Central Queensland water planning

Right now, we have separate water plans for the Fitzroy Basin, Boyne River Basin, and Calliope River Basin areas that will expire in the next few years and need be replaced. The coastal basins of Styx, Shoalwater and Waterpark do not fall under any water plans currently. Water in these areas is managed under the Water Act 2000 and the Water Regulation 2016 (e.g. Farnborough underground water area).

These water systems are connected either naturally or through infrastructure, and we think it would work better if we managed them under one Central Queensland (CQ) water plan. We are considering this change as we review the 3 water plans that need to be replaced.

A CQ water plan would join the current water plan areas in the region into a single plan while also bringing the coastal basins of Styx, Shoalwater and Waterpark into Queensland’s water planning framework.

To give us enough time for this work, the Minister for Water has extended the expiry of the existing water plans to June 2028:

View our impact analysis statement for this extension.

The proposed water plan area

The proposed CQ water plan area combines 3 existing water plan areas, and incorporates the coastal areas of Styx Basin, Shoalwater Basin and Waterpark Basin. This area will cover 155,795km2 in the CQ region.

Map showing the proposed boundaries for the Central Queensland water plan area that includes Fitzroy, Calliope River, Boyne River, Waterpark, Shoalwater and Styx basins.

Map showing the proposed Central Queensland water plan area

Multiple new water infrastructure projects are being considered across the CQ region. These, along with new and emerging industries in the region, will have significant impacts for water needs and use.

Related projects that we have considered with this proposal:

  • The process to review and replace the Fitzroy Basin water plan is already underway and the public feedback we’ve received so far will still be considered if we develop a CQ water plan.
  • A CQ water plan would align well with the federally-funded CQ regional water assessment which is focusing on regional economic development and urban water security solutions in the same region.
  • Construction of the Fitzroy to Gladstone pipeline is underway to deliver water from the Fitzroy Basin to the Gladstone region. A CQ water plan would cover both these regions and help people be more aware of how their water resources are shared across the wider water plan area.

Public consultation

The first round of public consultation closed on 4 November 2024.

We asked people to read about how water is managed now, along with these main topics we are considering as we review these arrangements:

Timeline

The process to review and replace water plans takes several years to complete. Learn more about the 5 steps of the process.

We are now at step 2 of the review process where we are:

  • reading your submissions
  • meeting with peak bodies, First Nations groups, other community groups, businesses and other interested people
  • meeting with the CQ water planning working group
  • asking our scientific partners for their guidance
  • meeting with other major project teams, including the CQ regional water assessment stakeholder advisory group
  • evaluating all the things we’ve heard
  • deciding if we progress with the proposal based on the overall opinion of the feedback. If not, we will use your feedback to review and replace the existing Fitzroy Basin, Calliope River Basin, and Boyne River Basin water plans before they expire.

Future status

Step 3: We will release of the draft new water plan(s) for a second round of public consultation anticipated in 2025-26.

Step 4: In 2027 we will review the submissions for the draft water plan/s and feedback to finalise the work. This step is completed when the new plan(s) is/are passed by Parliament and become(s) law. We call this an “enacted plan”.

Step 5: Our new enacted water plan or replacement water plans will be released in 2028.

Enquiries

Also consider…