Abstract
Australian water authorities have long been powerful drivers of liveability, resilience and sustainability outcomes in the cities and places they service. They thus play a critical role in enabling the health and wellbeing outcomes of all people through the many water servicing outcomes they provide. This paper presents the outcomes of a transdisciplinary research project that sought to develop a community focussed diversity and inclusion framework to support Melbourne Water - one of Australia’s largest water authorities - to deliver liveability related servicing outcomes in ways that would enable a greater access, uptake and enjoyment for the many diverse communities throughout the city of Melbourne. A two-phase methodology was developed, drawing together organisational and Monash University researchers’ expertise in Integrated Water management; Law, Safety and Risk; Human Behaviour Change and Review Science. First, a legislative and regulatory review sought to understand the legal obligations, policies and strategic commitments for the organisation on a national and state level. Concurrently, a strategic and practice review and an evidence review explored what works to promote community diversity and inclusion within land and waterway management? The findings from these reviews were synthesized and used to inform stakeholder interviews and co-design workshops. This research will provide Melbourne Water with guiding principles and tools to put in place a systems based approach to its service delivery, which acknowledges the intersectional nature of community diversity, providing a basis for achieving multiple benefits through place-based service delivery. It can provide a model for other statutory authorities to draw upon.
Presenters
Katie O'bryanLecturer, Law Faculty, Monash University, Victoria, Australia Paul Kellner
Research Fellow, Monash Sustainable Development Institute - Evidence Review Service, Monash University, Victoria, Australia Paul Satur
Lecturer for Water Sensitive Cities, MSDI Water, Monash Sustainable Development institute, Victoria, Australia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Community, Livability, Systems Thinking, Framework, Transdisciplinary Research, Water Authority
