Media Release
October 15 2008
Changes to water law: Enough for a sustainable future?
Acute
water scarcity has seen a water law “revolution” in Australia over the
last 15 years - but has it been enough for a sustainable future?
UniSA’s School of Law and Centre for Comparative Water Policies and Laws has drawn together some of the nation’s leading academics, judges and policy developers for the Australian Sustainability Laws and Water Management: The Future symposium to debate these issues as part of this year’s Water Week.
South Australian Minister for the River Murray and Water Security, the Hon Karlene Maywald MP will deliver the opening keynote address.
UniSA Professor of Law and co-convenor of the symposium, Vicki Waye says that robust debate is essential to examine how new sustainable water-use policies are being implemented and what further improvements are needed for sustainable water management.
“In Australia the problem of water management is vast and complex. It is a particular challenge to balance water extraction for household and agricultural needs with enough environmental flow to maintain healthy eco-systems,” Prof Waye says.
“In the past, poor governance systems, inadequate attention to environmentally sustainable practices, and an underdeveloped legal framework led to an over allocation of surface and groundwater supplies as well as significant deterioration in water quality.
“During the past 15 years there has been significant reform and the symposium will allow us to closely examine the legal frameworks that lie behind this ‘water revolution’ and their relationship to other laws governing environmental sustainability.
“We’ll also look at the regulation of commercial water use management from national and international perspectives and all those involved in its application – including the courts and the community.”
Despite supplanting previous laws that allowed unlimited access to water, Prof Waye says there is still enormous catch-up needed in policies, processes and institutional arrangements to achieve water sustainability.
“Water planning processes have been implemented in all States and these involve the community in setting new water allocations,” she says.
“Some plans have been contentious in many parts of Australia and the community has been unwilling to accept changes to water shares, especially when this damages the social sustainability of whole towns.
“Measures such as the buyback of water, for example, can damage the viability of such towns.
“It’s important we come out of this week with some forward thinking on ways of improving the effectiveness of that regulation to provide Australia with a high quality, reliable and sustainable water source.”
The two day symposium will commence on Friday October 17 in the Hawke Building’s Bradley Forum, City West campus, North Terrace.
The sessions on Friday October 17 will be open to the public from 9am to 1pm, followed by closed sessions for invited participants.
Key speakers include:
- Justice Brian Preston, New South Wales Land and Environment Court
- Judge Christine Trenorden (Senior Judge), South Australian Environment and Resources Development Court
- Professor Doug Fisher, Queensland University of Technology
- Justice Peter McLellan, Common Law Supreme Court, New South Wales
Contacts for interview
- Prof Vicki Waye office (08) 8302 7126 mobile 0400 701 564 email vicki.waye@unisa.edu.au
- Prof Jennifer McKay office (08) 8302 0887 mobile 0408 897 521 email jennifer.mckay@unisa.edu.au
Media contact
- Linda Hein office (08) 8302 0965 mobile 0411 257 029 email linda.hein@unisa.edu.au
- Vincent Ciccarello office (08) 8302 0578 mobile 0434 603 457 email vincent.ciccarello@unisa.edu.au