Water Governance Research Initiative
Briefing Paper No. 5
Water Governance Research Initiative: 2010-2012
Overview
and have made contact with us through the website.
Updates, publications and notifications are sent to the
network on a semi-regular basis. The majority of
network members are primarily involved in research
and come from a wide variety of disciplinary
backgrounds. There are also many members from the
government policy, industry and NGO sectors. More
than forty members of the network have directly
contributed to our activities as workshop presenters
and as members of our National Researcher
Reference Group. Collectively, our events have
attracted over 150 water governance researchers and
practitioners from across Australia.
The Water Governance Research Initiative is a theme
of the NCCARF Water Resources and Freshwater
Biodiversity Adaptation Research Network
(www.nccarf.edu.au/water/node/5). Our objectives are
to create a community of conversation about water
governance in Australia, build collaborative research
links, create opportunities for co-researching and
information sharing, and provide opportunities for
early-career researchers to participate in a national
network of researchers and research-users.
The Initiative takes a broad view on water
governance, as all of the formal and informal
institutional, organisational and community practices
involved in managing and making decisions about
water. The Initiative seeks to contribute to the
development of a broad-based water governance
community out of which innovative research and
policy practices emerge. These new practices are
urgently needed to enhance the adaptive capacity of
Australian water governance systems in response to
the complexities brought about by climate change.
National Researcher Reference Group
A National Researcher Reference Group was
established to help build the network and to ensure
the network has national representation. The group
was formed to ensure it is informed by a spectrum of
ideas, disciplinary backgrounds and professional
experience. One representative from each State and
Territory was invited to join the group based on their
particular expertise in water governance. The
members act as a contact point for others in their
State or Territory that are interested in joining the
network, assisting the development of network
activities and informally promoting the network in their
region.
This document provides a summary of the core
activities and outcomes of the Initiative from
2010-2012. Major achievements include the
development of an extensive network of water
governance researchers and research-users, the
establishment of a National Researcher Reference
Group, four workshops, two online surveys of the
Australian water governance research community,
support for an early-career researcher community of
practice, the production of five Briefing Papers,
conference presentations, and the publication of two
special journal issues in Water Resources
Management and The Journal of Water Law.
Workshops
The Initiative was formally developed following a
series of preliminary scoping workshops with
researchers from Victoria in 2008 and 2009. These
established interest in conversations about water
governance and a Systemic Governance Research
Program documented in Briefing Paper 1. The
Initiative subsequently hosted four national
participatory workshops, held throughout 2010-11.
While the core funding from NCCARF to support the
Initiative concluded at the end of 2011, it will continue
to operate in a limited capacity until further funding is
available for renewed activity.
(i) National Workshop: November 2010
A two-day national workshop was held in Canberra in
November 2010 to launch the Initiative. Over 50
researchers and policy practitioners from across
Australia attended the workshop. The aim was to
identify, as a group, the main themes and research
priorities in water governance from across different
disciplinary perspectives and geographical locations.
The Water Governance Network
At the heart of the Water Governance Research
Initiative is a network of approximately 350 members.
From a small group of water governance researchers,
the network database has grown over the life of the
Initiative as more people have attended workshops
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Briefing Paper No. 5
To achieve this a series of presentations was
combined with participatory sessions. In these
sessions, participants’ were asked to identify
emergent water governance issues and research
needs and to record what they saw as research
priorities, both in groups and individually. The
outcomes of these discussions formed the basis for
Briefing Paper Two “Water Governance Research
Priorities”. The research priorities were identified as:
•
emphasis of the workshop was to get early-career
researchers to begin to see themselves in terms of
their personal history as a researcher, reflect on the
intellectual and methodological territory they have
encountered, and think critically about the big issues,
concepts, methods and framings of water governance
in their area of research. A summary of the main
themes and concepts from the workshop are
published in Briefing Paper Three “Perspectives on
Water Governance Research”.
Developing a common language around water
governance
•
Greater attention to social research in water
governance, and opportunities for inter- and trans
disciplinary engagement
•
Integration of water’s multiple values into the
water governance framework
•
Multi-level institutional governance
•
Environmental water governance
•
Comparative and case-oriented research
•
Water governance in whole-of-system
sustainability
(iii) Theories for Practice Workshop: April 2011
In conjunction with the Early Career Researcher
Workshop, a one-day workshop was held for water
governance researchers and policy practitioners, from
government, NGOs and private practice. The aim of
this day was to explore the value of critical theory for
future water governance research and practice,
explore opportunities for framing to do water
governance differently, and considering the value of
diverse approaches. Presentations were made on
different theoretical approaches to water governance
in the context of climate change adaptation, including
the topics of maladaptation, transitions theory,
landscape sociology, socio-ecological systems and
frameworks of power.
