Chapter 6 - Environmental Water Reform

Abstract

This chapter explores the significant water reforms undertaken over the past three decades to address overallocation and improve the health of Australia's freshwater ecosystems. It describes the early warning signs of unsustainable water-resource management and initial unsuccessful attempts to address them. With the formal recognition of the environment as a user of water in the mid-1990s, governments introduced major changes to water legislation and planning to improve environmental outcomes. Progress was slow, however, and environmental recovery of degraded systems was hampered by prolonged drought. The chapter concludes with the recent efforts to recover water for the environment, and addresses some key challenges for the future.