Provide information or report a breach

If you are concerned that someone has done something that is inconsistent, or in breach of the Basin Plan or an accredited water resource plan, please share your concerns with the MDBA. You can use the form below to provide us with the information we need to further explore your matter. You can remain anonymous if you prefer.

Allegations of non-compliance with the water resource plans should be reported to the relevant State government agency in the first instance, as State governments have day to day responsibility for regulating water and investigating allegations of water theft and non-compliance. However, the MDBA does have a role in overseeing compliance with the Water Act, the Basin Plan or an accredited water resource plan, and can receive and address allegations.

If the issue falls within our area of responsibility we will assess your issue and may respond in a number of ways. This may include:

seeking more information from you
contacting the person who is alleged to have contravened the rules
tracking and monitoring their activities
gathering more evidence
conducting a formal investigation.

Examples of breaches under the Water Act, Basin Plan or an accredited water resource plan include:

illegal water take
breaches of water access license conditions
meters that have been tampered with or disconnected
illegal physical barriers that impact on the delivery or harvesting of water
trade rules that restrict the free trade of water access rights.

Information to report

The following information would be helpful:

who was/is involved?
what type of activity is taking place?
when did the activity or incident take place? Is it still going on?
where is the activity taking place?
why is the activity being done?
how is the activity being carried out? (Please describe the activity in as much detail as you can provide.)
can we contact you for further information (and if so, what is the best way to do so)?

Report a breach/information form

General information

Please complete this section if you have general information about compliance to provide to the MDBA

Information about an alleged incident

Please complete this section if you would like to report an allegation of non-compliance

Area of non-compliance? (Choose one) *

If other, please specify

How did you become aware of this information (this will remain confidential within the MDBA). Choose from the drop-down list:

What has occurred (include as much specific information as possible i.e. names, position, dates, witnesses) *

If available, please describe any supporting documentation you may have e.g. photographs of alleged action, copies of documents (please attach supporting documentation at the end of this form)

Where did the incident occur? e.g. the location of the potential breach (location, town, state, office, department or business)

Have you raised your concerns with any other agency or organisation? If yes, please provide details *

Anonymity status (Choose one) *

Contact Details

Do you agree to the MDBA contacting you to obtain further information regarding the allegation? (Choose one)

Yes

Full name:

Contact number:

Email:

Preferred contact method (Choose one):

Phone

Choose a date from the calendar for us to contact you

Year

Month

Day

Choose a time for us to contact you

By submitting this report you are agreeing to the possibility of the MDBA passing information about this matter on to a state compliance agency. Do you have any concerns/issues about the MDBA sharing the information you are providing? If yes, please provide details.

Attachment/s

Files must be less than 8 MB.
Allowed file types: gif jpg jpeg png txt rtf pdf doc docx xls xlsx.

Total Files must be less than 8 MB.
Allowed file types: gif jpg jpeg png txt rtf pdf doc docx xls xlsx.
Individual files greater than 2MB can be emailed to Compliance@mdba.gov.au - please note on your email that you have reported a breach.

Secure information

This form uses secure communications to protect privacy.

The MDBA will ensure that the information you provide is handled in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). You can read the privacy policy and security information prior to using this page. For enquiries or requests relating to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) please contact the Privacy Contact Officer at email privacy@mdba.gov.au or phone 1800 230 067.

More information

Making a report

You can make a report by:

Using the online form above
Email compliance@mdba.gov.au
Phone: 1800 630 114

Anonymity

You can remain anonymous, but please keep in mind that your decision for anonymity may limit our ability to conduct a complete investigation.

Confirmation that your report was received

You will receive an automatic notification when your report is submitted.

If you have chosen not to remain anonymous (to the MDBA) and agree that the MDBA may contact you to obtain additional information, you will be contacted by the MDBA Office of Compliance. You will also receive an email or letter acknowledging your report.

Providing further information

You can add further information to your report once it has been lodged. This can be done using a new Report a breach/information form, via email or by telephone (contact details are listed above).

Once a report is lodged

The information you provide is sent to the MDBA's Office of Compliance. An officer will then be assigned and will undertake a review of the information you have provided. They may contact you to confirm or seek further information if necessary.
What happens next depends on a range of factors including how much information you have provided and how serious the matter is. We may refer some matters on to a Basin state government and seek further information, including about what action they may be taking. Please refer to the MDBA's Protocol for handling allegations and information about non-compliance for further information.

No breach has been found

If you have information that you think might be helpful, we encourage you to let us know. Even if your report is resolved with no further action, the information can still be helpful to the MDBA.

Someone else has information but won't report it

Encourage the person to lodge the report and help them gather the necessary information. If the person is worried about providing their information, advise them that the report can remain anonymous.

Update on a lodged report

The MDBA will review the information provided and assess whether there is enough information to investigate further. If you choose to provide your name, contact details and agree for the MDBA to contact you to obtain additional information, you will receive the following updates:

Notification when your report has been allocated to an Officer within the Compliance team
If appropriate, advice that your report has been referred to another agency for investigation
The outcome of your report (including if the MDBA has decided to take no further action).