(iv) National Workshop: November 2011
This event was held over two-days with related but
distinct themes and objectives on each day. The first
day "On-going Water Governance Reforms - what
directions?" was set against the backdrop of the
National Water Commission's Third Biennial
Assessment Report (www.nwc.gov.au). The day
featured presentations and conversations around key
themes of the report, including presentations by the
National Water Commission and water governance
researchers. An international perspective on water
reform was presented via video-link with Canadian
guest speaker Professor Rob de Loë. The second day
“Securing a Water Governance Research Future” was
aimed at re-thinking and re-framing water governance
and developing a policy brief based on
recommendations into the NWC report and review.
The day featured panel presentations and discussions
by network members on the themes of governing
connectivity, learning from international experience,
preparing and supporting early career researchers
and securing a water governance research future.
Workshop participants 'stretching their wings'
(ii) Early-career Researcher Workshop: April 2011
A two-day workshop intended to support those in the
early stages of their research career was held in
Melbourne in April 2011. The workshop program was
designed to explore governance research from a
range of disciplinary perspectives, grounded in the
participants’ own research. The aim was to show the
contribution of broad disciplinary traditions to water
governance research, to examine how these can be
situated in trans-disciplinary research, and to create
epistemological awareness.
Papers and Publications
(i) Briefing Paper Series
Four briefing papers have been produced in
conjunction with other network activities, including
workshops and the online survey. As such, they draw
on the ideas and input from a broad range of
contributors and therefore reflect important themes
Senior researchers presented from the perspectives
of trans-disciplinary research, environmental
economics, natural resource management, social
disadvantage, philosophy and systems research. The
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that have emerged from the network. As a set of
papers, they provide a summary of issues of
importance to the Australian water governance
research community.
•
Briefing Paper One “Strengthening Water
Governance in Australia”
•
Briefing Paper Two “Water Governance Research
Priorities”
•
Briefing Paper Three “Perspectives on Water
Governance Research”
•
Briefing Paper Four “Rethinking Water
Governance in Australia: research for
transformation”
(iv) Early Career Researcher Article
"Tapping Fresh Currents: Exploring the practical
challenges and opportunities associated with
engaging in transdisciplinary approaches to water
governance research"
Following the Early Career Researcher workshop,
seven participants have collaborated to write a journal
article which explores their pathways to water
governance research and the challenges of engaging
with the multiple perspectives and understandings
that inform water governance. The article has been
completed in 2012, and has been submitted to a
refereed journal for publication.
Network Surveys
An initial online survey was distributed to the network
in November, 2011 with the aim to: 1) gain a better
understanding of the profile of the network in relation
to professional backgrounds and current research
interests; 2) explore levels of engagement in
governance research that is collaborative, particularly
where it crosses and challenges disciplinary divides;
and 3) explore the critical issues facing water
governance research and practice in Australia.
(ii) Special Issue of Water Resources Management
The special issue of Water Resources Management
was edited by Prof. Ray Ison, Prof. Lee Godden and
Dr. Philip Wallis, with contributions from members of
the network. The special issue explores real world
'experiments' in water governance, in the face of the
emerging challenges that climate change is bringing
to socio-ecological systems related to water. Systemic
and adaptive effectiveness is referred to as the ability
to navigate these complex
challenges, which, it is shown,
requires new mental models,
innovation and practices. The
Special Issue provides new
understandings of water
resources management as
theoretical and practical
offerings for embarking on a new
trajectory in water governance.
The papers offer predominantly
Australian experiences, from a more social and
trans-disciplinary perspective than has traditionally
been the case in reporting on Australia's water
governance developments.
The survey was completed by 39 WGRI network
members. Most of the survey respondents (85%)
were primarily involved in research, followed by equal
numbers in policy and management (15%) with
seventy percent primarily associated with the
University/Tertiary Sector. The most prevalent areas
in which respondents have background qualifications
(in order) are Environmental Sciences, Engineering,
Studies in Human Society, and Law and Legal
Studies. For areas of current research interest, the
most common areas were Studies in Human Society,
followed by Environmental Sciences, and Law and
Legal Studies. Most researchers had experience in
some form of collaborative research (i.e. disciplinary,
multi-, inter- and trans- disciplinary), and many were
seeking to develop their capabilities in inter- and
trans- disciplinary research.
