“Access to adequate, good quality water is vital for our environment, communities, economy, and culture.” - Quote from the Commonwealth Government’s recently released Wellbeing Framework which identifies indicators of what matters most to Australians.
Water is now being recognised as having an expanded role beyond drinking water, wastewater and stormwater. This expanding role embraces water as a critical enabler of innovation, sustainability, and economic productivity. As an industry, we are committed to harnessing its transformative power to shape a resilient, sustainable, and thriving future for all.
It is against this backdrop that we have completed a Progress Report, a follow-up to our visionary Blue+Green=Liveability work.
This Progress Report aims to reset our path forward, advancing our understanding of water as a key enabler for thriving communities. It explores in greater detail how we can leverage our water resources in innovative ways to enhance both urban and regional liveability, stimulate economic productivity, and protect our precious ecosystems. It also showcases some of the innovative solutions and actions already being undertaken.
The Report highlights the importance of water and green infrastructure in creating thriving communities. It showcases the significant value that people place on water's role in ensuring the productivity of both our economy and communities and highlights some of the innovative actions by the urban water industry.
The next wave of reform involves continuing to pursue recommendations from our previous report, Blue+Green=Liveability, where progress is still occurring and needs to be made.
We look forward to working with all levels of Governments to better understand and promote water’s contribution. This progress report invites all stakeholders, from policymakers and industry leaders to community members and researchers, to embrace the transformative role water plays in cities and regions as they seek to thrive.
