Liveable, sustainable and productive cities and regions are critical to our economic wellbeing and quality of life.
The water industry has a strong reputation for contributing to the liveability of Australians and New Zealanders by providing safe, secure and affordable drinking water and wastewater services.
Our industry also enables broader liveability outcomes including contributing to green and blue infrastructure to deliver benefits to physical and mental health by making our communities cooler, healthier and more attractive places to live, work and play.
While planning for green and blue infrastructure can start to unlock improved liveability outcomes there are no clear pathways to deliver and fund these initiatives.
The water industry is committed to taking action and we call on Australian and New Zealand governments on all levels to collaborate with us and take leadership to enable green and blue infrastructure to deliver liveability outcomes for cities and regions by:
- Harnessing the full water cycle with all water supply options on the table and by coordinating the incorporation of stormwater
- Integrating our approach to planning
- Implementing an effective framework for measuring health and liveability benefits
- Creating new funding and financing models for green and blue infrastructure as social infrastructure.