Inquiry into the impact of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in Regional Australia · Inquiry into the impact of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in Regional Australia I am writing to provide

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20 December 2010

Secretary, Inquiry into the impact of the Murray-DarlingBasin Plan in Regional Australia

House of RepresentativesPO Box 6021Parliament HouseCANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Secretary

Inquiry into the impact of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in Regional Australia

I am writing to provide a submission to the above inquiry. The submission relates to thefirst Term of Reference:

The direct and indirect impact of the Proposed Basin Plan on regionalcommunities, including agricultural industries, local business activity andcommunity wellbeing.

In 2010 Inovact Consulting established the Basin Pulse initiative to provide independentinsights and information on the shifting attitudes of people living in the Murray DarlingBasin as the region strives to adapt to change.

Basin Pulse has involved the conduct to two surveys of the general population living inthe Basin – one in June 2010 and one in late October 2010. Comparison of the findingsfrom the two surveys (reports and research highlights attached) pr ovides useful insightson how community attitudes have changed since the release of the Guide to the BasinPlan. We are unaware of similar studies on community attitudes in the Basin.

Basin Pulse surveys are conducted on the telephone by trained interviewers in the sevenmajor regions of the Murray-Darling basin (Queensland basin, Far Western NSW,Northern NSW, NSW Riverina, Eastern Victoria, Western Victoria and the SA basin). TheJune survey was based on 476 interviews and the October survey was based on 511interviews. The data reflects the population distribution in each region.

The surveys were independently designed and funded by Inovact Consulting. Werecognise that it is no simple task for leaders of a major reform process to concurrentlyseek the views of the mainstream community , weigh up interest group representationsand build broad momentum and buy-in for change. The situation is made morechallenging with the reality of community views being dynamic and changing over time.

In this context, I trust that the Committee finds the Basin Pulse research on communityattitudes is of value in the development of a workable way forward for water reform .

Regards

Brian RamsayManaging Director

Scholesc

Text Box

Submission Number: 400 Date Received: 20/12/2010

Stamp


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Basin Pulse is an initiative of Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd. ABN: 17 587 520 145

Research HighlightsBasin Community

issueJune

Result%

OctoberResult

%

Change Comment

A positive futureoutlook

46 45 No change Almost half the population is positively oriented to the future and saytheir local area will a better place to live in 5 years. 28% say it will beworse.

Responsibility for waterreform rests with the‘whole community’

21 46 Significant Almost half of people living in the Basin now identify the wholecommunity as responsible for water reform. 29% identify the Federalgovernment, which is a minor increase since June.

Change is likely tooccur

46 60 Significant Most people (60%) now say water reform is likely or very likely

Need for Basin widechange to waterallocation

80 75 Minimal change Most people still agree change to water allocation is needed to help thenatural environment. Perceptions about the extent of change requiredhave moderated.

Need for local changeto water allocations

73 54 Significant People see Basin-wide change to water allocation as being morenecessary than change in their local area.

Urgency for change towater allocations

74 62 Significant The level of urgency has declined, with less people now saying thatchange should already be underway or started immediately.

Expected impact on thelocal region if less waterfor farms and business

68 68 Unchanged The same number of people believe their region will be worse off if lesswater is available for economic use.


P: + 61 2 6140 3900 | E: [email protected] W: www.basinpulse.com.au

Basin Pulse is an initiative of Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd. ABN: 17 587 520 145

The Basin Pulse initiativeThe Murray-Darling Basin is undergoing far reaching, long-term change. Drought, changingimperatives for water use, volatile international markets, new industries and economicopportunities and emerging social trends are pulling people in the Basin in many directions.

Leaders in government, industry, business and the community are grappling with thechallenges of transformational change in the Basin. There is an imperative to develop adialogue with the people whose lives will be impacted by new policies, decisions and services.

At Inovact Consulting, we have observed that influential organisations often struggle toconnect with people and develop relationships strong enough to enlist support and buildcommitment for change. New approaches are needed.

The Basin Pulse initiative was designed to be part of the solution for communities, industriesand governments as they strive to adapt and reshape the Basin’s long term future.

Basin Pulse exists to help bridge the divide between people and decision makers. Our missionis to enable connections to occur and to promote understanding and mutually beneficialengagement and dialogue. As an independent initiative we serve no vested interest.

The first Basin Pulse community survey was conducted in June 2010. The results of thesecond community survey in October enables direct comparison of results.

The October surveyBasin Pulse surveys are conducted on the telephone by trained interviewers in the sevenmajor regions of the Murray-Darling basin (Queensland basin, Far Western NSW,Northern NSW, NSW Riverina, Eastern Victoria, Western Victoria and the SA basin).Telephone numbers and the person within the household are selected at random. Thedata reflects the population distribution in each region. The latest survey is based on 511interviews with people aged 18 years or older and was conducted during the last week ofOctober 2010. The maximum margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.4 percentagepoints. The research was designed and funded by Inovact Consulting.

About Inovact Consulting

Basin Pulse is an initiative of Canberra consulting firm Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd (seewww.inovact.com.au). Inovact Consulting has been in business for over five years and acts asa specialist advisor to industry, government, research agencies and commercial clients.

We assist clients to improve their organisations, their strategies and their businessrelationships so that resources, activities and effort are applied effectively. Inovact Consultinghas particular strength in working with people to:

Reform organisations, industries and institutions and

Design services that translate knowledge into outcomes

We work across many service functions with a particular emphasis on strategic stakeholderengagement and subject areas related to environmental management and primary industries.

Some of our clients have included the National Water Commission, the National Farmers’Federation, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the ACT Department of theEnvironment, Climate Change, Energy and Water and Horticulture Australia Ltd.

Shifting Community Attitudes toWater Reform

Headline Report - November 2010

Basin Pulse is a specialist community engagement service provided by Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd.

ABN: 17 587 520 14

For more information on Basin Pulse and our services, please contact Brian Ramsay or Jack Archer at:

E: [email protected]

P: 02 6140 3900

W: www.basinpulse.com.au

Acknowledgements

The Basin Pulse team would like to acknowledge the people who live and work in the Murray -Darling Basinwho provided their input to this report as research participants.

About the Survey

Basin Pulse surveys are conducted on the telephone by trained interviewers in the seven major regions of theMurray-Darling basin (Queensland basin, Far Western NSW, Northern NSW, NSW Riverina, Eastern Victoria,Western Victoria and the SA basin). Telephone numbers and the person with in the household are selected atrandom. The data reflects the population distribution in each region. T he latest survey is based on 511interviews with people aged 18 years or older and was conducted during the last week of October 2010. Themaximum margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. The survey was designed andwholly funded by Inovact Consulting.

Copyright

© Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd 2010. Copyright on this document remains at all times with Inovact Consulting.

Terms of Use

The information and statistics contained in this report are not to be commercially exploited. Information andstatistics in this report can be quoted so long as the source of the information is always properlyacknowledged. In all such cases the report should be cited as:

o Basin Pulse Shifting Community Attitudes to Water Reform - Headlines Report November 2010,www.basinpulse.com.au .

If you are uncertain about whether your intended use of this document could con travene the copyright heldby Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd, please contact us immediately to discuss and resolve the issue.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this report has been compiled from research data and publicly availableinformation. Every effort has been made to ensure the information presented and the conclusions reached arerealistic and not misleading. However, Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd makes no warranty as to the accuracy of theinformation contained in this report. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd willnot accept responsibility or liability for any loss or damage incurred by any person or entity relying on theinformation in this report.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.basinpulse.com.au/


Community Well-being and Water Reform – Headline Report November 2010

Basin Pulse – Connecting People and Decision Makers Page 1

About Basin PulseThe Basin Pulse initiative was designed to be partof the solution for communities, industries andgovernments as they strive to adapt and reshapethe Basin’s long term future.

This research report is the second produced byBasin Pulse. It should be read in conjunction withthe first report, which was released in July 2010and can be downloaded from the Basin Pulse website.

The release of the Guide to the Basin Plan by theMurray Darling Basin Authority in October 2010has stimulated wide public awareness anddiscussion about the actions required to securethe future of the Basin and its communities.

This Headlines report provides decision makersand people living in the basin with objectiveinformation and insights on how communityattitudes towards water reform have changed inthe past four months.

As an independent initiative we serve no vestedinterest. As with the first Basin Pulse report, theresearch in this study has been wholly designedand funded by Inovact Consulting.

Our interest is that people are connected withdecision makers, that useful information isexchanged and that understanding and aconversation culture is built over time. We believethat this is the pathway to the type oftransformational change needed to benefit thecommunity, environment and industries in theBasin over the long term.

The Basin Pulse team trust that you will find thesecond pulse report useful and we look forward tofurther engagement with you and the Basincommunity as the major processes of economic,social and environmental change unfold.

