New South Wales Consolidated Acts

WATER ACT 1912 - SECT 20B

20B Authority

(1) If no objection to the granting of the application has been lodged pursuant to section 20A (1A) or (1B) or the Ministerial Corporation has received the report of the Secretary or Magistrate upon any inquiry pursuant to section 20A (2), the Ministerial Corporation shall decide whether or not to grant the application.

(2) Where the Ministerial Corporation has decided to grant an application for an authority the Ministerial Corporation shall, on payment of the prescribed fee, issue to the applicants an authority for the joint water supply scheme for a period that, except in such circumstances as may be prescribed, does not exceed 10 years subject to such terms and conditions in respect of the taking of water as the Ministerial Corporation may deem fit and subject to such conditions in respect of the arrangements to be made between the applicants for the provision, construction, operation, maintenance and renewal of the works, the apportionment of the water taken by means of the works between the applicants to whom it is proposed to supply that water and the payments to be made in respect of each and all parts of the operations for the water supply as shall be determined by the Ministerial Corporation.

(2A) The Ministerial Corporation shall not issue an authority to the applicants therefor if any part of the land to which the application relates is not occupied by at least one of the applicants.

(3) If the applicants fail to pay to the Ministerial Corporation within the time prescribed the fee payable upon the issue of the authority the Ministerial Corporation may at any time thereafter reject the application.
When an application is rejected under this subsection the deposit accompanying such application or any part of such deposit may, in the discretion of the Ministerial Corporation, be retained by it.

(4) The prescribed fee is not payable in the case of an initial authority in respect of an existing work.