(iii) Special Issue Law Journal
Overall, most WGRI participants see Australian water
governance systems as responding to the complex
challenges of sustainability as “moderately well” to
“not well” - suggesting there is scope for significant
improvement. The highest ranked issues for water
governance in Australia are; improving the institutional
capacity for implementing water governance reforms,
the inclusion of scientific information in policy making
and implementation, and improving the capacity for
climate change adaptation.
This special issue entitled
“Institutional Transitions and
Water Law Governance” was
edited by Lee Godden and
features contributions by
network participants,
particularly early-career
researchers. The special issue
appears in Volume 22 Issue
2/3 of The Journal of Water
Law.
A second online survey was conducted (May-June
2012) to evaluate the activities of the Initiative over
the past two years and to document any potential
impacts the Initiative may have had. While the
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response rate was very low (9 responses), the
response quality provides some indication of the
overall efficacy of the WGRI. The WGRI was largely
considered as ‘effective’ to ‘very effective’ in achieving
its stated objectives. The key issue or idea that
participants thought the WGRI addressed related to
engaging with systemic and multi-, inter- and
trans-disciplinary approaches to water governance
research; an approach that adopts the notion of
complex systems thinking. The most useful aspect of
the WGRI was the networking opportunities made
available through the various WGRI activities. The
WGRI as a useful networking space was expressed in
a variety of ways: “connecting with researchers and
students from across Australia”, “bringing together
senior policy makers, academics and other actors in
water governance” and “[a] platform for collaboration
between researchers who may not have otherwise
met”.
was of extreme importance to be part of the
discussion regarding water governance and
Australian water reform.”
“This experience of being a particular part of a
community, and of what Wenger calls a trajectory into
a community of practice, develops my identity as a
researcher as much as knowledge and skills for
research.”
Submissions and Consultations
The Water Governance Research Initiative has made
two submissions to Public Inquiries:
1. Inquiry into the impact of the Murray-Darling Basin
Plan in Regional Australia
2. Productivity Commission Public Inquiry into the
barriers to effective climate change adaptation.
What next?
The WGRI network will be sustained in some capacity
through the research activities and active posts of the
early-career group, reported at
http://freshwatergovernance.wordpress.com. The
representatives of the National Researcher Reference
Group will continue to link water governance
researchers and research users across disciplines,
organisations and responsibility levels within their
respective states and territories. The WGRI project
team are continuing to seek opportunities to secure
funding for future water governance research
initiatives.
The WGRI clearly had a significant impact on those
who responded to the evaluation survey. Reflecting
on their direct and indirect experience with the WGRI
since 2009, participants indicated that it has
contributed to an appreciation of seeing water
governance research as a system involving a range of
state and non-state actor networks offering different
ways of framing water governance issues and
research. The Initiative was also a trigger for two
respondents to become involved in interdisciplinary
research networks i.e. Early Career Research
Networking group (including a co-authored journal
paper and an active Blog) and the National
Groundwater Centre for Research and Training
(involving disciplines from hydrology, hydrogeology,
law, political science and governance).
Acknowledgements
The WGRI project team would like to recognise the
valuable and high quality contributions of those who
presented in the 2010-2011 workshop sessions. We
would also like to thank and express our appreciation
to all attendees at various events, survey participants
and network members for your enthusiasm, feedback
and encouragement for the continuance of such an
initiative.
As an overarching and concluding question
concerning what opportunities are there for
strengthening the position of future water governance
research in Australia, WGRI participants indicated that
they would like to see the Initiative and similar
programs to receive ongoing support for greater
research collaboration amongst the biophysical
sciences and different levels of professional
responsibility; i.e. water governance practitioners,
particularly those managers who are willing to
innovate – this is to essentially fill the network gaps
respondent identified.
Further Information
Naomi Rubenstein, Philip Wallis*, Ray Ison
Monash Sustainability Institute
Monash University
Phil.Wallis@monash.edu
Lee Godden
Melbourne Law School
The University of Melbourne
Closing comments given by survey participants and in
personal communications were very encouraging and
included:
© Water Governance Research Initiative, 2012
“This was a great initiative. Keep it up!”
“I would like to congratulate you for everything;
presentations, mapping sections and also the way the
workshop was conducted. Especially for me, an early
career researcher that [has] just arrived in Australia, it
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