Fulbright scholar brings the Law on Water to the US
UniSA’s
water law specialist and Professor of Business Law, Dr Jennifer
McKay has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Senior Scholarship
and will be heading to the United States in August to engage with US
water policy law.
Prof McKay will complete a 12 month study at the University of California into changing current water allocation and use laws in the US and Australia to incorporate sustainability goals and considerations.
As Director of UniSA’s Centre for Comparative Water Policies and Laws, Prof McKay has been instrumental in developing a comparative framework for analysing legal institutional aspects of natural resources management in Australia and India. She is also a leading researcher at the CRCs for Water Quality and Treatment and Irrigation Futures.
"The need for a sustainable development law for water is becoming increasingly urgent for both Australia and the US as we grapple with the triple bottom line of economically balancing sustainable water use with environmental protection," Prof McKay said.
"I will be reviewing state water laws in the West and East of the US and comparing them with the sustainable development laws for water use in Australia," she said.
Prof McKay said there was enormous value in comparing water laws, their interpretation and administration in the two countries.
UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Høj said he was delighted to see significant research into sustainability being supported internationally.
"Professor McKay is undertaking important and somewhat pioneering research into the pressing legal issues that surround our resources and how we manage them into the future," Prof Høj said.
"We are very proud that the calibre and international significance of her research has been acknowledged through the Fulbright Scholarship."
Prof McKay plans to share her research outcomes with senior water public policy makers and lawyers in Australia and the US.
The largest educational scholarship of its kind, the prestigious Fulbright program was created by US Senator J William Fulbright and the US Government in 1946 to promote mutual understanding through educational exchange. The program operates between the US and 150 countries.
Prof McKay is one of 24 Australians to be awarded a Fulbright Scholarship this year.