GOVERNANCE OF WATER ASSETS: A REFRAMING FOR SUSTAINABILITY

摘要

An emerging Australian perspective on water asset governance is presented which diverges significantly from the conventional approach to management of water assets. The governing of water assets can draw on any of three models of governance: "market", "bureaucratic" and "community", each of which has important features to offer. The water industry has largely operated under a bureaucratic model of governance though, more recently, it has adopted elements of market and community models. In-depth analysis of current Australian examples of water governance has been used in developing the concepts outlined in this paper with an interpretation presented of what each model has to offer for governance of water assets. It is argued that an emerging approach of shared responsibility, participation, and networked stakeholders is likely to play an increasingly important role in the pursuit of more sustainable asset governance.