Water and catchment policy

We are a national leader in the provision of policy and governance advice for land and water resources. We draw on a deep understanding of the legislative context and history of natural resource management, combined with best practice policy and governance thinking.

We support government and non-government sectors in policy, regulatory and interjurisdictional decision-making, with a focus on water, catchment and environmental management. Our work often spans cultural, technical, disciplinary, institutional, jurisdictional, and sectoral boundaries. We apply systems thinking to understand how decisions and actions influence outcomes in these complex spaces. We develop conceptual frameworks for understanding decision-making, while communicating policy clearly to meet community and decision-maker needs.

Strategy, governance and institutional arrangements

We understand the need for clear governance: for clarity on who makes which decisions, for accountability on implementation, and for clarity on what is the scope for consultation or negotiation. We understand the current institutional responsibilities in water, catchment and climate risk management, how these evolved from past arrangements and what future arrangements are possible. We have extensive experience in advising government and non-government organisations on strategy, governance and institutional arrangements that support effective decision-making, while ensuring transparency and accountability.

Regulatory frameworks

We are highly respected practitioners in water regulatory policy, planning and best practice, complemented by our evaluation practice and our experience with water and environmental legislative and policy frameworks. We are respected for our professional independence, our integrity, and our ability to bring rigour and robust assessment and review. We have an established track record in application of regulatory literature, theory and best practice to unique regulatory environments, to develop robust and defensible compliance and regulatory frameworks.

Industry leadership

Our industry leaders are known for their deep expertise and knowledge in their field. They bring a thorough understanding of industry trends, technologies, and best practices.

David Winfield

David Winfield is a water resources expert with over 25 years’ experience in water policy development, river basin planning, best practice regulation and governance advice, at regional, state, river basin, national and international levels. David has detailed knowledge, experience and expertise in the Murray-Darling Basin, Snowy and NSW water legislative, policy and regulatory frameworks. David is Alluvium Consulting’s Strategy and Policy Business Area Lead. With Alluvium since 2015, David has played a leading role advising on water policy, river basin planning, evaluation, audit and regulatory best practice projects for the Australian Government and for Murray-Darling Basin States. He has led an Australian Water Partnership team providing expert advice on river basin planning and institutional reform to India and the Asia-Pacific, led authorship of BasinGuide, and advice to Laos and Vietnam. He led the Expert Panel Review of the NSW Government Snowy Water Licence regulatory function, followed by development of best practice regulatory policy and procedures. He has led independent audit of 15 NSW water sharing plans (WSPs), and compliance, enforcement and reporting framework advice to the Inspector-General of Water Compliance. He has led policy, regulatory, monitoring and evaluation projects for the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA). David contributed policy advice to MDBA’s Constraints Roadmap and led successful negotiations with officials to develop a pathway forward for Murray River Constraints. David provides policy advice for NSW Reconnecting River Country (Constraints) Program. At the MDBA from 2009-2015, David was the Director leading policy development and planning of the monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, a national integrated cross-jurisdiction river basin planning framework. David led consultation with State and Commonwealth agencies, legislative drafting instructions, reporting guidelines and evaluation framework development. He also led early compliance and regulatory framework development and the method for compliance with the sustainable diversion limit (SDL). With New South Wales from 1998-2009, David was involved in water resources planning in the Macquarie, Lachlan and Barwon-Darling Rivers, the Sydney metropolitan area, and a State-wide Groundwater Planning Panel. David led NSW policy development, implementation, guidance and legislative reform implementing water quality objectives and guidelines. David also led a team carrying out regulatory compliance and enforcement of environmental legislation with industry, public authorities and farmers.