About the course
Understanding and complying with NSW water laws helps protect our resources and ensures communities and the environment get a fair share. NRAR's Education team developed the self-paced, free online course in partnership with TAFE NSW
🕑 The course will take approximately 2 hours to complete.
💰 There is no cost. All modules are free.
Who can do the course?
The course is targeted at primary producers and rural landholders. This includes small acreage/hobby farmers and rural industries. However, anyone interested in understanding NSW water laws and regulations is welcome to enrol in the course.
There are no prior learning or prerequisite requirements.
Course content
Mandatory modules
There are two compulsory modules
1. Introduction
- Acknowledgement of country
- Video
2. Understanding the conversation
- Strahler stream order
- Key terminology
- Water plans
- Regulated and unregulated river systems
- Impacts of non-compliance
Elective modules
You can choose to access any or all of these modules.
1. Basic landholder rights
The topics in this module are;
- What are basic landholder rights?
- Stock and domestic rights
- Harvestable rights
- Native title rights
2. Works approvals and licenced water take
To take and use water in NSW beyond your basic landholder rights, you will need certain licences and approvals. This module explains what these are and how they work. the topics include;
- How water is allocated
- The licences and approvals you need
- What you get with a water access licence
- Understanding conditions
3. Working on waterfront land
This module looks at your obligations when working on waterfront land. It explains your legal obligations and identifies the tools available to help you meet them. The topics include;
- What is a controlled activity?
- What is waterfront land?
- Do all waterfront land works need an approval?
- How to get an approval?
4. Non-urban water metering
The topics covered in this module includes;
- The NSW metering framework
- Do these rules apply to you?
- Compliance timeline
- Reporting requirements
5. Floodplain harvesting
This module introduces the new NSW floodplain harvesting policy to regulate floodplain water take through licensing, measurement, and management. It explores the social, cultural and environmental impacts of floodplain harvesting and explains your responsibilities for compliance under the new rules. The topics include:
- Floodplain management
- What is floodplain harvesting?
- Licensing and measurement framework
- Improving Floodplain Connections program
An E-tool component
The e-tool component is a decision tree that will guide you to the elective modules that most benefit your water compliance knowledge.