The Price is Right?

摘要

It's been 46 days since the new government was announced and we welcomed the new water minister, Tony Burke. The appointment of a new Minister presents an important opportunity to reexamine the federal government's water agenda.rnAs always, there will be plenty of armchair experts available to offer advice. It is therefore crucial that the new Minister also hears from those in the water sector who have a deep professional interest and experience.rnOne matter that troubles our elected representatives, but which is fundamental to rational resource allocation and economic viability is water pricing reform. This is not a new issue and, arguably, Australia has fared better than many other nations. For example, the 1994 COAG National Competition Policy reforms led to the removal of many hidden cross subsidies and anti-competitive rules and resulted in the water industry setting prices intended to cover the full cost of service provision.