Brian RamsayManaging DirectorInovact Consulting Pty Ltd



SummaryMuch has changed since June 2010 for peopleliving in the Murray Darling Basin. The drought hasbroken, the newly constituted Federal Parliamenthas been formed with the support of influentialregional members and the Murray Darling BasinAuthority has released the Guide to the Basin Plan.

Against this backdrop, Basin Pulse conducted itssecond Basin community attitude survey in lateOctober 2010. The research sought to understandwhat has really changed for the people living in theBasin and what has not. The answers show apopulation that is becoming more engaged in theprocess of change.

One of the most significant changes since June hasbeen in community attitudes towardsresponsibility for changes to water management inthe Basin. In June, governments were seen asprimarily responsible. However, communities nowagree that changing water management is ashared responsibility. The research in Octoberfound that twice as many people (46%) nowbelieve that primary responsibility for action onwater management rests with the ‘wholecommunity’.

The finding suggests that people are movingbeyond awareness and contemplation of change.They are preparing for change to occur and wantto be engaged on a whole-of-community basis.

Responding to this expectation will most likelyrequire a more sophisticated approach that goesbeyond a narrow focus on water management andagriculture. It will need to be inclusive of otherissues of concern to Basin communities.

The Federal government is the next mostimportant group believed to be responsible forwater reform. Almost a third of the population(29%) identified the Federal government as beingresponsible.

However, significantly fewer believe thatresponsibility rests with State (10%) and local (6%)governments. This finding conflicts with presentreality, where responsibility for theimplementation of the Basin Plan rests largely withthe States.

Although there has been negative publicityassociated with release of the Guide to Basin Plan,the research has found that people living in the

Basin as a whole remains resolute about the needfor change to water management. Today, 75% saychange is needed, which is a minor decline fromJune.

Besides wanting change to occur, communityexpectation for change is building. A significantlylarger proportion of people now believe thatchange to water management is likely or verylikely to occur.

Urgency for change remains strong across thecommunity, but the level of urgency hasmoderated. Currently 62% say change shouldalready be underway or started without delay, asignificant drop from the 74% recorded in June.

While most people agree that change is neededand urgent, the perception of risks associated withchanges to water management remains firmly inplace amongst the community. There has been noalteration in the number of people (68%) whobelieve their local area will be worse off if lesswater is available to farms and businesses. Thewider community recognises that there are costsassociated with changing water management.

Nonetheless, the research shows that thepopulation as a whole continues to see a need forwater reform and believe that change is urgent.

In recent months the nature of proposed changehas become clearer through the release of theGuide to the Basin Plan. At the same time,community perceptions about the extent ofchange required and the level of urgency havemoderated.

People in the Basin are now moving to take moreresponsibility for change. They have increasedconfidence of the likelihood that some success willbe achieved with water management in thecoming years.



Contents................................................................................................................................................................1

About Basin Pulse ................................................................................................................................... 1

Summary.................................................................................................................................................2

Contents..................................................................................................................................................3

Reading the Pulse of the Basin ............................................................................................................... 4

Using and Interpreting the Insights in this Report..............................................................................4

Insights.................................................................................................................................................... 5

People remain positive about the future............................................................................................5

Water Reform – some perceptions and attitudes have changed.......................................................5

Perspectives on water allocation trade-offs .......................................................................................6

Conclusions...........................................................................................................................................10

Appendix...............................................................................................................................................11

The Basin Pulse Survey......................................................................................................................11



The report is based on arepresentative sample

of the whole basincommunity.

Reading the Pulse of the BasinThe aim of this report is to provide insights on howattitudes to water reform have changed since June2010 for the two million people who call the Basinhome. It is designed to help organisations andpeople living in the basin understand objectivelyhow the community as a whole views waterreform today.

The report is based on a telephone surveyinvolving 511 people aged 18 years and over wholive in the Murray-Darling Basin. These people area representative sample of the wider population.The characteristics of the sample including age,gender, household income and education levelsare consistent with authoritative statisticscollected by the Australian Bureau of S tatistics.Additional information on the characteristics ofthe sample is provided in the Appendix.

While the Basin can be understood as a wholepopulation, the sheer geographic size of the regionmeans that important differences in communities,environments and economies exist and these needto be understood.

Figure 1 shows the distribution of the surveysample within 7 Basin regions. These regions aredefined by the boundar ies of major watercatchments.

In this second pulse reading, the survey questionsfocus on understanding people’s attitudes towater reform so that results can be directlycompared with findings in the June 2010 pulse.

The research draws out the population’sorientation tothe waterreformprocess andtheir

willingness to support and participate in it.

The discussion in the report draws on the surveyfindings, as well as the findings of the June 2010Headlines Report and other pieces of publiclyavailable information to help interpret themeaning of the findings for organisations seekingto communicate with, engage and influencepositive change in the Basin.

Figure 1: Regional Distribution of theRepresentative Survey Sample (Base n=511)

This is the second report of a regular series thatwill track changing basin community perspectivesover time, providing real time information todecision makers and communicators.

For more information on future Pulse Reports orfor tailored analysis and insights on the findings ofthis report for your organisation, contact the BasinPulse team directly.

Using and Interpreting theInsights in this Report

The survey statistics presented throughout thereport that underpin the discussion are robust.They were collected using proven market andsocial research techniques and a formal,professional, accredited Computer AssistedTelephone Interview methodology.

Basin Pulse utilises Australian Market and SocialResearch Society accredited facilities for itsresearch work.

We hope that each reader will think about theunderlying information, our interpretation andtheir own situation. The context of different roleswill have subtle implications for interpretation,whether for a member of the community, acommunicator, an analyst or a decision maker.

Queensland Basin (12%)

Western Victoria (14%)

SABasin(6%)

Far Western NSW (5%)

NorthernNSW (22%)

NSWRiverina(29%)

Eastern Victoria (13%)



Almost half of the Basinpopulation remain

positively orientatedtowards the future over

the next five years.

Significant rain and therelease of the Basin Plan

have been importantinfluences on community

perspectives since the firstsurvey in June.

InsightsPeople remain positive about thefuture

Willingness to engage actively in change as well asattitudes to the costs and benefits of potentialchanges are filtered through a person’s existingperspective on the future. The way in whichpeople perceive the future can guide their initialreactions and willingness to consider possiblepositive futures.

To gaugepeople’sorientation tothe future, thesurvey askedresidentswhether, infive years’

time, they believed that the area where they livewill be a better or worse place to live.

The results (Figure 2) show no significant changesince June 2010. Basin residents remain morelikely to be positive and confident about the futurefor their local area.

Perceptions about the outlook are similar acrossage groups and genders and across all regions ofthe Basin.

Figure 2: Expectations for the FutureJune Base n=476; October Base= 511 (responses inpercentages, %)

The October research suggests that SouthAustralians and Western Victorians tend to bemore pessimistic than other regions about thefuture.

Water Reform – some perceptionsand attitudes have changed

Community attitudes are not static and shift overtime as situation change and new information ismade available. The Basin has now emerged froma period of sustained drought, shifting theemphasis towards the key issue of how water willbe distributed in the Basin in the future.

The release of the Guide to the Basin Plan by theMurray Darling Basin Authority on 8 October 2010is another significant development. Its releasesignals the start of targeted efforts to return theBasin to sustainable water allocations, rebalancingthe interests of governments, industries andcommunities for the longer term.

The Basin Pulse research in June and October 2010has sought to gain objective insights oncommunityviewstowardswaterreform. Thesurveys haveexploredcommunityperspectiveson changes to water management, the need forreform and expectations of the costs and benefitsinvolved in the reform process for the Basineconomy and the natural environment.

The use of consistent methodology allows directcomparison of the findings in June and Octoberand provides valuable insights as to how attitudeshave shifted over the past four months.

Who is Responsible for Change?

A significant shift has occurred in communityattitudes towards who is responsible for takingaction to deal with water management issues.

The perceived role of the Federal government hasremained high at 29%. However, it has now beenovertaken by the importance of the ‘wholecommunity’ as having primary responsibility for

2827

45

2430

46

WorseNeitherBetter

October

June



Almost half of peopleliving in the Basin now

identify that waterreform is a responsibility

shared by the wholecommunity

Significantly more peoplebelieve that water reform

is likely to occur

achieving change. The whole community responsehas more than doubled in October to reach 46%.

South Australians are significantly more likely thanpeople in other regions to see the FederalGovernment as being primarily responsible fortaking action on water reform.

The leap inperceivedimportance ofcommunityresponsibilityis matched bya largedecline in the

portion of the population that see Stategovernments as being primarily responsible (downto 10%). These perceptions contrast markedly withthe actual situation, where legislative and BasinPlan implementation responsibility remains withthe states.

The wider Basin community expects change

The June research showed that the communitywas divided on whether any change would occurto water management in the Basin as a whole. 46% said it was likely or very likely and 42 % said itwas unlikely or very unlikely.

