Poh-Ling Tan and John Mackenzie from the Water Planning Tools project gave a presentation to the planning staff of the Murray Darling Basin Authority on 27th November, 2008. The presentation was the keynote address as part of a forum on regional planning hosted by the Authority to gather insights and learnings for the development of the Basin Plan.

The requirement of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to orchestrate the development of a basin-wide water resource plan has instigated what can only be described as the most contentious and ambitious planning exercise ever undertaken in Australia. Under the Australian Commonwealth’s Water Act 2007, the Authority is to prepare a strategic plan – to be known as the Basin Plan – for the integrated and sustainable management of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin. Although the complexity of this exercise will require an unprecedented level of co-ordination and collaboration in resource planning, the ten years of accumulated experience in water planning across the country promise a wealth of learnings that may contribute to its overall success.

The presentation focused on the key lessons for regional planning as revealed from the project’s research into large-scale water planning. These lessons included:

1. Community expectations will be for an inclusive, transparent and equitable engagement processes, in exchange for their investment of time, energy and expense
2. Clarity around the process, role and rationale of  community participation and involvement in the development of the Basin Plan will be necessary for effective collaboration.
3. The scope of community involvement should distinguish between collaboration and seeking feedback on pre-determined outcomes in the preparation phase of the Basin Plan.
4. Participant commitment to the process and the opportunities for social learning in the basin will depend on the extent of meaningful input into the decision-making process.
5. There is an identified need for improved methods for making trade-offs in water allocation decisions in a collaborative way.
6. The absence of adequate Indigenous participation and representation remains a key issue and impediment to effective planning.
7. Integrating the diverse forms of knowledge required of the planning process, particularly the scientific, local and cultural knowledges, will be a complex and challenging aspect of reaching transparent allocation decisions.
8. Water planning agencies in general are not convinced of the benefits of a properly conducted collaborative process – but for reasons of fairness, equity and pragmatism, the Basin Plan will require the insights into complex issues brought about through the integration of multiple stakeholders’ perspectives.