Freshwater and its allocation between competing users and uses has always been conflict ridden, but the intensity of these conflicts has escalated in recent history because of increased urbanization, changes in diet, increased population and several local factors (Dirksen, 2002). The escalation...

In Australia, the community is often invited to make written submissions on natural resource management issues, especially regional water plans. This is seen as a method of increasing democracy by allowing citizens to provide input to the plan. Most Australian water plans have radically...

A national agreement on water reform was reached in 1994 and the Council of Australian Government (COAG) agreed to a comprehensive water reform agenda that explicitly linked, for the first time, economic and environmental issues with a package of reform measures. The agreement focused on...

Seawater desalination is increasingly considered as an important component of the water resources mix required to address the growing demand for water in situations where there is limited fresh water availability. Australia has made heavy investments over the past five years in desalination...

The balancing act between groundwater over exploitation and environmental sustainability world over has led to number of research studies, which have brought out the requirements for bridging the gaps in understanding between groundwater users, groundwater scientists and manager. Recent studies...

The socio-economic situation and awareness in South Australia is much stronger than in and hence the groundwater management is more sustainable. The market system of products is very sustainable and reliable as compared to Pakistan. The farmers of South are using groundwater with pressurized...

Recycled water use in urban areas is viewed as one part of the solution to Australia’s water shortage. The effectiveness of policies designed to promote recycled water systems depends on the acceptance by the community of the price, colour, odour and salt content of the recycled water. In...

Contingent valuation (CV) was used to survey an Australian community who will soon be recycled water for ion-potable purposes. Willingness to pay (\A'TP) for four indirect, non-market utilities of recycled water were investigated; a decreased amount of sewage going into the ocean exemption form...

Recent attention to farm dams and dam safety in Australia and elsewhere reflects both safety and sustainability issues, and is driven by the fact that since built, many dam safety aspects have changed, e.g. population distributions, meteorological information, estimates of rainfall and runoff,...

This chapter describes and analyzes Australian surface water and groundwater policies and laws, particularly in relation to agriculture. Building on the historical perspective provided by Musgrave in Chapter 3, I offer a legal perspective of the development phases in Australian water history....