However, the research in October has revealed asignificant shift in attitude (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Community attitudes towards likelihoodof significant changes to water management

Base n=987 (responses in percentages, %)

Figure 3 shows that 60 % of people living in theBasin now believe that change is likely or very

likely, while half that number (31 %) believes it isunlikely or very unlikely. These views are heldconsistently across all seven regions surveyed.

The research went on to explore whether peoplebelieve thatwatermanagement intheir local areais likely to

change. It revealed that people still see localchanges as likely, but at 47 % it was not as strongas their views on the likelihood of change for theBasin as a whole.

Perspectives on water allocationtrade-offs

The need for change in water allocations

Basin Pulse found continued agreement in theBasin on the need for change in water allocationsto ensure that enough water is made available tothe environment. When this question was posed inrelation to the Basin as a whole, 75% ofrespondents agreed that change was needed with40% agreeing that it needs to change greatly(Figure 4).

Figure 4: Need for change in water allocations inthe Basin as a wholeJune Base n=476; October Base n=511 (responses inpercentages, %)

These findings confirm ongoing support forchange, but since June there has been a significantshift in the community’s sense of the extent of thechange required.

4642

12

60

31

10

Change islikely

Change isunlikely

Unsure

June October

56

20

47

40

27

814

Needs tochangegreatly

Needs tochange

moderately

Needs tochange a

little

No changeneeded

June October



People see Basin-wide change as more

necessary thanchange in their local

area.

But most people stillagree that change is

needed locally

In October most people said water allocationneeds to change greatly, but the number droppedcompared with June. At the same time there weremore people saying that moderate or small changeis needed. Significantly more people (up from 7 to14%) now say that no change to water allocation isrequired in the Basin, suggesting that a minorityresistance to change has grown in strength.

Only those living in the South Australian Basinwere more likely to say that water allocation in theBasin as a whole needs to change greatly.

Comparing attitudes towards the need for changein the Basin as a whole with the need for changelocally provides an insight on change readiness in

the Basin.

When people wereasked about theneed for change towater allocations intheir local area thestrength of

agreement was significantly lower (Figure 5).

In fact, the number of people who now agree thatlocal water allocation needs to change greatly was21%, compared with 40% who agree that Basinwide allocations should change greatly.

Since June 2010, there has also been a significantincrease in the proportion of people who believethat no change is needed in the Basin or locally.

Figure 5: Need for change in local waterallocationsJune Base n=476; October Base n=511 (responses inpercentages, %)

A larger proportion of people living in NorthernNSW, Far Western NSW and Queensland are likelyto perceive that no change is needed locally.

Regardless, amajority of peoplein the Basin (54%)agree that watermanagement in

their local area needs to change to ensure thatenough water is made available to theenvironment.

The sense of urgency remains strong but ithas moderated

Alongside this general agreement that change isneeded to water management, there is also asense of urgency amongst the population for thatchange to occur.

Figure 6: Urgency of changes to watermanagement (October)June Base n=448; October Base n=453(responses inpercentages, %)

The current survey has found that the level ofurgency for changes to water allocations to makemore water available to the environment hasreduced since June.

Even so, most people living in the Basin (62%)continue to believe that changes to watermanagement should already be underway orimplemented immediately (Figure 6). Few people(12%) believe that changes can wait three years ormore.

3025

8

30

21 20

13

41


Needs tochange

moderately

Needs tochange a

little

No changeneeded

June October

50

24

128

39

2317

12

Shouldalready be

wellunderway

Needs to bestarted

quickly andwithout

further delay

Needs to bestarted in thenext year or

two

Can wait forthree or

more years

June October



Perceptions about theexpected impact of lesswater for economic use

remain unchanged.

More people expect tobe personally worse off

Perspectives on the likely economic andenvironmental impacts

Because people have an expectation and generalsupport for change does not mean that theyrecognise the consequences of implementingchange. Basin Pulse sought an understanding ofpeople’s expectation of the impacts (positive andnegative) that would flow for themselves and theirregion from changes to water allocations.

These questions revealed a complex view of theimpacts of change, demonstrating that peoplerecognise both that there are potential costs andpotential benefits from water reform. They wantthe benefits and are concerned about localeconomic impacts. They are realistic.

Expectations of well-being impacts fromreductions in water for economic use

Basin Pulse sought to understand the extent towhich people linked changes in water allocationsto their personal prosperity and the prosperity ofthe region. Exploring this issue with respondentsincluded:

o identification of the industry that is seen asmost important to their local economy

o identification of personal associations withagriculture, and

o measuring expectations of impact fromreduced water for economic use on thelocal region and on individuals.

Importance of agriculture to the BasinCommunity

The October survey returned almost identicalresults to the June survey on the views of peopleabout the industry of most importance to theirlocal economy. It revealed that 56 % (comparedwith 55 % in June) see agriculture and relatedindustries as the most important to their localeconomy.

Similarly, on asking people if they had any familyor friends involved in agriculture, most people(54%, which is the same finding as in the Junesurvey) had at least one direct connection.

These findings confirm the extent to whichagriculture is deeply connected within Basincommunities.

Expectations of impacts from reducing wateravailable to farms and businesses

Basin community views remain unchanged abouthow the availability of water will impact on theprosperity of their local region.

Basin Pulse hasfound in bothJune andOctober that68% believetheir regionwill be worse

off if less water was available for use by farmersand business (Figure 7).

Figure 7: Impact on community well-being from areduction in water for farms and businessesJune Base n=476; October Base=511 (responses inpercentages, %)

People who work in agriculture, fishing or forestryand people with relatives in that industry weresignificantly more likely to believe the economicconsequences for the local region will be worse.

Both the June and October surveys found thatpeople holding university degrees weresignificantly less likely to expect serious economicconsequences for the local region.

All respondents were asked separately about theirexpectation of the impacts that changes in waterallocation will have on them personally.

Most people (61%) expect to be personally worseoff. Thiscompares with54% in June.There was a

parallel decline in the number of people expectingthat there will be no personal economic impact as

68

21

10

68

20

10

WorseNeitherBetter

October

June



More people describethe state of their local

natural environment asbeing excellent

a result of water allocation changes (from 39% to33%). Only 5% see personal benefit from reducingwater use for farms and businesses.

Victorians and particularly those living in westernVictoria were significantly more likely to believethey will be personally worse off from reducedwater availability for farms and businesses.

When asked in what ways life would be worse off,the most common responses were fears about:

Increased food prices Loss of employment and Closure of businesses and loss of income.

Expectation of Flow on Benefits fromEnvironmental Allocations

The contrasting question to economic impactsrelates to the potential environmental benefitsfrom changes to water allocation in the Basin.

Perspectives on the state of the localenvironment

The Basin Pulse survey in June found that peoplein the Basin mostly do not see their naturalenvironment as at risk or in poor condition.However, they did expect that allocating morewater to the environment will result in benefits.

The Octobersurvey foundsimilar results,but with asignificantincrease in the

proportion of people who believe that their localenvironment is in excellent condition (26%, upfrom 16% in June). The improved seasonalconditions could be an influential factor in themore positive view in found October.

Expectations of environmental benefits tothe community from changes to waterallocations

There has been a significant attitudinal changebetween the June and October surveys onexpectations of the local impact of more watergoing to the environment. Most people (59%) stillbelieve that more water to the environment willhave a positive impact for their local area. They

expect that it will be either moderately or a greatdeal better. These results are significantly downfrom 71% in June (Figure 7), with more people alsobelieving the impact will be worse.

Figure6: Benefits to the local area from increasingthe allocation of water to the environmentJune Base n=476; October Base=511 (responses inpercentages, %)

As in the June survey, people are less confidentabout whether more water for the environmentwould have a positive impact at a personal level.8% now believe it will be worse, compared with4% in June.

Nonetheless,almost half thepopulation(46%) areexpecting topersonallybenefit from

increased water for the environment. This issimilar to the finding in June.

These results are consistent across employmentstatus, education, income, region, state, genderand age.

In both the June and October surveys, peopleemployed in agriculture, fishing and forestryindustries were more likely to say the impact ofdirecting more water to the environment would beworse for both the local area and personally.

The October survey also revealed a significantchange from June, with an increase in the numberof people in agriculture who believe that theimpact will be worse locally and personally.

11

28

59

5

23

71

WorseNeitherBetter

October

June

Almost half the Basinpopulation continue toexpect personal benefitfrom increased water to

the environment



ConclusionsThe October Basin Pulse research has found thatcommunity attitudes to water reform have shiftedin several respects, but remain unchanged inothers. In either case, the findings are significant intheir own right.

Overall, people living in the Basin continue to wantwater reform. They still believe that it is needed,urgent and that it is now more likely to occur. Theclear message for leaders of change is that waterreform is wanted and expected by the widercommunity.

The wider Basin population is moving beyondawareness and contemplation of change. They aregetting ready for it to take place in the near future.

