The 'wicked' policy problem of sustainable water use in Western Australia

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)This thesis examines the south-west region of Western Australia’s (WA) water crisis as a ‘wicked’ policy problem. ‘Wicked’ policy problems are: ubiquitous; complex policy problems that are connected to multiple issues; contain a myriad of probable solutions, none of which actually eliminate the problem. Water security has remained a ‘wicked’ policy problem in WA’s south-west since early settlement, in 1829, when available water and land resources had already reached their ‘carrying capacity’. Since the mid-1970s the region’s crisis has been exacerbated by lower winter rainfall averages, higher summer temperatures, declining groundwater resources and the effects of climate change. These climate change effects are combining with anthropogenic pressures to threaten the south-west region’s internationally renowned biodiversity hotspot. To mitigate the region’s water crisis the WA government has implemented an ‘integrated water management systems’ approach using a portfolio of options. These include two desalination plants, groundwater replenishment, water recycling trials and community awareness campaigns, which encourage everyone in the community to reduce, reuse and recycle. Although, these measures are actually conserving current water use they may not be enough to cater for the demands of forecasted future population growth, or worse case scenarios brought on by an even drier climate, and increased summer temperatures. This study provides an analysis of the institutional and strategic complexities of providing sustainable water resources in a region where competing sectors i.e. the social, political, environmental and social sectors have their own viewpoints and values relating to sustainable water use. To unravel the different perspectives across the sectors this study uses: an interdisciplinary approach to examine their interactions with and interconnectivity to the water issue, a historical geography approach to examine the institutional arrangements, along a time and space continuum, and a systems thinking approach to establish a ‘big picture’ to illustrate the climate change effects on the region’s water resources. These approaches provide a holistic thesis of the longstanding ‘wicked’ water policy problem. The conclusion of the thesis does not provide a solution to the ‘wicked’ policy problem but it supplies an understanding of its complexities and interconnections. Historically, the ‘wicked’ policy problem has not been easy to solve as secure water supplies have always been integral to the region’s agricultural, industrial and social sectors. This ‘wicked’ policy problem could only improve with sustainable water use from all sectors of the community