BBFAA Ltd invites dialogue with groups representing the industry sector within Australia. As a service to the industry, general information and resources are available to groups and individual operators on the Industry Information page. For more information, leaders of groups can contact the BBFAA Divisional Committee in their State or Territory by emailing admin@australianbedandbreakfast.com.au
Safe Drinking Water Bill
The draft Safe Drinking Water Bill has been released for public consultation along with an Explanatory Paper which provides an overview of the Bill including descriptions of key elements.
A consolidated table of comments received in response to the Discussion Paper (released June 2009) is also available.
While Bed and Breakfast Farmstay and Accommodation Australia indicated overall support for the introduction of the Bill, concerns were raised relating to the cost of testing and auditing. It was also suggested that rainwater providers could be exempt from the requirements of the Bill and adopt a self-regulatory approach instead.
As a result of consultation, a number of amendments have been incorporated in the Bill to reduce impacts on small business and local government resources including
exempting premises that supply rainwater from tanks for drinking (e.g. accommodation premises, restaurants) subject to a notice being provided to guests/users about the source. This is consistent with existing advice that while rainwater from well maintained systems is generally safe use of rainwater as a source of drinking water is a personal decision.
exempting discretionary rainwater and bore water supplies provided at public recreational areas, e.g. national parks and reserves
combining drinking water inspections with other audits and existing accreditation programs where possible
Letters will be sent out to stakeholders this week inviting comment on the Bill until 10 September 2010. Information sessions will be held (at this stage in the Barossa Valley and metro Adelaide) as part of the consultation process.
Further advice including dates and locations will be provided closer to the event.
