Big splash over $4 water levy

But the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation has rubbished the claim from Labor finance spokesman Clayton Barr, saying government has no intention to break the 12-year agreement and start charging a $4 Torrens Assurance Fund fee for water access licences.

Mr Barr has been critical of government over its plans to privatise Land and Property Information services and direct $1 billion to other NSW projects. 

In January it was reported the money from the sale of the service would be used to upgrade Sydney’s sports stadiums. 

Last month Mr Barr revealed a government circular that showed LPI application fees for title registrations and boundaries would be rising $27 to $136.30 for each transaction. 

Government said the new standardised pricing for document lodgement made for a more simplified and transparent fee structure, while adding that some administrative processes would now be cheaper. 

The department also said the fee changes would be revenue-neutral.

But Mr Barr says it is part of a plan to make the service as lucrative as possible to a prospective buyer. 

This week he was on the attack again, alleging government would also begin collecting a $4 Torrens Assurance Fund fee from the 380,000 water access licences across the state – which would add another $1.52 million to the service’s revenue. 

Mr Barr said government has forgiven the $4 fee since 2004 as there was no need to protect against legal challenges to ownership, unlike other property titles. 

“At the end of the day, an extra $4 is nothing for one water licence holder,” Mr Barr said. 

“But it’s the principal of it all. It’s like going to a restaurant, getting charged for your steak and a drink, but they never bought the drink out.  

“You’re being charged for something that you haven’t – and won’t – receive. It’s just another fee rolled into the government kitty as they try and fatten LPI up for sale.” 

A department spokesman hosed down the claims and said government had no plans to collect the $4 fee for water access licences under the new LPI fee structure.  

“The $4… will only be applied in relation to Torrens title dealings, not to Water Access Licence dealings or deeds such as powers of attorney,” the spokesman said.