TOWARDS HEALTHIER RIVER SYSTEMS: A FLAWED PROCESS

摘要

The Water Policy Agreement put in place by the Council of Australian Governments in 1994, and endorsed by successive high level policy groups, signalled a new urgency by governments, state and federal, to pursue efficient, sustainable use of water in Australia. Foremost among the reforms was a commitment to allocation of water to the environment as a legitimate user of water. However, implementation of arbitrary and unrealistic measures to satisfy ill-defined and unsubstantiated environmental water requirements may well prove counter-productive to the achievement of consensus in the redistribution of demand for water between existing and emerging uses and values, and compromise the process of water reform. A more professional and responsible approach would see conflicting claims on the resource documented in a credible manner, and best practice in the management of water for in-stream, as well as off-stream purposes, made mandatory.