Emotional intelligence? Left and right brainers? Strong leadership? Just what we really need in water policy, another basket weaver using 'education 101' theory to fix a complex scientific issue.

When we have solid, transparent and verifiable science that is presented without gross political spin by people who have not completely squandered their credibility, we might make a start on examining a few issues. But this left-brain-right-brain crap is nothing more than a pretext for one collection of interests to imply that other interests are somehow 'less developed', immature perhaps, and lacking in legitimacy.

If you want real progress in water policy we could start by sacking the entire executive team at the MurrayDarling Basin Commission.

Perhaps there is a need for a new set of first principles for water and general environmental management. But we also need to sort out a few of the structural problems around water management. The mishmash of state and federal control hasn't worked. Industry and lobby groups are fighting over the dying body of our water supplies. The control of water releases from the Snowy scheme, water licensing of cotton growers in the Darling basin, land clearing, salination, use of Federal funds for environmental grants, sustainable growth in the cities, sustainable farming- all of these things need fixing up and soon.

Where is the politician or party that will lead us into a better future of environmental and water management? Not the Howard government, captive of big business. Not Labor, captive of Greens preferences. Where?

Perseus, you suggest sacking he Murray Darling Authority, but what will replace them? And what is this reputable scientific source that you are waiting to appear? Don't you know that science is politicised especially when it is government controlled eg CSIRO & universities?

Dear Editor,
This kind of "touchy-feely, aren't I groovy, let's all learn to think in this new way and all our problems will be solved" argument is simply despicable.
It has nothing to do with water or with 'new ways of understanding', it is simply about giving the writer a sense of importance which she clearly does not deserve.
The mindless "why can't we all just be nice?" type of argument demonstrates the authors failure to grasp the basic facts of life and proves she is unable to join in a rational discussion.
I strongly suggest that you introduce more rigour into your editorial policy.

b Dams, wetlands, HECS fees and midbrain lateral thinking.

It's not smart to outsource skills to a 140,000 immigrant intake while you reduce skills internally using HECS fees to discourage continuing education. Neither is it smart to NWI diminishing internal water supplies when you can outsource the problem to coastal rain bands that currently dump all their rain in the Tasman sea. This thinking shows a lack of faith in the citizens who elected John Howard and in the geography of the country that supports all Australians.

HECS fees are exacerbating skills shortages, so we DON'T NEED TO OUTSOURCE skills to immigrants, we need to remove HECS fees. NWI is relying on diminishing internal water supplies and growing user numbers so we need to OUTSOURCE our water supply to coastal rain bands.

Outsourcing water: Continental Thermodynamic manipulation is the concept. The way to achieve this is:

* Patchwork flooding of South Australia's salt lakes using solar desal technology and canals and pipes from Port Augusta. This will very slightly cool central SA and allow purely coastal rain bands entry to NSW and Victoria on a more regular basis.

* Creation of 100,000 engineered wetlands (EWBs) at strategic catchment saddle points all across Australia. This retains desert heat energy which can WORK for the country. It currently moves in atmospheric and oceanic gyres to the roaring forties where it does a fine job of melting fringe ice caps, much to the delight of fundamentalist Greenhouse Warmers.

Continued ..

Continued ..

As for Dams, they have several damaging effects leading to prolonged droughts. They:

* sequester nutrients to dam floors, never to be seen again, starving downstream ecosystems or water and NUTRIENTS.
* divert water MORE efficiently than ever to humans, to become polluted and to run off into coastal waters, accelerating environmental damage. Thermodynamic imbalances caused off coasts in this way, where dams are present, are a significant contributor to global climate change as they attract low entropy heat sources from deserts and tropical seas.
* create thermodynamic imbalances over land that are small and easily blown out to sea with little or no rainfall.

