Water policy departments and industry must agree to common goals for water security by investing in a national water security framework. A framework will align Australia-wide efforts to a common goal as well as provide a consistent means of defining and measuring progress and identifying system deficits or opportunities for growth.
There has been significant work in this space, particularly for defining and measuring urban water security. This work must be expanded to encompass total water use within the system, including both urban and productive water settings.
Without being clear about what water security means, any efforts towards securing water resources for all users will be unfocused or unbalanced, diminishing the effectiveness of reform. Also, significant opportunities for sustainable economic prosperity may be missed.
For example, growth opportunities include the Tasmanian Irrigation program - the Pipeline to Prosperity - that is leveraging Tasmania's potential to expand irrigation. The program looks to implement a further 10 irrigation projects that will deliver up to 78,000 megalitres of water, contributing $114 million a year to the Tasmanian economy. The program will also deliver up to 2,600 full-time positions, in addition to jobs created during the construction period.14
Investing in a framework that uses best available data and information aligns Australia's efforts towards achieving water security and supports economic prosperity.