Collaborative water planning: retrospective case studies. Volume 4.2

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Water planning is a process to allocate and sustainably manage water to meet our future water requirements. Good water plans provide for river health and community needs. Public consultation is integral to an effective water resource planning process.

The occurrence of severe water resource management problems throughout many southern regions of Australia has focused recent attention on water planning processes as a means of balancing competing uses of water, addressing over-allocation of water entitlements and achieving transparency in water decision-making. Water management is thus a key natural resource management challenge; with persistent drought in southern Australia, and climate change predictions for such droughts to increase in frequency, there is unprecedented interest in the management of water resources in northern Australia. Northern jurisdictions are responding to the national agenda for water reform with the roll-out of water plans in regions facing increased water use pressures.