For policy makers in government, this is very goodnews. The opportunity now is to follow-throughwith effective implementation without being de-railed by the minority that is opposed to anychange. Conversely, the risk is that failure toimplement meaningful change in a timely waycould meet with the response of broad communitydissatisfaction.

The strength of support and ownership for changeis reflected in the finding that many more peoplenow believe that the ‘whole community’ hasprimary responsibility for achieving water reform.This is an extraordinarily strong response to whathas been a potentially divisive process forcommunities and governments to date.

The research confirms that the adverse publicityand expressions of emotion by people across theBasin does not mean that the Basin community asa whole is opposed to water reform. Nor does itmean that their attitudes to the potential adverseimpact of water reforms have changed.

Still, there is an identifiable group that is opposedto any change and its influence has increased inrecent months. Also the broader communityremains concerned about the economic impacts atlocal and personal levels. There remains a strongdesire to see the reform process resolved and forpositive change in water management to occur.Wider Basin community attitudes to water reformprovide cause for optimism for change leaders.



AppendixThe Basin Pulse Survey

Overview of the Survey Approach

The Basin Pulse survey was conducted using aComputer Assisted Telephone Interviewmethodology.

The survey questions were divided into threesequential components:

1. Questions about well-being2. Questions about water management and

reform3. Demographic information

For more information on the survey methodologyplease contact the Basin Pulse team.

About the Survey

Basin Pulse surveys are conducted on thetelephone by trained interviewers in the sevenmajor regions of the Murray-Darling basin(Queensland basin, Far Western NSW, NorthernNSW, NSW Riverina, Eastern Victoria, WesternVictoria and the SA basin).

Telephone numbers and the person within thehousehold are selected at random. The datareflects the population distribution in each region.The maximum margin of sampling error is plus orminus 4.4 percentage points.

Charts may not add up to 100% due to rounding orexclusion of ‘don’t know’ results.

Profile of Respondents

511 people aged 18 years and over responded tothe October survey. The figures below provide aprofile of selected demographics for therespondents.

For more information on the demographics of thesample or to access raw data for further tailoredanalysis, please contact the Basin Pulse team.

Figure 1: Gender

Figure 2: Age Profile

Figure 3: Household Income

Figure 4: Involvement in agriculture

51%49% Female

Male

11%

15%

19%

20%

16%

19%

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+

13%

24%

20%

18%

9%

13%

Under $25,000

$25-50,000

$50-75,000

$75-100,000

$100-120,000

More than $120,000

54%

44%

Involved inagriculture

Noinvolvementin agriculture

Contact Basin Pulse

www.basinpulse.com.au

02 6140 3900

[email protected]

Copyright © Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd 2010.Copyright on this document is strictly reserved.



Community Well-being andWater Reform

Headline Report - July 2010

Basin Pulse is a specialist community engagement service provided by Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd.

ABN: 17 587 520 145

For more information on Basin Pulse or to discuss organisational needs, please contact:

Mr Jack Archer

E: [email protected]

P: 02 6140 3900

W: www.basinpulse.com.au

Acknowledgements

The Basin Pulse team would like to acknowledge the people who live and work in the Murray -Darling Basinwho provided their input to this report as research participants.

Copyright

© Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd 2010.

Copyright on this document is strictly reserved.

Terms of Use

The information and statistics contained in this report are not to be commercially exploited. Information andstatistics in this report can be quoted so long as the source of the information is always properlyacknowledged. In all such cases the report should be cited as:

o Basin Pulse Community Well-being and Water Reform - Headlines Report July 2010,www.basinpulse.com.au .

If you are uncertain about whether your intended use of this document could contravene the copyright heldby Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd, please contact us immediately via the details above to discuss and resolve theissue.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this report has been compiled from research data and publicly availableinformation. Every effort has been made to ensure the information presented and the conclusions reached arerealistic and not misleading. However, Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd makes no warranty as to the accuracy of theinformation contained in this report. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd willnot accept responsibility or liability for any loss or damage incurred by any person or entity relying on theinformation in this report.




Community Well-being and Water Reform – Headline Report July 2010


About Basin PulseThe Murray-Darling Basin is undergoing farreaching, long-term change. Drought, changingimperatives for water use, volatile internationalmarkets, new industries and economicopportunities and emerging social trends arepulling people in the Basin in a multitude ofdirections.

Leaders in government, industry, business and thecommunity are grappling with the challenges oftransformational change in the Basin. There is animperative to develop a dialogue with the peoplewhose lives will be impacted by new policies,decisions and services.

Securing people’s attention and participation iscrucial to successful change. If the people who areaffected by reforms believe in the need for changeand are actively involved then success is morelikely to follow.

However, at Inovact Consulting we have observedthat influential organisations often struggle toconnect with people and develop relationshipsstrong enough to enlist support and buildcommitment for change. New approaches areneeded.

The Basin Pulse initiative was designed to be partof the solution for communities, industries andgovernments as they strive to adapt and reshapethe Basin’s long term future.

Basin Pulse exists to bridge the divide betweenpeople and decision makers. Our mission is toenable connections to occur and to promoteunderstanding and mutually beneficialengagement and dialogue.

As an independent initiative we serve no vestedinterest.

Our interest is that people are connected withdecision makers, that useful information isexchanged and that understanding and aconversation culture is built over time. We believethat this is the pathway to the type oftransformational change needed to benefit thecommunity, environment and industries in theBasin over the long term.

We live and work in the Basin and are passionateabout its future. We seek to be part oftransitioning the Basin to a more sustainable andprosperous future. We encourage people acrossthe Basin and decision makers to join us indeveloping processes of positive change.

Brian Ramsay

Managing Director

Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd



SummaryThis first Basin Pulse report provides a snapshot ofviews held by the two million people who call theMurray-Darling Basin home.

The report is based on a telephone surveyconducted in June 2010. The survey involved arepresentative sample of 476 people aged 18 yearsand over who live in the Murray-Darling Basin.

The report is designed to provide organisationsand individuals who are seeking to communicatewith people in the Basin with the information theyneed to develop more effective communicationstrategies and to foster a productive dialogue.

Basin communities value their social andphysical environment

People in communities across the Basin value theirlocal social and natural environments. They likethe sense of community and the peaceful, naturalenvironment. They don’t like the sense of isolationthat comes with living outside the major Australiancities and the associated lack of services, amenitiesand entertainment. Neither do they like theextremes of variability in the climate.

People are positively oriented to the future, withmost perceiving that the outlook is forimprovements in well-being over the next fiveyears.

Alongside water management, economicdevelopment is the issue that most concerns Basinresidents – both from the need for moredevelopment perspective (25% of concerns) andthe risks associated with over-development (16 %of concerns).

Communities are ready for change

A major finding of the first Basin Pulse report isthat the Basin communities are ready for changes

in water management. They perceive a lack ofwater and water management as the issue of mostconcern and they have a sense of urgency forchange. 50% believe that changes to waterallocations should already be underway and afurther 24% said it should happen without furtherdelay. These findings confirm that the settings fordecision-makers to move forward with waterreform are ideal. Conversely, any extensive delaysin acting on water reform may be receivednegatively by the Basin community.

Basin communities support the fundamentaldriver of water reforms

Basin Pulse has revealed a rich and compellingpicture of community views on water reforms andthe trade-offs between economic andenvironmental water use. The report shows thatthe community is well aware of the need forchange to water allocations at the basin-wide andlocal levels to ensure that more water is availableto the environment. 80% agreement with the needfor change is representative of strong,community-wide support.

People believe that governments and especiallythe Federal Government have responsibilityalongside the community as a whole for makingthe required changes to water management. Theyunderstand that making these changes will not beeasy. In fact, people are divided on whether therequired changes are likely to be implemented atall.

This view reflects an appreciation of thecomplexity involved and the incremental pace ofchange over the past 20 years.



People are concerned about the economicimpacts of water reform

People across the Basin place highest priority onwater for human use and water for economic use.Most people (68 per cent) believe that if less wateris available to farms, then their region will beworse off. At the same time, 70 per cent of peopleexpect that more water for the environment willbenefit their local area.

These results illustrate a complex but realisticperspective amongst the community on the costsand benefits of water reform. It will take carefuland sophisticated engagement by all groupsinvolved in water reform to maintain thisconsensus and build momentum over the courseof change implementation, particularly at the locallevel where changes will be felt most directly.



Contents

About Basin Pulse ................................................................................................................................... 1

Summary.................................................................................................................................................2

Contents..................................................................................................................................................4

The Murray Darling Basin1 ......................................................................................................................5

Reading the Pulse of the Basin ............................................................................................................... 6

Using and Interpreting the Insights in this Report..............................................................................7

Insights.................................................................................................................................................... 8

Entry points for discussion and debate ..............................................................................................8

Water Reform – perceptions and attitudes......................................................................................12

Perspectives on water allocation trade-offs .....................................................................................15

Conclusions...........................................................................................................................................22

Appendix...............................................................................................................................................23

The Basin Pulse Survey......................................................................................................................23

Additional Sources ............................................................................................................................24



The Murray Darling Basin1

The Murray-Darling Basin (Figure 1) is Australia’slargest connected river system. It covers 1,059,000square kilometres or 14% of the Australianlandmass.

