The Water Management Act 2000 requires the NRC to formally review water sharing plans before a decision is made on whether they should be extended beyond their initial 10 year term. The NRC is to make recommendations to the Government on:

• the extent to which the plans have contributed to the achievement of (or the failure to achieve) the state-wide natural resource management Standard and targets in the relevant catchment area
• whether changes to the plans are warranted.

The NRC's recommendations are to be based on rigorous, impartial analysis of relevant scientific and socio-economic information. Further, the recommendations must consider input from stakeholders and public submissions, as well as relevant policies and agreements.