Water Law & Natural Resources Management

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2011:

This subject will cover an analysis of water law in Australia with an overview of international water law and policy. It will consider the national reform agenda for water law under the impetus of national competition policies and federal–state issues, including an examination of the Water Act 2007 (Cth). The general development of Australian statutory-based water law, concentrating on the Victorian situation (including catchment management) will provide the main case study, together with a consideration of groundwater urban and urban water issues.

Principal topics will include:

• International law and policy governing water, including trans-boundary water law
• The evolution of Australian statutory regimes for surface and groundwater allocation and use
• National water and national resource management reforms and the implementation of the National Water Initiative
• History of the River Murray and its management regimes, together with the Water Act 2007 (Cth)
• Water trading: Water legal issues and regulatory regimes, including cap and trade measures
• The Water Act 1989 (Vic) and an overview of selected Australian legislative frameworks
• Urban water issues, including industry regulation and alternative water uses such as storm water recycling
• Water quality: Rural and urban issues, such as salinity and pollution
• Integrated catchment management and environmental water, including an outline of relevant water legislation and catchment management regimes
• Comparison of water law reform in comparable overseas jurisdictions.

A student who has successfully completed this subject should:

• Appreciate the importance of water law issues at an international, national and regional level; including trans-boundary water laws
• Appreciate the context for water law development in Australia, including the impacts of climate change
• Understand emerging issues in water law and policy at a federal level
• Understand the development of common law and the statutory systems for water allocation
• Be able to critically evaluate the main aspects of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) reform process and the National Water Initiative, including water trading aspects
• Understand the Murray Darling Basin Agreement process, the Water Act 2007 (Cth) and surrounding issues
• Understand a representative water law regime; e.g. the Water Act 1989 (Vic) and subsequent legislation.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.