River Basin Management Between European Union Member States: What Can Australia Learn From Another Multilevel Governance System?

Comparing Europe's approach to river basin management to Australia's approach, in the same context, may seem an unlikely idea. After all, there are probably more differences than similarities of climate, population, landscape and system of governance between the two areas. Yet, it could be argued that the dynamic relations that exist between Europe's institutions and the governments of all member states to ensure effective implementation of EU water policy and water law are of direct interest to a federal system like Australia. Much like in Europe, the need for cooperation in Australia between federal and state governments and the appropriate balance of power sharing among levels of governments is crucial to yield change. To explore these issues, this article looks at what insights Australia could learn from Europe, in relation to improving decision-making processes and the role of decision-making bodies that foster cooperation. The article concludes that, although the Australian federal government now plays a much more proactive role in water management, the involvement of stakeholders and genuine cooperation between levels of government, as achieved through cooperative structures like those evidenced in Europe, remains crucial to implementing reforms and is an essential approach to sound water management.