Water market development in Tasmania: comparisons with Victoria

Le résumé fourni par la source

Water markets are a demand management tool used by governments to respond to water scarcity. Australian water trading is well studied; however, little research exists outside the Murray-Darling basin. This study investigates water trading elsewhere, using a cross-jurisdictional water market comparison and case studies of the Tasmanian Midlands Irrigation Scheme (TMIS) and the similar-sized Victorian Macalister Irrigation District (VMID). Comparisons demonstrated that legislation and policy in Tasmania were less comprehensive relative to Victoria. Victorian water trading is integrated within the Water Act 1989, whereas two statutory instruments govern water trading in Tasmania, the Water Management Act 1999 providing more points of comparison than the Irrigation Clauses Act 1973. Case studies showed greater participation in VMID water markets for both short-term and permanent transfers and greater monthly volumes of permanent and short-term transfers than the TMIS. For the TMIS temporary water market, a significant, downward monotonic trend over time was found but there was no monotonic trend for the permanent water market. The VMID showed no monotonic trend for short-term transfers and significant, upwards monotonic trends for permanent transfers. Both states showed a significant inverse association between short-term transfers and rainfall, indicating that water markets facilitate adaptation to climate variability, and risk management.

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