Water reform in Australia
Australians live on the driest inhabited continent in the world. Rainfall is 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
Drought, climate change and water shortages make 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.
- Find out more about the National Water Initiative
The National Water Commission assesses progress on water reform against the NWI commitments agreed by the Australian, state and territory governments. It does so through its biennial assessments and through national performance reports on urban and rural water utilities. The Commission also publishes position statements on major water reform issues.
- Find out more about assessing progress on water reform
- Our position on key water issues
- Other water reform publications
Other water reform initiatives
The Australian Government leads other important national water policy initiatives. These include the Intergovernmental Agreement on Murray-Darling Basin Reform signed off at the 3 July 2008 COAG meeting, COAG's 2008 forward work program on water, and Water for the Future - a $12.9 billion plan to improve water management.
- Find out more about other Australian Government water initiatives