Engineered wetland (EWB) networks on the other hand have advantages:

* sequester nutrients in reeds and other biomass that can be spread around as total catchment fertilisers.
* keep all sections of a catchment moist and productive.
* retain thermodynamic heat that can do more work in the environment and in human habitats. This prevents drought, migration of moisture to coastal seas. It promotes more regular precipitation over farms and towns.
* can be designed to favour native plants and animals over introduced species like toads.
* If dams have EWBs at all their sources and EWBs downstream from all their human clients then dams will become ecologically sustainable options. All their negative aspects are overcome.

This paper http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-a/40/i02/html/011506news2.html, shows the benefits of EWBs for Arizona which is arid like much of Australia. This article also shows that Wildlife in some wetlands will be hard hit by the pollutants. They will evolve to hardier species. However, this will be to the benefit of species (and humans) below those polluted wetlands in the catchment network. This is an important issue. EWBs act as barriers. They are designed and engineered to sustain, control and destroy high pollutant loads using an array of bioreative materials and plant and animal species.

There is a very simple flaw in this argument.

>>We need to include a fourth leg on to our triple bottom line planning. Why? When we lean on one leg, be it social, economic, or environmental we are leaning on one leg of a three-legged stool. We now need to add a fourth leg to our stool which provides a mechanism for balance.<<

As every skoolboy kno, a three-legged stool is inherently more stable than one that has four.

I notice that Ms Kearney has a passion for dot-to-dot drawing books. Her previous article here was entitled "Water, Food, Poverty: Time to join the policy dots", this one opens with "[as] a child I remember enjoying playing with “dot to dot” drawing books.

I hate to draw conclusions from this, far less postulate "outcomes", but the entire piece seems just a little.... dotty?

Victoria Kearney:

My oh my, whatever have we espoused here ? VK's epistle on harnessing the Nation's collective minds to unlock the mysteries of a National Water Strategy is as simplistic as her cluttered ideology, choice of analogy ( Aboriginal input ) three legged stools, psychological dissection of our frontal lobe..indeed !

Without being too paranoid about the essentials of LIFE - water, we dont need any more academics to lead us by the nasal oriface to ' spiritually ' solve what is already costing this Nation $ 12 B ( Water Resources Communique ) with more bureaucrats, departments etc.. in case VK doesn't know - we do have a National Policy on Water Management.

It has been the Policy of Government's to build Dams,weirs, canal catchment area's ever since demographers realised population growth would exceed and outstrip Natural resources. Unfortunately, many of the Dam sites are not ideally located, generally. In Queensland, Politician's ( finance appropriations ) decreed where exactly - despite expert advice to the contrary. Result - poor catchment, salt pans, wasted resources - monuments to Pollie's alter ego's !!

In the good old days of Joh BJP. He personally instructed a mega Dam to be built not far from his home, to ensure his vast peanut acreages would never go without ! This legagy bears his name. Not to be outdone, Sir William Gunn before his retirement also built a similar monolith at Gatton. Lake Dyer Dam is bone dry 9 months of a year. Minister for Everything at the time, Russ Hinze located his Dam in the hinterland, adjacent to his vast family estate - fortunately it's 83 % full, in the worst drought in 200 years. His testament, on a shoestring budget - neglected to provide for flood mitigation in the Nerang. In a one in a huindred scenerio residents and business in the region would be inundated, just like the 1974 floods ! Experts all agree Dam gates over the spillway would have been a sensible alternative. This is the Gold Coast Waterway Authority's worst kept secret.

continued..

In the 80's NSW and Vic Water Boards, decided it would be wise to sell off the infrastructure to Big Business - notably Oversea's Constortium's. Both State's were in financially dire straits, and selling off the crown jewels was a Politician's nightmare. No one envisaged two decades later, water is not only the scarcest commodity, the price to buy it back has sky rocketed ! Of course, the suffering Public will have to wear it - ipso facto. So much for soothesayer's and academia, with their dreams of providing the basic nesessities for the hoi polloi. It could only happend in a Third World Country ? Dont bet on it.

