Water in the ACT needs to be managed within international, national, state/territory and local agreements, strategies and plans including:

• ACT legislation, strategies and plans for management of water quality, ecologically sustainable development, and conservation of biodiversity (e.g. Think water, act water, the National Capital Plan, the Territory Plan, the Canberra Spatial Plan, the Environment Protection Act 1997 [ACT] and theWater Resources Act (2007) [ACT]).
• the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement and other agreed strategies of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council
• Water Act 2007 (Cwlth), establishing the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to develop the Basin Plan under Commonwealth overarching control
• participation in the Council of Australian Governments’ Water Reform Framework, National Water Quality Management Strategy and National Water Initiative; and the National Resources Management and the Environmental Protection and Heritage ministerial councils
• agreements with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea concerning bird migration
• protection of Ramsar-listed sites (e.g. Ginini Flats wetlands) and
• the United Nations agreements on climate change, biological diversity and forestry.