Water for Our Cities: Building Resilience in a Climate of Uncertainty

This report was prepared by an independent working group for the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) and was presented at the 17th meeting of PMSEIC on 22 June 2007.  The views expressed in the report are those of the working group, not necessarily those of the Australian Government. The working group was established to provide advice on securing water for Australia’s urban centres.

The report found that Australia’s capital cities have traditionally been almost totally reliant on surface water supplies. This model has served the country well for almost a century, but the combination of extreme drought, climate change and unprecedented population growth has resulted in a water crisis in most cities. The report also found that there were no scientific, engineering, environmental or financial barriers to Australia’s urban areas having adequate water supply.

The report recommends governments take action to place Australia’s urban water supply on a more sustainable footing, in the following six areas:

• Developing the optimum portfolio
• Strengthening incentives through pricing and property rights
• Rebuilding community trust
• Encouraging investment in strategic opportunities
• Up-skilling to build capacity for industry development
• Driving innovation

Report  (2.9 MB)

Associated Presentation  (5.0 MB)

Not published in hard copy format.