Publication: Australian Urban Water Reform Story: with Detailed Case Study on New South Wales
Date
2017-06
ISSN
Published
2017-06
Author(s)
Salisbury, Chris
Head, Brian W.
Groom, Eric
Abstract
In 2016, the International Water Centre
(IWC), with funding from the World Bank, commenced a review
of the water utilities reform processes in Australia. The
aim of this work is to explore the key success factors in
the reform of urban water supply services through a study of
the Australian example, from which relevant lessons can be
drawn for other countries. To meet this aim, the IWC and
researchers from the University of Queensland have sought to
identify commonalities and differences between the steps
taken by the various states and water utilities during
Australia’s experience of reform in the urban water sector.
One goal of our research is to reveal insights into the
interplay between the state level of reform and regulation
and national framework agreements. The related story of
regulatory oversight, as part of the overall reform process,
has been examined elsewhere. For example, the role of the
Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) in New
South Wales is important to that state’s pricing,
regulatory, and sector reforms. Because there are many
lessons to be learned from the New South Wales case,
including and beyond IPART, the urban water sector reforms
in New South Wales are the subject of a case study. Thus,
this report analyzes urban water reforms initiated by recent
national agreements in Australia, and demonstrates
variations between jurisdictions and between approaches at
different times. The analysis focuses on water utilities in
the major cities (principally the state-level capital
cities). The analysis also demonstrates how the Australian
urban water reform process is part of a wider and longer
series of national and subnational regulatory reforms since
the late 1980s. These include competition policy reform,
corporatization of government agencies, and the formation in
the 1990s of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).
The COAG was crucial for bringing all states on board for
reform in Australia, but there are major questions about how
such coalition building among governmental leaders and
senior bureaucrats can be adapted to the circumstances of
other countries.
Citation
“Salisbury, Chris; Head, Brian W.; Groom, Eric. 2017. Australian Urban Water Reform Story; Australian Urban Water Reform Story : with Detailed Case Study on New South Wales. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/27532 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”