2018-04-30
As we all know, water is essential to life and how we use and preserve our water sources is crucial to our sustainable future on this planet.
Our Greens (WA) Water policy (https://greens.org.au/policies/wa/water) considers how a drying climate in the South West of Western Australia poses new problems affecting biodiversity, forests, dependant industries and water users. Every policy we have starts with how we see the issue, and follows with our policy aims, that is what we want to happen in the future. For the Greens (WA) Water policy our aims are:
- long-term assessment of the impact of climate change on the extent and sustainability of our water resources;
- water resource management integrated with long-term regional planning;
- the creation and implementation of Area Water Management Plans according to sustainable management principles in order to achieve sustainable water resource outcomes;
- regular reports published on Area Water Management Plans detailing the quantity and quality of water resources, the extent of extraction, the health of dependent ecosystems and the ongoing sustainability of resource use;
- continued public ownership of essential scheme water infrastructure;
- appropriate forms of subsidy for scheme water customers in the interests of equity and social justice, recognising that water is a necessity for life;
- research and implementation of water conservation, re-use and recycling measures.
The very nature of water means that is intersects with many other policy areas, and some of the main ones are listed below:
If you would like to know more about Greens (WA) policies or would like to contribute to their development please contact Mark Cooper, our Policy Working Group Co-ordinator on coopotron@hotmail.com
Header photo: A low water level at Canning Dam, previously a main water supply for the Perth metropolitan area. Wikimedia Commons
Mark Cooper and Vivienne Glance