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The Salinity Crisis in Western Australia: A Case of Policy Paralysis
Author(s) -
Beresford Quentin,
Phillips Harry,
Bekle Hugo
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
australian journal of public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-8500
pISSN - 0313-6647
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8500.00239
Subject(s) - salinity , government (linguistics) , political science , state (computer science) , work (physics) , development economics , public administration , political economy , economics , engineering , ecology , mechanical engineering , philosophy , linguistics , algorithm , computer science , biology
This article focuses on the Court government’s development of a State Salinity Strategy during the 1990s which took nine years from the initial announcement to the final realease. Western Australia has 70 percent of the nation’s dryland salinity, a figure widely regarded as representing a potential environmental disaster with significant flow‐on economic and social impacts. The paralysis that has surrounded decision‐making on this issue is examined as a case study in the lack of effectiveness of government policy‐making capacity on the environment. The shortcomings of the Salinity Strategy examined in the article include a lack of a leadership role for government, inadequate resourcing and weaknesses in the supporting institutional arrangements.