Latest news
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Message from Watertrust CEO Karen Hutchinson
21 July 2026
Watertrust Australia is a systems change organisation. Our mission is to achieve better and fairer water outcomes for Australia. We do this by bringing deliberation into the mix in the complex and contentious water space to resolve policy deadlocks.
It means being here for the long haul. Our work takes time and patience, and success is likely to be incremental. It does not mean you can’t have impact along the way. In fact, visible, relevant impact is essential to our work.
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Turning ambition into impact
15 July 2026
Over the last year Watertrust has been through a process to understand where our work should focus to have the greatest impact. CEO Karen Hutchinson discusses what this means for Watertrust as we move ahead.
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Stepping from fairness in principle to fairness in practice
15 July 2026
How can putting fairness in the frame make a difference in the water policy space? We went back to two Peter Cullen Trust Fellows – Monique White from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and Maria Rosier from NRM Regions Queensland – to hear their take on putting fairness into practice following the recent Fellows’ workshop in Adelaide.
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Our bespoke team in the Lower Balonne
14 July 2026
Having the right mix of people has opened doors and given momentum to an Initiative that is still at an early stage. Harnessing this mix of passion, expertise and know-how helps Watertrust punch above its weight.
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Environmental progress depends on seeing the people, not just the trees
05 June 2026
World Environment Day is a day that draws attention to our natural world, so it makes sense that on this day we focus on the natural world and the threats it faces.
It probably sounds counterintuitive, but perhaps on World Environment Day, we should be focusing more on people. It stands to reason after all, that if people are the problem they are also central to the solution.
It probably sounds counterintuitive, but perhaps on World Environment Day, we should be focusing more on people. It stands to reason after all, that if people are the problem they are also central to the solution.
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On trust, fairness and the Basin Plan Review
02 June 2026
Watertrust Australia CEO Karen Hutchinson reflects on how philanthropy is such an important part of what makes Watertrust effective. At a recent funders forum, Watertrust had the opportunity to show our funders how our work is having an impact on the ground and breaking policy deadlocks. In this video, Karen explores this and other projects currently underway at Watertrust.
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Connecting the Lower Balonne
27 May 2026
The recently formed Lower Balonne Working Group has made a submission to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Review, reflecting progress in an area of historic deadlock between water users in the region.