Bounded by the Great Dividing Range in the east,the landmass includes large parts of southernQueensland, most of western New South Wales,all of the Australian Capital Territory, northernVictoria and the South Australian riverland.

The Basin Community

The Murray-Darling Basin is home to over 2 millionAustralians or around 10% of the Australianpopulation.

While the Basin has a lower population densitythan Australia as a whole, two-fifths of Basinresidents live in large urban centres.

Canberra is the largest urban centre in the Basinwith nearly 20% of the population. Other largepopulation centres include cities such asToowoomba, Bendigo, Albury-Wodonga,

Shepparton, Tamworth, Orange, Dubbo, Milduraand Bathurst.

Average incomes are lower in the Basin comparedto the rest of Australia, as are rates of educationalattainment.

The Basin Economy

Government (including health and education) isthe largest industry in the Basin by employment.Retail and wholesale trade is also an importantsource of employment and economic activity.

Agriculture is a vital component of the Basineconomy. Major industries include beef, sheep,grains and dairy.

The Basin is also the major irrigation region inAustralia with an estimated 83% of water use inthe Basin being devoted to irrigated agriculture.Important irrigated industries include grapes,cotton, apples and pears, citrus and rice.

There are also substantial mining developmentswithin the Basin. Coal seam gas is an emergingindustry in the Queensland Basin and Broken Hill inthe far-west has previously been one of Australia’smost important mining centres.

The Basin Environment

The Basin is defined by its rivers. Twenty -threeimportant river valleys lie within the Basin. Thenatural environment features internationally listedwetlands and some of Australia’s mostendangered ecological communities.

The development of agriculture, urban centres andother industries has significantly changed thenatural environment of the Basin. A recent reviewof the health of the Basin’s river systems identifiedthat only the Paroo in the north-west of the Basinwas identified as being in good health.

Figure 1: The Murray-Darling Basin



As well as broaderperspectives on well-

being, the survey drawsout the population’s

orientation to changes inwater management.

Reading the Pulse of the BasinThis report provides a snapshot of the issues ofconcern to the two million people who call theBasin home. It is designed to provide organisationsand individuals who are seeking to communicatewith people in the Basin with the information theyneed to develop more effective communicationand engagement strategies.

The report is based on a telephone surveyinvolving 476 people aged 18 years and over wholive in the Murray-Darling Basin. These people area representative sample of the wider population.The characteristics of the sample including age,gender, household income and education levelsare consistent with authoritative statisticscollected by the Australian Bureau of statistics.Additional information on the characteristics ofthe sample is provided in the report Appendix.

While the Basin can be understood as wholepopulation, the sheer geographic size of the regionmeans that important differences in communities,environments and economies exist and these needto be understood.

Figure 2 shows the distribution of the surveysample within 7 Basin regions. These regions aredefined by the boundaries of major watercatchments.

The findings paint a strong picture of the commonand varying perspectives held by people in theBasin in June 2010. In this initial pulse reading, thesurvey questions focussed on understandingpeople’s broad perspectives on the place that they

live and theissues theyare facing as acommunity.

The surveyalso explored

in some depth the current views of people in theBasin on the issue that binds the Basin together –water. The greatest change confronting the Basinas a community is transitioning water allocationsand management to long term sustainable levels.The survey draws out the population’s orientationto this process of change and their willingness tosupport and participate in it.

Figure 2: Regional Distribution of theRepresenta tive Survey Sample (Base n=476)

The discussion in the report draws on the surveyfindings, both quantitative and qualitative, as wellas other pieces of publicly available information tohelp interpret the meaning of the findings fororganisations seeking to communicate with,engage and influence the Basin population.

This is the first report of a regular series that willtrack changing perspectives over time, providingreal time information to decision makers andcommunicators.

As well as reporting at this headline level, weenvisage that future reports will examine in-depth

Queensland Basin (12%)

Western Victoria (14%)

SABasin(7%)

Far Western NSW (5%)

NorthernNSW (21%)

NSWRiverina(28%)

Eastern Victoria (14%)



issues related to key basin industries and the stateof play for the different regions and majorpopulation centres in the Basin. For moreinformation on future Pulse Reports go towww.basinpulse.com.au or contact the Basin Pulseteam directly.

Using and Interpreting theInsights in this Report

It is important for the reader to take the resultsand discussion included in this report in thecontext that they are provided and intended. Tothe extent we can through the first report, thefindings have been presented in a way aimed athelping readers to maximise the value of insights.

The survey statistics presented throughout thereport that underpin the discussion are robust.They were collected using proven market andsocial research techniques and a formal,professional, accredited Computer AssistedTelephone Interview methodology. Basin Pulseutilises accredited Australian Market and SocialResearch Society facilities for its research work.

Selected views are included in the text of thereport. These views are the genuine views, scribedverbatim from interview discussions by theinterviewer. The selected views are provided toenrich the reader’s understanding of perspectivesand to convey the broader meaning of the findingsof the survey beyond the replay of a statistic.

In producing this report the Basin Pulse team havechosen not to be overly conservative in identifyingpotential implications from survey results. Our aimis to stimulate your thinking about what theseresults may mean and represent.

We recognise that others may have alternativeinterpretations or perspectives and encouragedialogue. If you have different perspectives, viewsor questions we would love to hear them viaemail, telephone call or on our website.

We hope that each reader will think about theunderlying information, our interpretation andtheir situation to identify what this means for youin your role as a member of the community, or ascommunicator, decision maker or analyst for Basinissues. It will be slightly different for each of you.

Communication,, debate and dialogue arefundamental to developing rich relationships andmaking good decisions. The issues andperspectives described in the report are not fixedand cannot be definitively understood regardlessof the method used or the money invested. Theychange and evolve over time and are subject toconstant shifts in information and influence.

The aim of this report is to help organisationsengage effectively with the Basin community as agroup. The Basin Pulse team trust that you will findthe report useful and we look forward to furtherengagement with you and the Basin community asthe major processes of economic, social andenvironmental change unfold.




InsightsEntry points for discussion anddebate

Understanding people’s views on their well-being and the future

People typically engage in discussions aboutissues, contemplate the future and evaluateproposals for change from the perspective of theirpersonal situation and the things that underpintheir personal well-being.

Alongside personal considerations, people alsoengage in wider debates on the basis of theirperceptions of the community’s situation, its well-being and what they believe is valuable for thegroup as a whole.

The Murray-Darling Basin spans a significantdiversity of communities and more than twomillion individual perspectives. Acknowledgingthis, but also recognising that there is alsosignificant common ground, Basin Pulse sets out toprovide a snapshot of the issues that are top ofmind for the community as a group.

This section provides insights into what it is thatpeople value most about living in their local area,the things they value the least and theirorientation towards the future.

Personal well-being in theBasin is clearly

underpinned by the statusof the social and natural

environment.

Foundations of well-being for the Basin

The results of the study identify common sourcesof well-being for people in the Basin. In gatheringthis information people were asked ‘what is thebest thing about living in your local area’.

In responding to this question people commonlyidentified characteristics of the social environmentin the Basin (Figure 3). The most importantpositive attribute of local areas in the Basin (21%of respondents) were a ‘quiet, peaceful place tolive’ and that ‘small towns that are not busy’. Asense of community and friendliness in their localarea was cited by many others (16% ofrespondents) as being the best attribute of theirlocality.

Figure 3: Best Things about Living in the AreaBase n=476 (responses in percentages, %)

The following quotes from respondents capture asense of this perspective:

o “We really love the small community vibe,knowing a majority of the locals, thatvolunteer work is common, it’s the small

Thetown &commu

nity50%

Thenaturalenvironment31%

Other19%



town relaxedness that is great about thisarea.”

o “I love the town and the people, it’s arelaxed community environment andpeople are really easy going.”

The other common attribute cited by a largenumber of respondents related to the local,physical environment of the Basin. This included:

o the rural or country landscape (10%)o the environment, parks and scenery (10%)o the climate, weather and seasons (8%), ando fresh, clean air (3%).

The following quotes from respondents capture asense of this perspective:

o “I love the environment and the beauty ofthe land. We are living in the country and itis a very pretty place.”

o “We love the space and that it is a nicequiet area.”

o “It’s the country, biodiversity, trees, naturalwaterways and creeks, the parrots andmagpies”

Taken together, these results show thatcharacteristics of the current social and naturalenvironment are highly valued by people in theBasin and closely associated with their sense ofwell-being.

