Alberton Water Board

Full description

The Legislative Assembly resolved that the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission (VA 723) and each constituted water, sewerage, drainage and river improvement authority (except the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works) be referred to the Public Bodies Review Committee for Review in April 1980. This resulted in the recommendation by the Public Bodies Review Committee that the various water and sewerage authorities be abolished and a new structure set up. This re-structuring was legislated by the Water and Sewerage Authorities (Restructuring) Act 1983 (Act No. 9895). The objectives of this Act were the following:

- to create interim administrative arrangements designed to facilitate the effective and efficient operation of the urban water industry in Victoria,
- to make that industry more structurally coherent and to reduce its geographical and functional fragmentation,
- to reduce the total number of bodies responsible for the supply of water and sewerage services,
- to define the role of the Minister in the development of new structures and procedures in the urban water industry, and
- to promote the more efficient, economic and effective allocation and utilization of the State's water resources.

As a result of this Act, new water and sewerage authorities referred to as Water Boards were created by Order-in-Council and the details of their constitution were published in the Government Gazette.

Under this Act, the Alberton Water Board was constituted by an Order-in-Council dated the 20th of November 1983. Alberton - Port Albert Waterworks Trust (VA 4721), Yarram Waterworks Trust (VA 4727) and Yarram Sewerage Authority (VA 4728) were abolished and their geographical areas, functions, land, liabilities, obligations, powers, property, rights and employees became the responsibility of the new Water Board. The boundaries of the former Waterworks Trusts, Urban Districts, and Sewerage Districts became the boundaries of the new Water Board. The Board was to consist of seven members elected by the ratepayers of the Alberton Water Board Electoral District, which comprised the former Alberton - Port Albert Waterworks District and the Yarram Waterworks District.

The Order-in-Council was enforced from the 1st of January 1984, and continued until a further program of structural reform took place under the Water Act 1989 (Act No. 80/1989). Under this Act, the South Gippsland Region Water Authority was constituted by Order-in-Council. This was to take effect from the 1st of January 1995. This Order stated that the South Gippsland Region Water Authority was responsible for the staff, liabilities, obligations, land, property and functions of the Alberton Water Board from that date.