Research Team: Prof Jeff Connor, Dr Cortney Regan (CMVI), Dr Daniel Gregg, Mr Daniel Hill (Heuris Consulting), Mr Matt Barlow, Mr Tim Nicol (Pew Charitable Trust)
Partners: Martuwarra Council of Traditional Owners, Kimberly Region, WA; Central Land Council, Alice Springs; Pew Charitable Trust, Outback Australia Initiative
Issue
The demand for water extraction and infrastructure in Northern Australia is growing and many Councils representing Aboriginal interests are worried about cultural values at risk.
Aim
To evaluate the impact of best practice for a suite of water resource projects in Northern Australia.
Outcomes
It was found the cost of going forward with optimism biased water allocations and investment cases is immense, with more employment and economic activity impact possible by not spending on many proposed dam irrigation and water allocation projects and public funding instead invested in projects with much greater economic activity and employment impact per dollar.
