We look at:
- places or activities where rules are often broken
- risks to the environment and other water users
- how serious and fixable the problem is
- weather events or seasonable factors that may make the issue worse
- where we can make the biggest positive change.
In 2025, we introduced a new, more flexible approach to managing our priorities. Instead of following a strict annual cycle, we now respond to risks as they arise and continue working on a project until the issue is fully resolved. This shift allows us to be more effective and flexible.
Currently, all priority projects are in the planning phase, where we carefully assess each issue. Projects will be listed here once they move into the implementation phase, when we begin actively engaging with stakeholders and applying regulatory tools.
Stay tuned! Once projects are ready for implementation, they will be outlined below
Our enduring priorities
Enduring priorities focus on activities or values that have a long-term impact on water management in NSW. These issues are often complex, take time to solve, and may always be important to NRAR’s work. They guide how we make decisions and where we focus our efforts. Outlined below are our enduring priorities.
Accurate measurement
We will continue to ensure that water take is measured and reported accurately in line with the law.
Aboriginal cultural values
We will conduct our work with respect for the values of the Aboriginal peoples of NSW, understanding that water is a deeply important part of their relationship with the land.
Unlawful activity, significant harm
We will take action against water users who break the law in ways that cause significant harm to the environment, the community and to other water users
Unauthorised structures
We will regulate people with unauthorised structures on the floodplain that divert water away from the environment or from places and traditions of cultural significance.
FAQs
What does a regulatory priority project look like?
NRAR follows four clear steps to manage priority projects:
- Identify: We use data from licences, water use records, community reports, drones, and satellites to find areas that need attention.
- Understand: Our experts work together to learn more about the problem. We use this knowledge to choose the best tools to fix it.
- Support: We share information through campaigns and work with local groups to help people follow the rules. We offer advice and support to those who want to do the right thing.
- Enforce: If someone keeps breaking the rules, especially in priority areas, we will take strong action to stop the harm.
What priority areas has NRAR focused on in the past?
We review and update our priorities on an ongoing basis to account for new developments in our data and analytical tools. Annual priorities also allow NRAR to be responsive to the evolving needs of the community and the environment.
Previous regulatory priorities can be found below.