Water reform
Australians live on the driest inhabited continent in the world. Rainfall is highly variable and droughts are common. Water is essential to maintaining our health, to producing our food and to sustaining our quality of life.
The National Water Initiative
Extreme climate variability and growing pressures on water supplies make national water reform and improved water management more necessary than ever. We need to balance our use of this precious resource with our responsibilities toward the environment.
That is why, in 2004, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) signed off on a policy blueprint to improve the way Australia manages its water resources - the National Water Initiative. This continued a water reform journey that had started in 1994 with the development by COAG of a water reform framework.
The National Water Commission assesses progress on water reform against the commitments agreed by the Australian, state and territory governments under the National Water Initiative. It does so primarily by reporting to COAG through its biennial assessments.
Other water reform initiatives
The Australian Government leads other national water policy initiatives through the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities; the Murray-Darling Basin Authority; and the Bureau of Meteorology. Important initiatives include Water for the Future and the development of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.