The Indegenous Native's are the world's worst examples of Water conservation. It's against their culture to build anything larger than a 'gunhya'.They are a nomadic race,and all the sanitised history we have been indoctrinated in schools with,prove without the whiteman, welfare and social handouts, he would still be living in Stoneage. Kakadu is a prime case in point. They have ruined a Natural Conservatory that should belong to everybody. Uluru is another. The landscape is littered with plastic,plonk bottles, and the Gins still beg for a living.

Very recently, Palm Island was the centre of a pitch battle with Police. Not only did they torch the station, they destroyed Public property meant for their own well being. Among other misdemeanours, they threatened life and limb. It took a month to restore Law and Order.

Of more importance, they ran the taps dry. They wasted no time in alerting the ' Courier Mail' of their plight.The Island's reservoir was severly mismanaged and not maintained - worst, ecoli was discovered in a routine sample. A Ranger told me he wouldn't drink the water. It was polluted. The Aboriginal Affair's Minister had to arrage asap water tankers to alleviate a crisis situation. BTW, the scarce water was not compromised to put out the inferno.

There is nothing novel in Mrs Kearney's repertoire. Calling for Summit's is old hat. Pity she lives in a cacoon of Academia - indicative of the Forum's naivette.

Cheers

I think my browser must have cut part of the article out somehow, because I cannot for the life of me see what is actually being proposed by way of a solution, nor even any concrete suggestion as to how a solution might be found.

Sylvia.

Well, the only meaningful thing I gleaned out of this article is;

“We now need to develop and perhaps even legislate for sustainability education programs in all organisations which assist us as decision makers, students and academics to grasp this interdependence and spiritual perspective.”

…..if you replace the last two words with something like; ‘the imperative to reach sustainability as soon as possible’.

It should be all about a logical scientific approach, undertaken with a holistic perspective. Sorry, but the spiritual aspect completely misses the mark as far as I am concerned.

Help! Call out the SAS, the fairies are invading. We must drive them back to the bottom of the garden.
While were waiting for the SAS, I would like to debunk one myth, which our illustrious leader has managed to establish, with just one little lie.
We are not in the worst drought for a century. We are not even in much of a drought.
For this wet season, November to now, we are 37% above average.
For this decade so far, 2000, to 2005 we have had 300mm more rain than we had in the same period last decade, 1990 to 1995.
This fact can be checked so easily I find it hard to believe he can get away with it.
What is it they say? If you are going to lie, Make sure its a big one. Its more likely to be believed.
Is our media so incompetent? or do they want to let this government off the hook, on lack of water infrastucture planning.
Not that I mind too much, I think its about time that the city was made to source its water from within its own boundaries. It can not be allowed to draw on the resources of an ever increasing area of the state to support an increasingly superfluous,if not parasitic population, in a small corner.

....From early reaction and forum comments the objetcive of a poltical activist and change agent has been achieved... to challenge....
For the record I am not an academic but someone who has worked as a lobbyist on National Water policy ( for the past 5 years) and as strategic planner/ community development practitioner in government for over 20 years and currently working as sustainability educator in the private sector.
The knee jerks are what would have been expected,but play the ball not the person. There are few notable change agents who didn't give up when faced personal ridicule and for now I am also not one!

There are a few of mentors who are prominent scientists Prof Ian Lowe, Prof Dexter Dunphy who also advocate politically challenging the purist scientific-alone approach to resolve complexity on environmental issues and the need to integrate a public moral, ethical and spiritual perspective; a new world view to provide guidance for public policy decision making . We need a more integrated approach to water policy management which allows us to hear and understand the position of all others across cultural, political and discplinary boudaries. The will not be achieved unless we see things differently. The article uses metaphors which are not meant to abduct the agenda, but create discussion. This is about advocating for a more balanced approach in public polciy decisions making,crossing boundaries and working together differntly.

Learning a new way; to drop ego and power positions in order to improve outcomes for the whole who say they care about our environment. This 'feel good groovy approach' is exaclty what we need, a sharing of our interdependence!
The reactions to the article just reinforce the commitment and urgent need for educating for change

We're stuffed, after reading Victoria Kearney, then 2much4some, I can well appreciate why we see our society and environment in the condition it is.

