Potential Snowy scenarios take the next step
An initiative created by Watertrust Australia, to showcase deliberative policy-making processes in support of a review of how the Snowy waters are managed, is gathering momentum, with a major workshop starting today in Canberra.
In our June workshop, leading international experts outlined their experience in using structured decision-making (SDM) processes to create new water-use plans for British Columbia Hydro in Canada in the early 2000s. This week’s two-day ‘decision-sketch’ workshop will take that experience one step further, using a similar structured and collaborative approach to explore what’s possible for the Upper Murrumbidgee.
Watertrust’s Peter Horne commented, “The workshop has come together well in a complex stakeholder environment. Some of the stakeholders are now very interested in these processes, some are cautiously interested and some have not yet engaged for a variety of reasons. It’s a good example of how important it is to take the time to build support in such a diverse environment.”
Canadian experts Daryl Fields, now a Board Member at BC Hydro, and Lee Failing, from Compass Resource Management, spoke at the first workshop about their experiences with SDM and navigating a British Columbian stakeholder landscape that was initially hostile but became calm and collaborative. This week’s workshop will be led by Brian Crawford and Michael Harstone, also from Compass. “Both have the skills needed to showcase the SDM process in detail,” Peter said.
“I use the analogy that the first workshop was talking about what the car looked like, whereas this week’s collaborative work will be looking under the bonnet,” he said. “We might also learn about gaps in knowledge that need to be funded and explored before the governments can go ahead with a policy decision.”
SDM allows stakeholders to deliberate over a range of management scenarios, learning from each other and identifying best possible outcomes. While SDM could take up to two years, this week’s workshop will rapidly run through a simulated SDM process using the Upper Murrumbidgee River as a case study. “A technical reference group consisting of nine people, who represent a diversity of interests in the Upper Murrumbidgee, has assisted Compass to identify seven flow scenarios,” Peter explained. “The workshop participants will examine how each scenario matches up with agreed objectives.”
SDM allows stakeholders to deliberate over a range of management scenarios, learning from each other and identifying best possible outcomes.
Peter noted that the workshop’s finale will be consideration of the concrete next steps needed to help the participants, including senior advisors to government, decide whether these processes could usefully be employed to support the Snowy waters review. It’s a precious moment to work closely with those who directly influence major policy.
Fittingly, the event will be held at Canberra’s Arboretum, featuring a spectacular view looking up the Upper Murrumbidgee valley, the focus of the discussions.