In this seminar, Dr Quentin Grafton examines the water management crisis in the in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB).

Several separate and independent findings about the current state of the environment and water management in the MDB were released in early 2019 including: (1) the South Australia Murray-Darling Royal Commission; (2), The Australian Productivity Commission; and (3) the Australian Academy of Science Panel. These findings are reviewed and compared to the responses provided by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Australian government. A Water Justice lens is used to show how and why some decision-makers respond to truth with post-truth, and why this has contributed to a water crisis in the MDB. Possible possible pathways to mitigate a Post-truth water world are highlighted.

About the speaker

Professor Quentin Grafton is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (FASSA), Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy (CWEEP) at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University (ANU). Since 2012 he has been the Chairholder of the Australian National University-UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Water Governance. He has served in numerous advisory roles and expert panels in Australia and overseas including as the Chair of the Social and Economics Reference Panel of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission (2008-2009).