On 28th May 2012, the Authority provided a package of documents to each member of the Murray–Darling Basin Ministerial Council which included a transmittal letter, the Proposed Basin Plan – a revised draft, the Proposed Basin Plan consultation report, the Socio-economic implications of the Proposed Basin Plan and a Guideline for the method to determine...

This paper argues that voluntary conservation significantly affects water usage. Demand management has been of interest in dry climates such as Australia, Spain and the Western United States for decades. It is particularly important to understand policy options during drought conditions, as drought periods have a disproportionate effect on supply infrastructure decisions. While water‐conservation campaigns...

Australian cities have traditionally relied for their water on a ‘predict-and-provide’ philosophy that gives primacy to big engineering solutions. In more recent years privatised water authorities, seeking to maximise consumption and profits, have reinforced the emphasis on increasing supply. Now the cities must cope with the stresses these policies have imposed on the eco-systems from...

Sydney’s water supply is under great pressure as the demand continues to rise. Demand mitigation strategies have had some success, but domestic consumption remains high. This paper discusses the attitudes of households to their water consumption in a search for ways in which domestic demand for water may be reduced. Evidence on attitudes of households...

This report argues that energy efficiency is potentially the quickest and cheapest way to cut greenhouse pollution. Energy savings of 30% are possible using immediately available effective technologies. The report recommends that efficiency improvements be complemented by appropriate utility tariffs and safety net measures. The report, a joint project between the Australian Council of Social...