“So lets all go back to baby brain gym and give it a try, so that we can get the picture together as a whole, both the maths and the creative.” From Victoria.

“This 'feel good groovy approach' is exactly what we need, a sharing of our interdependence!
The reactions to the article just reinforce the commitment and urgent need for educating for change”
From 2much4some.

Really shows us how far from reality these supposedly educated people are. Can't they say anything sensible, or that makes sense. What language do these people speak, beaurucrasilly, or academinsanity. Do they understand English and how it relates to real people and our environment. Who cares whether we are in a drought or not, the available water in this country is inadequate for the needs of a population this size, the farming methods and life styles we currently use.

First step required, no more people. Second step, change practices away from massive water usage farming techniques and towards sustainable farming. Get rid of most of the cloven hoofed animals and start to utilise our own natives which are far superior to destructive feral livestock. We also have native crops that can easily be developed to add to our export markets, creating niche markets. Result, less water, improving environment, better lifestyle for all. Recycle all water in cities for re use or pumping to farming areas, Don't privatise, really simple.

So down the drain hole we go with all our water, as the experts inflate their egos with semantic incomprehensible rubbish. Can someone tell me what a Doctorate of Philosophy in Human Geography is, what it represents and what you can do with it. Plus what does it has to do with water, unless its refers to piss and wind

So now Ian Lowe (of ACF) is an expert and unbiased mentor? Daffy Duck for PM.

Just that you can compartmentalise each forum response and reaction into area of speciality: the scientist, the geographer, the educator the planner the engineer the economist, the politician and the environmentalist, its not until these dots are joined together and they take in all points of view and widen their perception and understanding will they see the “big picture”

Widening your perception is about acceptance that spirituality is part of every person’s life education, growth and development

Any school child, will tell you Geogrpahy is the subject which connects world,water people as all part of the environment.

Spirituality, eh. Is that where we can conclude that the green cultists are worshipers of Baal (the earth) and therefore are an abomination under Jewish, Christian and Muslim teaching?

I just can't wait for the day when we solve all the MurrayDarling water use issues by compulsory colonic irrigation with saline groundwater.

Can't help thinking that responses to Ms Kierney's views are rather emotional and more than a tad defensive. Makes me think that they have something to lose when people react like this. Why is it so threatening if people start thinking about water issues in a new way?

Why get caught up in the metaphors? Focusing on the language trivialises what has to be said. Typical political tactic.

Deal with the issues- come up with workable solutions. Maybe its time to stop playing with your dick boys!

Search on a group called faith and ecology network not restricted to one positon, but all faiths..............water has a spiritual perspective in all faiths....
All components of our environement including plant animals and even some human political "animals" rely on water for food, sustenance,renewal and survival.
Therefore food production, poverty and security, health and well being, and the human right to particpate in all decisions regarding this resource, belongs equally to all.
Once again polciy decision need and should not compete, but be of benefit to all groups including the resource itself and those not yet born...reflecting the need to embrace all positons and all groups

I applaude the work of Ms Kearney in this article although it has obvously hit a raw nerve with some readers.

I note although a previous reader has questioned the rain fall stats that we are all provided with no-one has questioned the issue its self - its good to see that at least we agree on one thing! So how do we work togeather to solve this for our future generations cause I know that i want to be part of the solution and not the problem... taking this approach works in so many aspects of life and I would recommend that some readers consider this for more than a few minutes before writting a hasty reply that will try and belittle my opinion.

Lets all try the four legged stool, although many students will tell you that a three legged stool is better how long have they tried sitting on a four legged stool - and further on reflection of my student years although I thought I understood the world - I continue to learn and reflect everyday on my life learnings and how much I still have to encounter.

One thing I am sure of - this is a urgent matter and this is an approach that may work - we all know from our current situation that nothing else has!

Sitting comfortably on my four legged stool - again I applaude!

To the sound of one hand clapping.