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Water

CEDA members rank water as a number one priority area. Tens of billions of state and federal taxpayer dollars are allocated to water issues, infrastructure investments and buybacks. Additionally, many solutions to long term water security involve tapping into oceans and recycling options, both of which are energy intensive, involving pumping and membrane filtering, and whose financing demands new pricing structures. Yet energy itself is also under policy challenge, as countries seek to address global warming through reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The CEDA Water Strategy Panel has therefore resolved to approach the water and energy challenges together - with short, medium and long term scenario and policy development.

CEDA believes that a significant research contribution can be made to develop appropriate institutional frameworks for water catchment, conservation and trading, adapted to local needs and potential. We are impressed by the technical capacities for better channelling water flows to irrigation, with major savings capable of retaining more water for environmental purposes while also expanding food production through irrigation and transporting water to its most valued uses, metropolitan and rural. Market and pricing arrangements, set in a sound rights and entitlements structure are a key part of this exercise and will feature in the resulting CEDA policy volume.

We are now approaching a range of sources of potential funds and aim to produce the major policy volume on Water and Energy Issues as part of CEDA's 20010 Growth series. Some key authors and topics are lined up along with a capacity for CEDA to distil a relevant policy approach to these joint challenges. A final assessment of the topics and authors of the CEDA volume is now under consideration, and follows the Biennial Review of the National Water Initiative by the Australian Water Commission. This review was summarised at a CEDA meeting in Canberra on Oct 28^th 2009 addressed by the CEO of the AWC, Ken Mathews. Other CEDA meetings have been held and are planned across all States.

CEDA water research

Business Best Practice: Water that Works - Sustainable Water Management in the Commercial Sector (February 2007) A valuable contribution to the water debate which details trends in national policy and regulatory framework, together with 12 case studies demonstrating applications of water usage, wasterwater management and recycled water schemes.

Issues in Australian Water Policy (February2007). CEDA's Economic and Political Overview 2007 features an article by eminent economist John Quiggin. It offers concise insight into how pricing policy and rural-urban trading schemes can address the long-term challenge of water management.

Growth 52: Water and the Australian Economy (March 2004). CEDA's major report Australia's water policy examines issues including irrigation, trading rights and the economic impact on agribusiness.