2014 - Water Governance for Resilience funded by the Carlton Connect Initiative
Thursday 25 September 2014 – Friday 26 September 2014
Workshop Summary
Discussion Paper: Resilient Water Governance, Dr Anita Foerster
This workshop gathered agency and water industry professionals and academics to explore the attributes of water governance systems that will enable effective and efficient adaptation to climate change and support more resilient communities and ecosystems. The workshop included a joint video-conference session with a parallel workshop at Stanford University, which has been convened to discuss responses to the drought in the Western United States. Participants shared insights and best practice examples of what works, opportunities and barriers for further reform.
Workshop participants were invited to consider the following questions:
*Do current governance arrangements support managing water resources for multiple objectives – economic, environmental, social and cultural? What tools and organisational arrangements can be used to strengthen this capacity?
*Do current systems of water allocation appropriately balance the need for stability and certainty for socio-economic objectives, with the need for flexibility and responsiveness to share the risks of climate change equitably, respond to changing values and priorities, and provide for ecological resilience?
*Are there opportunities for better integration of interacting sectors / areas of water governance? How should better integration be achieved?
*Is decision-making on water allocation and management located at an appropriate scale of governance? How can we best foster networks and connections between various scales of water management?
*What aspects of water governance best lend themselves to collaborative, stakeholder approaches to decision-making?
AGENDA including links to presentations
Thursday 25 September 2014
Session One: Water Governance in a climate change context - Promoting Adaptation and Resilience
Anita Foerster (Melbourne Law School) – Principles and Approaches for Resilient Water Governance
Phillip Wallis (Monash Sustainability Institute) – Discussion of Workshop Themes and Objectives
Session Two: Case studies of policy approaches, legal models and mechanisms for resilient water governance.
Cathy Wilkinson (Office of Living Victoria) - Urban Water Reform – Governance Challenges
Friday 26 September
Water Governance Q & A - Video Conference with Stanford Workshop
Panel Preparation Documents
Melbourne Panel: Robert Argent (BOM, CSIRO); Jason Alexandra (Ex MDBA); Beth Ashworth (Vic. Environmental Water Holder); Graeme Turner (DEPI); Alex Gardner (UWA); Dominic Keary (Yarra Valley Water); Mark Bailey (Goulburn Murray Water).