Using Regulation to Tackle the Challenge of Diffuse Water Pollution and its Impact on the Great Barrier Reef

Diffuse water pollution poses a significant threat to water quality globally. Challenges associated with managing and regulating diffuse water pollution stem from difficulties in measurement and attribution of pollution ‘emissions’, as well as the cumulative nature of diffuse water pollution. The introduction of Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef Protection Amendment Act 2009 provides a timely opportunity to explore challenges associated with managing and regulating diffuse water pollution from agriculture, using the Great Barrier Reef as a case study. This article, which is presented in two parts (sections II and III), outlines the nature of diffuse water pollution; potential management and regulatory options; and existing policy, management and legislative frameworks that exist at Commonwealth and Queensland State government levels relevant to managing Great Barrier Reef water quality. In section III, the article undertakes a detailed analysis of Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef Protection Amendment Act 2009, including an assessment of the likely effectiveness of this legislation; challenges associated with the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of measures taken under this new legislation; and its significance and role in the context of other relevant Commonwealth and Queensland government responsibilities, legislation and policies

National climate change adaptation research plan: Freshwater biodiversity

Climate change will alter the basic physical and chemical environment underpinning all life. Species will be affected differentially by these alterations, resulting in changes to the structure and composition of present-day freshwater ecological communities, with the potential to change the ways in which these ecosystems function and the services they provide

Costs, benefits, institutional and social considerations for irrigation development. A technical report to the Australian Government from the CSIRO Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment, part of the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund: Water Resource Assessments

In recent decades there has been a shift towards greater scrutiny of the commerciality of potential new water infrastructure projects, particularly where public investment is involved. This report contains information to assist in planning and evaluating the viability of investments in new large-scale irrigated development, quantifying the costs, benefits and risks involved. Three study areas across northern Australia were considered: the Fitzroy catchment (WA), a set of catchments around Darwin (NT) and the Mitchell catchment (QLD). The primary focus of this Assessment, as documented in the companion reports, is an analysis of water and soil resources to help identify opportunities and constraints for new irrigated agriculture in the Assessment area. This report complements the overall Assessment by identifying the social, institutional and economic conditions that would be required for those potential opportunities to be most likely to succeed. Part I of the report begins by setting the context for irrigated development in the study areas, providing background information on the communities, economies and existing infrastructure from which potential new developments would build. Part II of the report considers social and institutional aspects of new irrigated development to help identify those opportunities that are most attractive to investors and stakeholders, and that meet legal, regulatory and policy requirements. Part III then provides information on the costs and benefits of developing new irrigated agriculture, to identify what would be required for different types of development to be financially and economically viable. The broad conclusion of this report is that it would be challenging to find opportunities for new irrigated agriculture in the Assessment area that met regulatory requirements and gained stakeholder support while also providing a financial rate of return to investors commensurate with the level of risk involved. Revenue at the farm gate from broadacre cropping alone would be unlikely to fully cover the costs of new irrigated development. It is more likely that any case to justify new developments would rely on additional benefits beyond the farm gate such as value adding from local processing, generation of renewable electricity (hydro-electric power or bioenergy), co-benefits to other industries such as grazing or tourism, and/or other indirect benefits to local communities. The possible benefits of integrated schemes would need to be carefully balanced against the extra complexity and elevated risks from having additional sources of vulnerability that could lead to financial failure. Successful investments would likely have to combine meeting the above criteria with the cheapest sources of water, lowest risks (including water reliability, agronomic, climatic and regulatory risks) and most productive mixes of land and farming options. The main findings from this report are summarised below by the four main topics of analysis. Stakeholders and investors Legal and institutional context Scheme commerciality Regional economics Reference information on demographics, industries and infrastructure costs (details under above sub-headings are contained in the full Executive Summary

Chapter 3: Living and built environment of the Darwin catchments

Chapter 3 discusses a wide range of considerations relating to the living component of the catchment and the environments that support these components, the people who live in the catchment or have strong ties to it, the perspectives of investors, the existing transport, power and water infrastructure and the legal, policy and regulatory environment relating to the development of land and water

Chapter 3: Living and built environment of the Fitzroy catchment

Chapter 3 discusses a wide range of considerations relating to the living component of the Fitzroy River catchment and the environments that support these components, the people who live in the catchment or have strong ties to it, the perspectives of investors, the existing transport, power and water infrastructure and the legal, policy and regulatory environment relating to the development of land and water

Chapter 3: Living and built environment of the Mitchell catchment

Chapter 3 discusses a wide range of considerations relating to the living component of the Mitchell catchment and the environments that support these components, the people who live in the catchment or have strong ties to it, the perspectives of investors, the existing transport, power and water infrastructure and the legal, policy and regulatory environment relating to the development of land and water. This chapter also examines the values, rights, interests, and development objectives of Indigenous people