Business groups call for better planning on water
A strongly worded report on the urgency of water reforms and government accountability – it’s something we’ve come to expect from the enviornmental lobby. But in fact the author of a recent report doing exactly that was the Business Council of Australia, who this week launched “Water Under Pressure: Australia’s man-made water scarcity and how to fix it.” It argues that Australia’s water problems are a direct result of a poorly planned and managed water system that has conspired to turn a sufficient supply of water at the source to scarcity for end-users. It also accuses the state government of neglecting to implement any long-term solutions to the problem. The Wire spoke to the Business Council of Australia’s Maria Tarrant about the myth that water scarcity in Australia is unavoidable. Dr Phil McManus from the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney also discussed the issue of the business cmmunity’s approach to water conservation.