New publication – Investigating regulatory frameworks in Australia cities

While legislative frameworks vary across Australian states and territories, some common elements have been found that either facilitate or hinder the establishment of a water sensitive city (WSC).

Two new reports by Maddocks Lawyers and the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities have been released that investigate water resources frameworks in primary and selected secondary State legislation.

The Project A3.2 reports for Victoria and Western Australia reveals that there is a plethora of legislative instruments that could directly or indirectly affect the establishment of a WSC.

Notably, the regulatory framework appears to provide limited support for alternative water sources, which will be critical to the achievement of a WSC.

The reports are available here:

• Project A3.2: Better Regulatory Frameworks Final Report: Results of Legislative Stocktake for Victoria – December, 2013
• Project A 3.2 Final Report: Results of Legislative Stocktake for Western Australia – June 2014

These reports were part of Project A3.2 Better Regulatory Frameworks for Water Sensitive Cities outcomes, which included comparative surveys of statutory planning legislation, regulation and processes affecting WSUD across five cities – Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. A report on the Queensland stocktake will be available in early 2015.