To draw contrasts and broaden the understandingof well-being in the Basin, people were also asked‘what is the worst thing about living your localarea’.

The responses (Figure 4) to this question wereclustered around two characteristics of the Basinand its communities:

o the isolation of much of the Basin frommajor Australian cities and the associatedlack of amenities and entertainmentoptions, and

o climatic variability.

The following quotes from respondents capture asense of these perspectives:

o “it’s a bit isolated, a lot of my friends live along way away and there is not a lot ofchances to meet new people”

o “I really don’t like having to travel so far toaccess proper services”

o “the effects of the drought are verycommon in this area”

o “I don’t like the dust and the hot weather”

Figure 4: Worst Things about Living in the AreaBase n=476 (responses in percentages, %)

Future orientation

Willingness to engage actively in change andattitudes to the costs and benefits of potentialchanges are filtered through a person’s existingperspective on the future. The way in which

32

22

10

5

4

3

10

15

Isolation

Climate

Transport

Crime

Lack of employment

Cost of living

Nothing

Other



Nearly half of theBasin population ispositively orientated

and expectingpositive change. Only

one-quarter arenegative about the

future.

Water availability andmanagement and

economicdevelopment are theissues of most urgentconcern for people in

the Basin.

people perceive the future can guide their initialreactions and willingness to consider possiblepositive futures.

To gauge people’sorientation to thefuture, the surveyasked residentswhether, in fiveyears’ time, theybelieved that thearea where theylive will be a betteror worse place to

live.

The results (Figure 5) showed that Basin residentsare more likely to be positive and confident aboutthe future for their local area. Some 46 per cent ofpeople expect the future will be somewhat ormuch better, while 24 per cent expect the futureto be somewhat worse or much worse.

Figure 5: Expectations for the FutureBase n=476 (responses in percentages, %)

A significant group of 30 per cent of people expectthe outlook to be largely unchanged for their localarea.

While the outlook is similar across the regions ofthe Basin, age groups and genders, South

Australians and Western Victorians are notablymore pessimistic than other areas.

Issues of concern

Extending the exploration of well -being, the surveyasked people to identify top-of-mind issues andidentified how these might be better understoodand engaged with.

The study exploredthe issues thatpeople perceivewill have the mostimpact on the well -being ofthemselves andtheir local areaover the next five

years. People were asked to identify several issuesin order of importance. This question was posedbefore any mention was made of water reform.

Lack of water is clearly the dominant issue ofconcern to Basin communities. When asked aboutthe top 3 issues that impact upon the well -being ofthe local area over the next 5 years, 34%mentioned water management. This was asignificantly higher rate of response than for anyother issue mentioned by respondents.

Economic development was the other main area ofconcern that for concern responses withapproximately 45% of people identifying an aspectof economic development (overdevelopment,need for more development, mining) as an issue ofsignificant concern. Within this issue, perspectivesare divided between people who are concernedabout over-development and those who wantgreater economic development to occur.

On balance, a larger proportion of the Basincommunity identified the need for furtherdevelopment of their local area as a key concern(25%) than those who identified the potential foroverdevelopment as an issue (16%).

46%

30%

24%Better

Neither betternor worse

Worse



Examination of development issues by region andother demographics shows that:

o Young people (18-24) identified populationincrease and over-development as issues ofconcern more than other groups. Nearlyone-third of younger respondents raisingthis concern.

o This younger group was also less concernedabout young people leaving the area and alack of jobs than older cohorts with only 4%raising this issue compared to 20% in oldercohorts.

o Mining is significantly more likely to be anarea of concern for Queensland Basinresidents compared to other Basinresidents. 20% of Queensland respondentsidentified mining issues specifically and 10%in Northern NSW as an issue of concern.This is in addition to the proportion of thesepopulations who were concerned aboutoverdevelopment.

o Some residents who mentioned miningwere concerned about any potential forreduced mining activity (e.g. throughintroduction of new taxes) while otherswere concerned about the impact ofcurrent developments on their well-being(e.g. new gas pipes in the QLD Basin).

Further Basin Pulse surveys and qualitativeresearch will examine in more detail thecharacteristics of these opposing groups in theBasin who are involved in and concerned aboutchanges arising from economic development.



Concern aboutwater

management isevident across the

community.

Water Reform – perceptions andattitudes

Water is the issue that binds and defines the Basin.The region is a single, large, interlinked watercatchment that is home to 10% of Australia’spopulation and produces one third of Australia’sfood supply. The Australian Bureau of Statisticsestimates that over half of all water use inAustralia occurs in the Basin with over 80% of thatwater being used by agriculture.

94% of people in the Basinagree that water

management is animportant issue for

themselves and theircommunity

Current and future use of water in the Basin is themost significant issue for the Basin population andfor many of the decision making bodies whoinfluence the Basin’s economy and communities.Two major changes are occurring in the Basin’swater use. Firstly, the region is emerging from aperiod of sustained drought. This impacts on theimmediate availability of water in the region.Secondly, how water is distributed is currentlyunder discussion as governments engage in acomplex water reform process to establishsustainable water use and management for thelong term. The Basin is at the centre of one of themost profound reform processes currentlyunderway in Australia.

Water reform is a complex change process that isfundamentally about striking a balance betweeneconomic and non-economic use of waterresources. It inevitably involves difficult decisions

and trade-offs that create impacts at the individualand enterprise level.

Now is a crucial time in the longer term waterreform process. It is a period where the Basincommunity as a whole will be under the greatestpressure to accept and engage in challengingprocesses of change and transition. A draft ‘BasinPlan’ to be released by the Murray Darling BasinAuthority in 2010 will signal the start of efforts toreturn the basin to sustainable water allocation s,rebalancing the interests of governments,industries and communities for the longer term.

Given the currency and importance of the issue tothe community, the initial Basin Pulse surveysought to explore broader perspectives on changesto water management, the need for r eform andexpectations of the costs and benefits involved inthe reform process for the Basin economy and thenatural environment.

People in the Basinrecognise that watermanagement andreform is fundamentalto their community andpersonal well-being.People overwhelminglyagree that it is a top priority.

Residents were significantly more likely to identifywater issues without prompting (39%). Of the 39%that mentioned water as an issue, two thirds (65%)said it was the issue that needs most urgentaction.

This response rose to 94% when people wereprompted to identify their level of concern inrelation to water management and the well-beingof their local area. Within this result, 56% ofpeople described water management as extremelyimportant – a top priority relative to other major



Environmentalissues are the

dominant driver ofconcern for only a

small portion ofthe community.

issues and a further 38% consider watermanagement is very important alongside othermajor issues.

Significantly, concern about water reform crossesboundaries and is not restricted to particularregions of the Basin, ages or industries. Thisfinding is regardless of water being potentiallymore important in an objective sense to somelocal economies and communities than others.

Analysis of survey results reveals that Victoriansare significantly more likely to identify water as atop priority than people in NSW, with over 70% ofVictorians rating the issue as a top priority. In allregions and states half or more of the populationidentified the issue of water as a top priority.

Sources of concern about water management

People’s concernsabout watermanagement areclosely related to thekey benefits that waterprovides to individualsand communities.These include water

for life’s essentials such as drinking and washing,water for economic uses such as irrigation andwater to maintain a functional, healthyenvironment.

Basin Pulse sought an understanding of the issuesand their relative prioritisation by asking people toidentify the underlying reason for water being anissue for them personally. This was undertaken attwo points in the survey:

1. after 34% of respondents (withoutprompting) identified water as an importantissue in response to the question ‘what arethe three most important issues to impact on

the well-being of your area over the next fiveyears’, and

2. after remaining respondents were asked‘how important is water management to thewell-being of your local area’.

The results (Figure 6) confirmed that humanneeds, economic needs and environmental needsare the most important motivators of concernabout water management for people in the Basin.However the hierarchy of needs (identified by theproportion of people who cite each need as theirmain source of concern) differed in prompted andunprompted results.

Figure 6: Reasons for concernBase n=476 (responses in percentages, %)

The unprompted responses suggested that humanneeds for domestic and economic needs areequally important drivers of concern. Aestheticsand environment were ranked very low relative tohuman and economic use.

However this relative prioritisation changed whenthe wider group were prompted to identify theirlevel of concern by the interviewer. In theseprompted responses, economic use of water(predominantly agricultural) emerged as the mostcommon concern amongst the wider population.The level of environmental concern also rose by afactor of ten.

13

1

42

44

8

10

50

32

Other

Environment

Economic needs

Domestic needs

Promptedconcern

Unpromptedconcern



People in the Basinare not satisfied with

the pace andeffectiveness of

reform.

They are looking tothe Federal

Government foraction but remain

divided on whetheraction will occur.

Views on Current Processes of Change

Watermanagement isrecognised as asharedresponsibility bysome of the Basincommunity butmost people in theBasin who areconcerned aboutwatermanagement lookto governments,particularly theFederal Government, for solutions to theirconcerns.

