There is no such thing as drought – it just rains differently in different locations

Drinks with David Downie

Hosted by Tony Nippard

Since the days of Alfred Deakin water rights have been defined and refined. 

There is no such thing as drought – it just rains differently in different locations. The question is really whether infrastructure is built (and paid for) to move it around.

The ownership and management of water in Victoria (and elsewhere in Australia) is vested in the Crown. Urban and rural users have different rights. Until the 1980s, most rural water rights were attached to land – some still are. Urban environments use very little water (about 20% compared to rural areas) but provide the overwhelming source of revenue for water (nearly 90%). Urban rights are defined by having a tap –with all the conditions placed on them by Governments. But they can take it off you.

Huge subsidies have accompanied the development of water sources in rural areas. Urban areas mainly pay for all their infrastructure and often pay dividends to the Government as well. The analysis of the relationship of water to Victoria’s GDP shows how breathtakingly punished urban users are.

Public perception is that water is ‘owned ‘by the Government. The reality is that the actual water is effectively, if not legally, privately owned and Governments only regulate and own the major infrastructure to provide the water to your property. That is how they control the allocation of water with a political focus rather than an economic and environmental focus. 

Interstate sharing of water and water for the environment (the MDB) is a troubled area. Dominated by short term political actions, not by asking “how do we use water best in the long term” – economic, environmental, social?

Reforms during 1980-2005 attempted to enable water to move to its highest value uses. That, in large part, has been stymied because of Government political actions, as vested interests seek to control their traditional and often low-value uses. Urban users face government restrictions in times of lower rainfall - which is not necessary. Rural users are allocated water according to their rights and dam volumes at relevant times. Individual rural irrigation users can largely purchase additional water if needed.

With better management, urban users should enjoy unfettered access to water, restricted only by their capacity to pay. Rural users should face the same regime. The misguided use of restrictions, requirements such as water tanks in urban properties and so-called sustainable urban water management funded by misguided governments claiming environmental benefits unfortunately never gets debated in the public arena because of closed-shop mentality by governments on debates of this kind.

Restrictions in urban areas is just plain laziness by Governments.

It will probably not rain any more in Victoria on average, but there is a significant amount of water being wasted because of Government inactivity and there is little spending on research to increase supply or reduce losses.
 
And yet surprisingly, as you go around the world, management of water is better in Australia than anywhere else on the land and Victoria is probably as good as anyone else. BUT IT COULD BE SO MUCH BETTER! 

Please join David as he debates water shortages or just bad management?!