DO WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO BE SMART ABOUT WATER?

摘要

Australia has always had a magnificent record for being knowledgeable, skilful, creative and ingenious when it comes to managing our water. We have been consistently at or near the top internationally in the science of this essential resource, both in the furthering of knowledge of water and in the application of science and technology to all aspects of water treatment, and the technical regulation that applies to each water cycle. Since the 1880s we have also been international pioneers of a number of commercial, legal and regulatory initiatives. We have been a smart industry indeed! Do we want this to continue? I would think so. Over the past few decades, funding for water R&D in all its forms (not just the science) has come from an uncoordinated combination of the major water utilities, directly from the Commonwealth and State Governments, indirectly from the Commonwealth through the various university funding channels, and from companies who participate in the CRCs and Centres of Excellence. All this is about to change over the next few years with the simultaneous end of a number of funding streams. The new Federal Government has cut CRC programs dramatically and the two Centres of Excellence are coming to the end of their funding cycles. All other funding is likely to be more competitively allocated, with a general contraction in "discretionary" funding at all of the utility, State and Commonwealth levels. Economic regulators in State jurisdictions are not convinced about R&D being part of the regulated cost base of water utilities because they can't see the direct value for customers.