Basin Pulse found that one third (34%) of peoplewho identified water as a key issue of concernidentified the Federal government as beingprimarily responsible for action to deal with theissue. The whole community at 24 per cent wasthe next most common response, suggesting thata significant group of people recognise thatresolving water issues is a shared responsibility.State and local governments were ranked muchlower at 18 and 13 per cent respectively despitetheir more direct responsibilities for watermanagement.

People overwhelmingly see water management asan issue that government of some variety shouldtake responsibility for and act on. They don’trecognise the institutional allocation ofresponsibility between governments in assigningresponsibility for changes in water policy.

Basin Pulse also identified that people who areworried about water issues are not satisfied withthe scope or pace of reforms to date.

When asked if the responsible party theyidentified is already taking action on the most

important issue for the local area, those who saidyes were asked about the effectiveness of theaction (Figure 7).

Figure 7: Views on the effectiveness of currentactionsBase n=122 (responses in percentages, %)

The response suggests that most people who seewater as the most urgent issue for their local area(65%) consider that the action being taken was noteffective enough. Only 20% thought the actionbeing taken was effective and a large group (19%)were unsure. The people who are most concernedabout water reform are yet to be convinced thatcurrent activities will resolve their concerns.

Is the wider community expecting change?

Amongst the broader community is a mixture ofpessimism and optimism about the prospects forchange in water management over the next fiveyears. Basin Pulse identified that the community isdivided in their views on the likelihood ofsignificant change being implemented in the nextfive years (Figure 8) in water management. Thisperspective can be contrasted to the generallypositive feelings about the future expressed byrespondents.

Ineffective65%

Unsure18%

Effective17%



A majority of peoplein the Basin

recognise a need toimplement water

reforms and allocatemore water to the

environment.

Figure 8: Expectations of ChangeBase n=476 (responses in percentages, %)

Perspectives on water allocationtrade-offs

The key challenge in water management acrossthe Basin is to achieve a sustainable balancebetween economic use and environmental accessto water resources. Substantial scientific studieshave identified that over allocation of waterresources is the fundamental issue that must beaddressed by water reform. The new Basin Planbeing developed by the Murray Darling BasinAuthority will include Sustainable Diversion Limitsto direct more water to the environment in thefuture.

The Basin Community as a group will experiencedirectly the costs and benefits of this transition.While decision-makers are investing substantialresources to objectively understand the nature ofthese costs and benefits, it is also important tounderstand the perspectives of people who willexperience them. If there are significantdifferences in people’s perspectives and theconclusions of the policy analysis, it makes theimplementation process more challenging, andemphasises the importance of effectivecommunication and engagement.

To examine this issue, the Basin Pulse survey askedpeople separately about economic andenvironmental issues and their personal andregional view on the costs and benefits of changesto water allocation.

Perceptions on the need for change inallocations

Basin Pulseidentified strongagreement in theBasin on the needfor change in waterallocations toensure that enoughwater is madeavailable to the

environment . When this question was posed inrelation to the Basin as a whole, 80% ofrespondents agreed that change was needed with56% (a clear majority of the community) agreeingthat it needs to change greatly (Figure 9).

However, when people were asked about changein their local area the strength of agreement onthe need for change was notably reduced (Figure9). The number of people who agreed that waterallocation needed to change greatly was almosthalved (from 56% to 30%) and a substantialincrease in the proportion of people whodisagreed that water allocation needed to change(from 7% to 30%) also occurred.

However, despite these changes, a strong majority(63%) agree that water management in their localarea needs to change to ensure that enough wateris made available to the environment ( Figure 9).

Thus, both at the basin-wide and local level, thereis clear recognition by the majority of people forthe need to implement water reforms and allocatemore water to the environment. These results aregenerally consistent across employment status,

Likely46%

Unlikely42%

Not sure12%



education, income, industry, state and genderswith some important nuances.

Figure 9: Need for change in water allocationsBase n=476 (responses in percentages, %)

The first nuance is related to age. The resultssuggest that older people (particularly 55-64 yearolds) are more likely to support significant change.Younger people are in general much less certainabout the magnitude of change required withfewer younger people supporting large changesand half the population of young people eitherunsure or supportive of minor or no change.

Regional variations are also important. Table 1shows the proportion of the population who agreethat water allocations need to change greatly ineach of the large Basin regions. In particular, thisreveals that Far Western NSW is the region thatmost strongly supports significant local change towater allocation with 59% of people in this regionholding this view compared to an average of 30%in other regions.

South Australians had thegreatest shift in perspectivewith a strong 72% agreeingthat allocations need tochange greatly in the Basin asa whole but only 22% agreeing

that great change was needed in their region.

Table 1: Regional perspectives on waterallocation change

Region

Agree thatwater

allocationsneed tochange

greatly inthe Basin

Agree thatwater

allocationsneed tochange

greatly intheir local

area

Difference

SouthAustralianBasin

72% 22% 50%

NSW Riverina 60% 29% 31%

North-EasternNSW

57% 29% 28%

EasternVictoria

49% 23% 26%

WesternVictoria

43% 28% 15%

Far WesternNSW

73% 59% 14%

QueenslandBasin

50% 36% 14%

Alongside this agreement that significant change isneeded, there is also urgency amongst thepopulation for that change to occur.

Basin Pulse found that people living in the Basinhave an overwhelming view that the need forchanges to water allocations to make more wateravailable to the environment is urgent. Indeed, 74per cent believe that the changes should alreadybe underway or implemented immediately (Figure10). Very few people (8 per cent) believe thatchanges can wait three years or more.

3025

8

30

56

20

47


Needs tochange

moderately

Needs tochange a

little

No changeneeded

Local views

Basin wide views

Peopleagree thatthe needfor this

change isboth urgentand local.



More than half of theBasin population

identify agriculture asthe industry that is

most critical to localprosperity.

Figure 10: Urgency of changes to watermanagementBase n=476 (responses in percentages, %)

Perspectives on the likely economic andenvironmental impacts

Because people have an expectation and generalsupport for change does not mean that theyrecognise the consequences of the changeprocess. Basin Pulse sought an understanding ofpeople’s expectation of the impacts (positive andnegative) that would flow for themselves and theirregion from changes to water allocations.

These questions revealed a complex view of theimpacts of change, demonstrating that peoplerecognise both that there are potential costs andpotential benefits from water reform.

Expectations of well-being impacts fromreductions in water for economic use

The potential for economic impacts is the subjectof significant public debate, with groupsrepresenting the biggest economic users of water(the agricultural industries) being most active inidentifying the potential economic risks associatedwith allocation change.

Different industries are more directly linked towater use and the team’s hypothesis was that thegreater the perception of importance of waterusing industries to local prosperity, the more likelythe community was to perceive that waterallocation changes would affect them personally ortheir community in a negative way.

Basin Pulse sought to understand the extent towhich people linked changes in water allocation sto their personal prosperity and the prosperity ofthe region. Exploring this issue with respondentsincluded:

o identification of the industry that is seen asmost important to local economies

o identification of personal association s withagriculture, and

o measuring expectations of impact fromreduced water for economic use on thelocal region and individuals.

Importance of agriculture to the BasinCommunity

Perspectives onthe mostimportant sourceof local economicprosperity weresought before thediscussion ofwater issuesbegan. This revealed that a majority of people(55%) living in the Basin perceive that agricultureand related industries are the most important fortheir local economy.

Agriculture and related industries are perceived asalmost four times more important than the nextmost important industry – government, includinghealth and education (14 per cent). This emphaticview about agriculture’s importance as an industryto the Basin is highlighted in Figure 11.

812

24

50

Can wait forthree or

more years

Needs to bestarted in thenext year or

two

Needs to bestartedquicklywithout

further delay

Shouldalready bewell under

way



Figure 11: Key Local IndustryBase n=476 (responses in percentages, %)

To explore this further, Basin Pulse asked people ifthey had any family or friends involved inagriculture. This demonstrated that a majority ofpeople (54%) of the population in the Basin had atleast one direct connection to agriculture throughfamily or friends. This confirms that agriculture isan industry that is deeply connected within Basincommunities.

The survey also identified that personalconnections to the agricultural industry make itmore likely that an individual will see the industryas critical to local prosperity with 56% of peopleidentifying a personal connection (either throughtheir employment, family or friends) compared toonly 38% of people who cite no direct connectionto the industry. This is a statistically significantresult that holds across the Basin community as awhole.

The only region where mining was the mostimportant to the population as a whole was farwestern NSW with significantly more peopleidentifying this industry as the most important totheir region.

Expectations of impacts from reducing wateravailable to farms and businesses

People clearly associate the availability of waterwith the prosperity of their local region. 68%believe that if less water was available for use byfarms and business their region will be worse off(Figure 12). A total of 39% of the populationbelieve that the community will be very muchworse off from reductions in water for farms andbusinesses.

