Our story

Watertrust Australia Ltd – incorporated and registered as a charity in 2021 – was established to improve how water and catchment policy decisions are made in Australia. 

In 2017 two of Australia’s leading philanthropic organisations – The Myer Foundation and The Ian Potter Foundation – funded a major study to better understand how Australia could improve the sustainable management of its inland waters and catchments. The study identified a role for an independent organisation that could act as an honest broker working with stakeholders to improve processes of decision-making for the policy and management of Australia's waters and catchments.  

Watertrust Australia commenced operations on 1 July 2021 and our inaugural CEO, Nick Austin, took up his role in late September 2021. 

As an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation, we play a unique role in an Australian water policy landscape dominated by deep divisions, partisan politics and contested evidence.