Maddocks Report to Federal Government - Relevance for Water

On Friday, 20 January 2012, the federal government released a report prepared by Maddocks for the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.

The report – "The Role of Regulation in Facilitating or Constraining Adaptation to Climate Change for Australian Infrastructure" – examines the regulatory frameworks affecting some of Australia's most important infrastructure and associated services to determine the extent to which these frameworks  facilitate effective adaptation.

The report identifies the different types of regulatory tools available to decision-makers and regulators in managing advantages and disadvantages of these tools and identifies the appropriate circumstances for their use.

The report also sets out principles that should be adopted in designing and implementing regulation for climate change adaptation and makes recommendations for the appropriate roles for different levels of government.

The report includes an examination of Australia's water regimes to determine whether they are capable of addressing the spectrum and scale of climate change risks that are likely to materialise in the future for our water resources and infrastructure. 

The report notes features associated with the water regimes that could facilitate adaptation to climate change, including water, planning and management frameworks typically incorporate principles of adaptive management in a changing climate and require the adoption of strategic plans for the sustainable management of water resources.

However, the report also notes aspects of water regimes that could hinder adaptation to climate change, including current economic regulation and pricing regimes may act as a barrier to distributed supply using stormwater harvesting and local recycling because the value of co-benefits, including avoided infrastructure costs (e.g. new water supply and distribution infrastructure) and environmental benefits (such as reduced stormwater pollution and flood mitigation) may not be fully accounted for in the context of the regimes.

The report has been described by the federal government as "a useful resource for planners and regulators, as well as local and state government decision makers".  The government has also indicated that the report will supplement work being undertaken by the Productivity Commission in its current inquiry into regulatory and policy barriers to climate change adaptation.

Click here to access the report.

If you have any questions regarding the report, please contact:

Paul Woods | Partner
Direct 61 3 9240 0874
paul.woods@maddocks.com.au

Dariel De Sousa | Consultant
Direct 61 3 9288 0552
dariel.desousa@maddocks.com.au

John Thwaites | Consultant
Direct 61 3 8615 0380
john.thwaites@maddocks.com.au