Figure 12: Impact on community well-being froma reduction in water for farms and businessesBase n=476 (responses in percentages, %)

Within the group that expects the community tobe impacted upon most seriously, people whohave not completed high school are most likely tothink that things will be very much worseeconomically for their community. People holdinguniversity degrees are significantly less likely toexpect serious economic consequences for thecommunity.

Of all the Murray-Darling Basin states, it isVictorians who are most likely to be expecting thatchanges will result in their community being verymuch worse, with significantly more Victoriansexpecting serious economic community impacts.

Agriculture60%

Government16%

Mining6%

Other18%

10

20

68

BetterNeitherWorse



Respondents were asked separately about theirexpectation of the impacts that changes in waterallocation will have on them personally.

A majority of the community expect to bepersonally worse off (54%). However, 39% expectthat there will be no personal economic impact asa result of water allocation changes. Only 5%expect a personal benefit from reducing water usefor farms and businesses.

Verbatim responses by people provide someinsights on the ways in which people perceive thattheir life would be better or worse if less waterwere available for economic use. The mostcommon responses suggest people fear that:

o the cost of living will rise – particularly forfood and groceries, and

o they could lose their job or livelihood.

These comments from people who feel they willbe worse illustrate the sources of concern:

o “Goods would increase in price. Meatwould go up. Price of bread would go up”

o “The price of fruit and vegetables will goup”

o “We’re all linked in a small community, sowhat affects the agriculture will affecteveryone”.

o “…with less farms there would be lessfarmer children and I’m a teacher so therewould be less students”

o “We could lose our jobs. We both work inagricultural research”

o “My job is in the agricultural area and myjob could be in jeopardy if water was not asavailable”

Expectation of Flow on Benefits fromEnvironmental Allocations

The contrasting question to economic impactsrelates to the potential environmental benefits

from changes to water allocation in the Basin. Thekey motivation for shifting allocations is to ensurethe availability of water to maintain river healthand associated ecosystem functions. The needs forthese actions are defined by science and anunderstanding of the degradation caused bycurrent allocation regimes and the potentialbenefits of changes to ecosystem health.

But to what extent do people identify the negativeenvironmental consequences of over allocation fortheir local area? Do people believe that they andtheir region will realise benefits from the changesto water allocation they support? Basin Pulseapproached these questions by first asking peopleabout the health of their local environment beforethe issue of water management was raised. Thenduring the discussion of water management eachrespondent was asked directly about potentialenvironmental benefits from water allocationchange.

This approach identified that people in the Basinmostly do not see their natural environment as atrisk or in poor condition. However, they do expectthat allocating more water to the environment willresult in benefits.

Perspectives on the state of the localenvironment

Basin Pulse asked people to nominate theirdescription of the state of the natural environmentin their local area. This demonstrated that mostpeople living in the Basin believe that the localenvironment is in an excellent or acceptable state(Figure 13). A majority of people living in the basindescribe the state of the natural environment intheir local area as being acceptable (55%) with afurther 16% describing it as excellent. Less thanone-third of people in the Basin believe that theirlocal natural environment is at risk or in a poorcondition.



Figure 13: State of the local environmentBase n=476 (responses in percentages, %)

Expectations of environmental benefits tothe community from changes to waterallocations

Views on the expected impact at the communityand personal levels show that most people (70%)living in the Basin have an expectation that morewater to the environment will have a positiveimpact for their local area (Figure 14). A majorityof people expect that it will be either moderatelyor a great deal better. Thus, people identify thepotential benefits of more water being directed toenvironmental use in their local area.

People are less confident about the potential for apositive impact at a personal level from increasedwater allocation to the environment. The groupexpecting no personal impact is of similar size tothe group expecting personal benefit. However,nearly half (49%) of the population is expecting topersonally benefit from increased water for theenvironment.

Figure 14: Benefits from increasing the allocationof water to the environmentBase n=476 (responses in percentages, %)

These results are consistent across employmentstatus, education, income, region, state, genderand age. Verbatim responses illustrate individualperceptions of the ways in which life will be betteror worse for the individual respondent. Manypeople identify recreational activities (especiallyfishing) as being a benefit that impacted personallyon lifestyle. Many people also strongly associateda healthy environment with a healthy communityand with personal health, confirming the strongassociations identified in the earlier discussions ofwell-being. Comments from people that illustratethe personal impact of making more wateravailable to the environment include:

o “When you are in a healthy environment itaffects your mental health. It feels better”

o “It would make me feel better. It’d just giveme a feeling that were living within asustainable area and that we weren’t rapingeverything, so to speak”

o “It would affect my past times. More fishingand things like that”

o “More aesthetically pleasing – moreserene”

o “Better for your lifestyle. More enjoyableplace to live. More fauna and moretourists”

25

21

55

16

Very poorPoorAt riskAcceptableExcellent

5

23

71

4

4649

WorseNeitherBetter

Community impact

Personal impact



o “Probably just knowing that there areopportunities for me to enjoy the naturalenvironment in its original state. It’sprobably just knowing that the naturalsystems are being regenerated”.

o “We will still have resources available longterm, not short term. So that’s better. Thecotton is ruining it here. It’s taking all thewater and ruining the soil.”

o “Just a healthier environment for mygrandchildren and for the country”

o “The environment would be used in thecorrect manner”.

o “It will affect the way I feel about myenvironment. I want to see animprovement to the area.”



ConclusionsThe first Basin Pulse report has provided a uniqueinsight into the perspectives of people living in themany communities across the Murray-DarlingBasin. It has sought to understand perceptions andattitudes from a ‘processes of change’ perspectiveand to build an appreciation of what it is thatpeople most like and most want to see change.

The Basin Pulse initiative was framed on the basisthat a better understanding of perspectives,priorities and the levels of urgency for change willassist decision-makers to understand the changereadiness of communities and the likely responsesto proposals for change they are preparing andimplementing.

The information in this report can inform thestrategic design of reforms alongside objectivebusiness cases. It can also support effective andresponsive communications and engagementactivities during consultation and implementationperiods.

The findings demonstrate that attitudes to waterreform are not uniform across the Basin, withsubtle but important differences emerging. Forexample, people in lower part of the Basin tend tosee the need for change to water management asbeing of the highest importance and urgency. Theyalso perceive that changes to water managementare not associated with their local area and insteadneed to occur elsewhere in the Basin.

To be successful in the engaging with thecommunity in the context described in the report,approaches will need to consider how to tap intodifferences within the population to:

o Raise awareness that changes are coming.o Stimulate informed reflection on the

potential implications of change – for the

Basin, for their region and for thempersonally.

o Identify and satisfy expressed informationneeds.

o Enable contribution of views, ideas,preferences and priorities to influence thenature of the changes and how they areimplemented

o Achieve buy-in to the change process andcreate wider momentum and support foraction.

o Contribute to and participate in identifyingand resolving barriers, setbacks and issuesas they inevitably arise.

The strength of the results on communityengagement in water reform as an issue suggeststhat all of these outcomes are possible iforganisations actively listen, respond and engageas part of reform design and implementation.



AppendixThe Basin Pulse Survey

Overview of the Survey Approach

The Basin Pulse survey was conducted using aComputer Assisted Telephone Interviewmethodology.

The survey questions were divided into foursequential components:

1. Questions about well -being and issues ofmajor concern

2. Questions about water management andreform

3. Questions about preferences for accessinginformation on policy and economicdevelopment processes (results not presentedin report, please contact the Basin Pulse teamfor more information)

4. Demographic information

For more information on the survey methodologyplease contact the Basin Pulse team.

Profile of Respondents

476 people responded to the survey. The figuresbelow provide a profile of selected demographicsfor the respondents.

Figure 15: Gender

Figure 16: Age Profile

Figure 17: Household Income

Figure 18: Involvement in agriculture

For more information on the demographics of thesample or to access raw data for further analysis,please contact the Basin Pulse team.

52%48% Female

Male

6%

16%

20%

22%

17%

20%

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+

19%

22%

17%

17%

10%

12%

Under $25,000

$25-50,000

$50-75,000

$75-100,000

$100-120,000

More than $120,000

54%

45%

Involved inagriculture

Noinvolvementin agriculture



Additional Sources

1. The Murray-Darling Basin background sectionwas compiled with reference to informationcontained in:

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008)Water and the Murray-darling BasinA Statistical Profile 2000-01 to2005-06.

Geoscience Australia, Map of theMurray-Darling Basin.

Murray-Darling Basin Commission (19June 2008) Media Release: Healthcheck report finds long termecological degradation in 23Murray-Darling Basin valleys

Contact Basin Pulse

www.basinpulse.com.au

02 6140 3900

[email protected]

Copyright © Inovact Consulting Pty Ltd 2010.Copyright on this document is strictly reserved.



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