River improvement trusts
About river improvement trusts
A river improvement trust (trust) is a statutory body constituted under the River Improvement Trust Act 1940 to protect and improve rivers, repair and prevent damage to rivers and prevent or mitigate flooding of land by riverine flood.
A local government may make an application or two or more local governments may make a joint application to the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines to have constituted, by regulation, a trust and an associated river improvement area. A trust has jurisdiction within its benefited river improvement area. A river improvement area may comprise all or part of one or more local government areas and may be amended by regulation.
The primary role of a trust is to plan, design, finance, undertake and maintain stream improvement works for the benefit of the community within its river improvement area. The River Improvement Trust Act 1940 provides a trust with the powers to undertake these functions including the ability to raise funds, enter land, occupy land, enter into contracts and carry out works.
At present there are 15 trusts in Queensland: five in the Darling Downs region, two in the Ipswich area in South East Queensland and eight located in the tropical north coast area between Mackay and Mossman.
The area comprising the river improvement area for each trust is stated in the Schedule in the River Improvement Trust Regulation 1988. Plans describing the river improvement areas are held by the department.
The trusts are statutory bodies under the Financial Accountability Act 2009 and the Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act 1982, and in each financial year are obliged to provide an annual report and audited financial statements to the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines.
The Minister is required to table, in the Queensland Parliament, either a copy of each annual report or prepare a summary report for the trusts. For a number of years, the Minister has tabled a summary report for the trusts.
Annual reports for River improvement trusts
- Summary of 2011-12 Annual Reports and Financial Statements of Queensland's River Improvement Trusts (PDF, 431K)*
- Summary of the 2010-11 Annual Reports and Financial Statements of Queensland's River Improvement Trusts (PDF)*
- Summary of 2009-10 Annual Reports and Financial Statements of Queensland's River Improvement Trusts (PDF, 340K)*
- Summary of 2008-09 Annual Reports and Financial Statements of Queensland's River Improvement Trusts (PDF, 485K)*
- Summary of 2007-08 Annual Reports and Financial Statements of Queensland's River Improvement Trusts (PDF, 219K)*
- Summary of 2006-07 Annual Reports and Financial Statements of Queensland's River Improvement Trusts
If you have difficulty downloading these documents, please contact:
Principal Project Officer, Water Entity Governance
Telephone: 07 3330 6089
Plans for river improvement trust areas
- Cairns River Improvement Trust (PDF, 291K)*
- Cardwell Shire River Improvement Trust (PDF, 264K)*
- Clifton River Improvement Trust (PDF, 320K)*
- Don River Improvement Trust (PDF, 157K)*
- Douglas River Improvement Trust (PDF, 208K)*
- Johnstone River Improvement Trust (PDF, 236K)*
- Jondaryan River Improvement Trust:
- Pioneer River Improvement Trust (PDF, 287K)*
- Scenic Rim (formerly Boonah) River Improvement Trust:
- Stanthorpe River Improvement Trust (PDF, 318K)*
- Wambo River Improvement Trust:
- Warwick River Improvement Trust:
- Whitsunday River Improvement Trust (PDF, 171K)*
Public interest disclosures
On 1 January 2011, the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010 (PID Act) replaced the Whistleblowers Protection Act 1994 (WP Act). The PID Act provides reforms and reinforcement of existing provisions for the effective management of public interest disclosures (PIDs).
Section 28 of the PID Act requires trusts, as public sector entities to establish and publish procedures to deal with PIDs.
To facilitate a trusts' compliance with this and other provisions of the PID Act, DNRM has developed a procedure by which trusts may manage any PIDs made to them. DNRM has compiled these procedures in a document titled, Procedure for Managing Public Interest Disclosures (PDF, 136K)* (PMPID). Trusts are able to both formally adopt the procedures in this document as their own, and cite the DNRM web address of the document in their annual reports when referring to their responsibilities under the PID Act.
Importantly for both trusts and any member of the public seeking to make a PID to a trust, the document highlights:
- what constitutes a PID
- to whom a PID may be made
- how a PID may be addressed
- the responsibilities of the chairperson of the trust, should a PID be made to the entity.
Responsibilities of trust chairpersons, which may be carried out in consultation with DNRM, include:
- ensuring all relevant persons are aware of the trust's procedures for managing PIDs and where to access them
- assessing any PID made to the trust, and then investigating or delegating the investigation to DNRM or the Crime and Misconduct Commission
- assessing and implementing any actions following the outcome of a PID investigation
- reporting any PIDs to the Public Service Commission
- coordinating support and protection for disclosers, and support for subject officers.
A PID may be made to any of the following:
- the chairperson of the trust
- the manager of the Ethics Unit with the DNRM
- the Crime and Misconduct Commission
- a member of the Legislative Assembly.
Further generally, is available at the website of the Public Service Commission.
Contact us
Principal Project Officer, Water Entity Governance
Telephone: 07 3330 6089
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Last updated 29 January 2013
